Meet the kids and staff who make the Club a truly special place
One of our favorite pieces of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver history comes from the 1960s.
Kids lined up overnight outside a modest Boys' Club in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Some even brought sleeping bags and waited on the sidewalk, hoping to earn the coveted #1 membership card. Why? Because the Club was more than a place to spend time after school. It was a place where kids felt seen. Where they felt they mattered. Where they believed their future could be bigger than their circumstances.
Sixty-five years later, a lot has changed.
The Club, now the William E. Cope Boys & Girls Club, welcomes both boys and girls. The race to claim the #1 membership card is long gone.
But some things haven't changed at all.
For 14-year-old MJ, the Cope Club is still a place of connection and belonging.
"It makes me feel good coming here and seeing everybody," MJ said.
A member for the past four years, MJ comes to the Club every day after school. As one of the older members, he makes a point to look out for younger kids and help them feel welcome.
The feeling of belonging starts with the people, he says. MJ credits Club staff with creating an environment where kids and teens know they're supported and cared for.
On a recent August afternoon, that support was on full display. Club members gathered as the Colorado Avalanche and Bernie the mascot stopped by with backpacks and school supplies to help kick off the new school year.
Moments like these make MJ proud of his Club.
Over the years, he has watched the Club grow with improvements like a new basketball court and game room. Today, he sees it as a place that reflects the strength of the community around it.
"Our Club can show off to our community," MJ shared.
And just like the kids who once waited overnight for a membership card, MJ knows what makes the Club special isn't the building itself. It's knowing there's a place where you belong.
