The Martinez Boys and Girls Club, after a merger that kept its name

Boys & Girls Clubs of Contra Costa posted its impact report for 2025-26 on Sept. 4. The headline numbers: 1,873 young people served, 76 percent of them from low-income households, across 11 club sites.

The flagship is in Martinez, at 1301 Alhambra Ave. The organization calls it that on its own join page, and the reason is geography — the clubhouse sits within walking distance of Martinez Junior High School, Alhambra High School and Vicente Martinez High School, and it has been serving Martinez for more than 60 years.

Inside there is a Teen Center, a STEM Center and a Media Maker Studio. Members get homework help, STEM programming, leadership development, arts education and time to move around. The clubhouse is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 2:30 to 6 p.m., and from 1:30 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and other early-release days. The phone is (925) 387-0746.

The organization's two pages do not agree on how big it is. The join page says it operates 14 locations across Martinez, Concord, Antioch, Richmond and Pinole; the new impact report says 11 club sites. Worth a call before you drive to one.

The bigger change is at the top, and it is easy to miss because nothing on the sign changed. In 2025 the Contra Costa organization merged into Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley. The announcement, signed by board chair Charles Francis and Silicon Valley president and chief executive Steve Wymer, said all the clubhouses, programs and staff stay in place and the Contra Costa name stays with them. The Silicon Valley side put it in numbers: a combined legacy of more than 150 years of service, and a jump from 40 clubhouses to 42. The Contra Costa clubs were founded in 1955 and marked 70 years in 2025, the same year the organization was named California Nonprofit of the Year for the 15th Assembly District. Julee Winterbourne was named director for Contra Costa County in December.

The report gives a sense of what a year actually looks like on the ground: Power Hour academic support, a spelling bee tournament, STEM exploration, podcasting and media, a folklorico performance, a healthy cook-off, basketball, soccer, baseball, flag football and an Olympics week. Under character and leadership, it lists Junior Youth of the Year among the leadership opportunities members took part in — the national organization describes that program as one for junior leaders ages 10 to 13. The senior Youth of the Year gala is set for Jan. 29, 2027, at Signia by Hilton in San Jose.

One entry in the report is Martinez's own. Under the heading "Art That Connects Us," it describes young people, families and community members coming together with a local artist collective to make a mural celebrating youth voices. The mural is at the Martinez clubhouse, and it was unveiled there at 10 a.m. on March 7. MCE paid for it, the artist collective Illuminaries painted it, and the City of Martinez came in as a partner, with the work timed to the city's 150th anniversary.

The club's own fundraiser, Golf Fore Kids' Sake, hits its 20th year on April 26, 2027 at Crow Canyon Country Club in Danville, with registration at 9 a.m. and a tee off at 11.