Boys and Girls Harbor (formerly called Boys Harbor) is an educational organization. The Charter school

Charter school

Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...

 and its various other recreational and guidance programs are located in East and Central Harlem

Harlem

Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...

, New York, USA. Founded by Anthony Drexel Duke in 1937, as a summer camp in East Hampton, New York

East Hampton (town), New York

The Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York...

, Boys and Girls Harbor has grown into several programs.

The Harbor was one of the first organizations to launch a charter school in the state of New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 and has since then created programs that include pre-school, extended day tutoring, literacy training, substance abuse prevention, college preparation, workforce readiness, and a conservatory for the performing arts. Three-quarters of the students range from the ages of 6 to 17 and are 56% African-American, 35% Latino, and 9% from another heritage. The constituents average a general population of 53% male and 47% female. Most of the students live in East or Central Harlem (67%), but 17% live in The Bronx

The Bronx

The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...

, 6% live in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, 5% live in Queens

Queens

Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....

, and the remaining 5% live elsewhere in the tri-state area.

Anthony Drexel Duke

The founder and president of Boys and Girls Harbor is Anthony Drexel Duke. Duke attended St. Paul's School

St. Paul's School (Concord, New Hampshire)

St. Paul's School is a highly selective college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school is one of only six remaining 100% residential boarding schools in the U.S. The New Hampshire campus currently serves 533 students,...

, an elite New England preparatory school in Concord, New Hampshire

Concord, New Hampshire

The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....

, and graduated from Princeton University

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

 in 1941. Duke started Boys and Girls Harbor in 1937, at the age of 19, as a summer camp for immigrant and disadvantaged boys. Recruiting friends and family as camp counselors, Duke believed that fresh air mixed with discipline and mutual respect would help discover these inner-city boys’ talents and potential. After three years (1935–1937) of orchestrating and planning this summer program, Duke and fellow St. Paul’s friends found a vacant campsite called Duck Island near Southampton, New York

Southampton (town), New York

The Town of Southampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, U.S., partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town had a total population of 54,712...

. Duck Island remained the site of “Boys Harbor” until Duke was commissioned in the U.S. Navy to fight in World War II in 1941. The camp reopened in 1947 in Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 at a place called “Lord’s Highway”; the camp migrated to several other locations until 1954 when East Hampton, New York

East Hampton (town), New York

The Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York...

became the camp’s permanent home.

In 1963, Anthony Drexel Duke acquired a townhouse on East 94th Street in New York City to create a year-round center in the city for the Harbor children. The 1960s through the1970’s were a time of rapid growth for Boys and Girls Harbor; the institution upgraded to the former Heckscher Building at 104th Street and Fifth Avenue (Boys and Girls Harbor’s present-day home) to accommodate the expanding number of programs, participants, and staff. Also, the institution became fully coeducational and extended its mission to performing arts programs, day care for preschoolers, and drug and alcohol prevention classes.

Since the starting days of Boys and Girls Harbor, Anthony Drexel Duke has selflessly dedicated his life to the mission he created back in 1937: “to empower the lives of inner-city young people, helping them overcome adversity as they achieve their creative, intellectual, and economic dreams.” His goal of properly educating the youth of America and giving children an opportunity to actively participate in society is still successfully being achieved to this day.

“My feeling is that if we’re going to preserve our democracy, we can’t have so many people falling through the cracks. We’ve got to give them their deserts, which is not just respect, it’s a good education.” – Anthony Drexel Duke

Boys and Girls Harbor Today

-NAEYC accredited Pre-School and After-School and Summer Educational Services

-The Harbor Science and Arts Charter School

-Emily N. Carey School

-The Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts

-The Harbor Literacy Center

-Harbor Social Services, Genesis Program, and Harbor Family Horizons

Current Boys and Girls Harbor Locations in New York City

- One East 104th Street (main facility)- Charter School, High School, Performing Arts Conservatory, Preschool, Universal Pre-Kindergarten, After-School and Summer Programs, Behavioral Health Services, and the Literacy Center.

- 1330 Fifth Avenue- Harbor Family Horizons Preschool, Universal Pre-Kindergarten, and Family Horizons Center.

- 1299 Amsterdam Avenue- Grant Day Care, Preschool, Universal Pre-Kindergarten, and After-School and Summer Programs.

- 311 West 120th Street- Harbor Morningside Children's Center, Preschool, Universal Pre-Kindergarten, and After-School and Summer Programs.

- 2211 First Avenue- Harbor Oasis Preschool and Universal Pre-Kindergarten