Since 1939, the Jesse P. Sanford Boys & Girls Club of Redding-Easton has served tens of thousands of children in providing sports, recreation, social, and educational programs.
Jesse P. Sanford, a former Judge, Redding First Selectman, and community leader, founded the Club in 1939 for the purpose of providing safe, supervised recreation for the children of Redding. Incorporated as a tax-exempt, non-profit organization in the 1940s, the Club acquired approximately eight acres of open fields on Cross Highway near Black Rock Turnpike, where sports activities have been held since the early 1900s.
Responding to increasing needs in the 1950s, the Club built a Clubhouse that stood until destroyed by fire in 1996. In 2003, completely new facilities were opened, including a barn that houses an office, snack bar, and equipment storage, and a pavilion with picnic tables which is a great place to watch a game or stay out of the sun or rain.
In recent years, we have additional sports programs, several Boys & Girls Club community service programs, and many annual special events such as our Civic Day, Photo Contest, Youth of the Year, and Spelling Bee. Of particular note are our Keystone and Torch Clubs, which are Boys & Girls Club leadership and service programs for high-school teens and middle school students. Both clubs elect their own officers, select, plan, organize and run their own community service projects.
We currently serve over 600 youth year-round; 300 in baseball & softball… more than 85 in travel basketball… 110 in field hockey… and 150 in our newer programs that include, wrestling, and community service programs.
In 2011, our Board of Directors made the decision to include our neighboring town Easton in the official name “Boys & Girls Club of Redding-Easton”.
Our new name reflects the fact that the Boys & Girls Club – a familiar institution for more than 80 years – proudly serves both Redding and Easton with a wide range of sports and community programs for the kids from kindergarten through high school with about 25% of the participants in our programs coming from Easton.