Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena Adopts New Mission, Three-Year Plan Shaped by Eaton Fire

The Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena has adopted a new three-year strategic plan and rewritten its mission statement for the first time in decades, changes the organization says were shaped by the January 2025 Eaton Fire that disrupted its planning process and reshaped its direction.

The plan, titled “Future Ready: Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena 2025-2028 Strategic Plan,” replaces the organization’s longtime mission focus on “kids who need us most” with broader language committing to all youth. The new mission statement reads: “BGCP provides youth and teens with the environment, relationships, and opportunities that equip them to build essential skills to learn, lead, and succeed.” The Club’s Board of Directors adopted the plan in late 2025, according to a statement from the organization.

The 18-month planning process began in 2024 and was interrupted when the Eaton Fire struck in January 2025, according to the press release. The pause allowed the Club to evolve in its planning and adopt a strategic plan and mission reflective of the community’s strengths and needs revealed after the fire, according to the statement.

The plan is built around four strategic priorities: expanding and deepening the Club’s value for youth, families, and the community; ensuring teens are prepared for success in college and career, with a focus on academic achievement, workforce readiness, leadership development, and post-secondary planning; fostering partnerships with schools, businesses, nonprofits, and civic leaders; and building the organization’s financial sustainability and resilience.

Guided by the new mission, the Club plans to increase its capacity and operations to meet needs ranging from workforce readiness programs for teens to ongoing mental health supports to evidence-based programs that boost academic skills.

To support long-term impact, the plan calls for the organization to diversify revenue streams, strengthen donor engagement, enhance operational excellence, and invest in systems that support sustainable growth..

A central element of the teen-focused priority is the Dena Teen Center, which opened at the start of the 2025-26 school year at the Mackenzie-Scott Branch on North Fair Oaks Avenue. The organization commissioned a concept paper in December 2024 to explore expanded teen services and a dedicated facility, according to the organization’s strategic plan summary.

“Our new mission statement and strategic plan reflect that every child can benefit from what the Club has to offer,” said Lisa Cavelier, the Club’s CEO. “We are elevating the Club experience and our programs to ensure that every young person who walks through our blue doors gains the skills, confidence, and support they need to thrive in school, career, and life.”

The strategic planning process included a Discovery phase with staff and stakeholder interviews and a Design phase with 12 sessions involving the board committee and senior leadership, organized around four themed areas, according to the plan summary. The strategic planning committee was chaired by board chair Melina Montoya, with planning consultant Annette Ricchiazzi of MissionLab guiding the process.

BGCP was founded in 1937 and now operates five locations in the Pasadena area: the Slavik Branch on East Del Mar Boulevard, the Mackenzie-Scott Branch on North Fair Oaks Avenue, the Dena Teen Center, Odyssey Charter School – North in Altadena, and a new site in the Kings Villages housing community on North Fair Oaks Avenue. The organization serves more than 1,500 youth ages five to 18 annually, according to a press release.

The plan’s progress will be measured through key performance indicators and milestones, according to the strategic plan summary. More information is available at bgcpasadena.org/strategic-plan or by contacting Cavelier at lisa.cavelier@bgcpasadena.org.

“We are truly excited for what lies ahead for the Club and for the kids and teens we serve,” Cavelier said.