Since four women founded the nation’s first Boys’ Club, the Dashway Club, in Hartford in 1860, women have played a critical role in our organization’s history. Today, as the Boys & Girls Clubs, women continue to play a vital role in shaping the lives of Hartford’s youth. The need to invest in, inspire and empower the next generation of young women leaders in our Clubs through SMART Girls has never been more important. Join us as we honor the incredible contributions that women - past and present - have made to our Clubs and celebrate the young lives transformed by SMART Girls. Proceeds from the Dashaway Luncheon benefit SMART Girls, a health, life skills and empowerment program for girls ages 8 to 18. Through the program, Club members explore their own and societal attitudes and values as they build skills for eating right, staying physically fit, getting good health care and developing positive relationships with peers and adults.