During late 2004 & early-2005, a small group of North Country residents became concerned that there was no safe place for children to go to after school to engage in healthy and fun activities.

 

This group was spearheaded by Therese Reger, owner of the Four Seasons Sports Center (now Evergreen Sports Center), her then-husband Denny Engstrom, Bob Butson, former principal of the Lisbon Regional School, and Bruce and Cindy McLaren.

 

This nucleus group then enlisted additional concerned community members, some of whom were: Sally (Field) Russell, Bob and Anita Craven, and Joe Flynn, all of whom had experience in working with young people. Along with Dick and Barbara Langworthy, Kevin O’Brien, Candra Canning, Brenda Adam, Brenda Highland, Erline and Wendell Jesseman, Kelly Jesseman, Mike Kenney and Duane Cote, this group functioned as an informal Board, and made decisions regarding the new Club.

​

The Club initially was located in the Four Seasons Sports Center, Lisbon, first, at no cost, and later at break-even cost, thanks to the generosity of Therese Reger, owner of the Four Seasons. We obtained a $25,000 U.S. Dept. of Justice start-up grant through the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester, and hired our first employee Bruce McLaren to be our first full-time Unit Director. Bruce underwent four days of training at the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester.

 

Bruce was good friends with World Champion skier Bode Miller, and prevailed on Bode to make a very generous gift to help get the Club going. (Later, through Bode, Spyder Ski Clothing generously donated a large number of ski parkas to the children who attended the first Boys and Girls Clubs of New Hampshire Free Ski Day hosted by Bretton Woods.)

​

The Club opened at the Four Seasons in mid-February, 2005, with a daily after school 3-6 p.m. program for kids in grades 3-5.

BGCNC established a formal organizational structure consisting of elected officers, directors and standing committees in April, 2005.

​

​

​