At seven years old, Anibal “AJ” Ramirez Mateo, Jr. entered the Yawkey Club of Roxbury as a quiet observer. Nearly a decade later, he is a finance student at Bentley University, the founder of his own streetwear brand, and a mentor to younger members who remind him of exactly who he used to be. AJ’s journey is inseparable from the people who showed up for him along the way.

By early morning in South Boston, before most of the neighborhood has had its first cup of coffee, the Edgerley Family Club is already alive. The gym echoes with a men’s league basketball game. Downstairs, students from a nearby school splash into the pool for morning swim lessons. Upstairs, community members fill meeting rooms. By the time the first young person arrives in the afternoon, the Club has already served dozens of neighbors. Across Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston (BGCB), a new phase is taking shape. BGCB is not simply expanding access. It is reimagining what a Club can be: a place with extended hours, shared spaces, and a deeper presence in the neighborhoods it serves.