J.C. Penney Afterschool Fund Awards Grant
The J.C. Penney Afterschool Fund is awarding grants to Boys & Girls Clubs across the country, including $7,500 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester, to increase access for 25 youth currently without access – or on the verge of losing access – to after school programs due to a lack of financial resources. Recent studies show that 14.3 million children in the U.S. are unsupervised between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day. These grants will allow children, who could otherwise be at risk for destructive behavior, access to safe, enriching and educational after school programs. Funds from the grants will cover the expense of attending a Club, including staff supervision by full-time, trained youth development professionals; exposure to tried and proven programs; access to community service initiatives; transportation; snacks; and time spent in a safe, “up-to-code”, youth-centric building. Boys & Girls Clubs of America has received funding and support from the J.C. Penney Afterschool Fund for several years. High-quality after school programs keep children safe and produce life-changing, lasting benefits, including healthier lifestyles, improved social skills and enhanced academic performance. In its continuing effort to ensure that every child in America has access to quality after-school programs, the J.C. Penney Afterschool Fund has awarded over $4 million to the national office of Boys & Girls Clubs of America this year.
All-Star Floor Hockey Program
The two All-Star Floor Hockey teams at the Club opened the defense of their respective 2009 championship seasons last week. The Girls 14 & under All-Stars opened their season with a well played win at the South Boston Boys and Girls Club. Scoring for the Lady Colonels were Jessica Teixeira (6 goals), Cadejia Matthews (3 goals), Jailene Peguero (2 goals), D’Mitra Weathers (2 Goals) and Khalilah Evora (1 goal). The next game on the schedule will see the team hosting the Newton Boys and Girls Club on 11/4. The 13 & under Boys team opened their season at home with a well-played victory over the Waltham Boys and Girls Club. Scoring for the Colonels were Jack Cook (3 goals), Charlie Curd (3 goals), Sam Mastrogiacomo (2 goals), Bobby Scannell (2 goals), Andronique DosSantos (2 goals), Lloyd Hill (2 goals) and Michael Kapolis (1 goal). Up next on the schedule for the Boys team will be a game on the road against the Watertown Boys and Girls Club on 11/3. Both teams will continue home and away games against Clubs from the region through the end of November followed by the play-off tournament. For information on the All-Star Floor Hockey program please contact Athletic Director, Bruce Seals at ext. 2210.
November Program Highlights
There are special events scattered all over the November calendar in all program areas. In our Aquatic program the Marr-lin Swim Team will host Chelsea/Worcester (11/6), travel to Taunton (11/13) and host Waltham (11/20). In the Teen program we will host the Ping-Pong Championships (11/10), take a trip to the Movies (11/12) and hold our Thanksgiving Dinner (11/23). In addition, the Career Prep after-school jobs program, in partnership with the Boston Youth Fund, will begin on 11/15 and the members of the Keystone Club will be running a month-long Canned Goods Drive. In our Music Clubhouse look for the final performance of the 7-week Jazz Boston Riffs & Raps program on 11/19. From our Athletic program we will hold the Super Bowl of the Junior division of Intramural Flag Football (11/20) as well as host try-outs for the Winter All-Star Basketball teams which will compete against Boys and Girls Clubs from the region. Those try-outs will be held as follows: 12&U Boys (11/17), 14&U Girls (11/29), 15&U Boys (11/18), 18&U Girls (11/24) and 18&U Boys (11/24). From our Education program we will hold an event to recognize the 2010-2011 Daniel Marr, Jr. Catholic Schools Scholars (11/3) and host a What’s What Ice Cream Social for High School students (11/5). Our Patriot’s Kids Café program will hold their monthly Family Dinner – Thanksgiving style – on 11/17. At our Denney Center Unit located in Harbor Point we will host a Family Games & Dinner Night (11/17), invite Keystone members to volunteer at the Healthy Baby/Healthy Child program (11/20) and hold the teen Munch & Mingle (11/24). For more information on any of our upcoming programs please contact VP of Programming, Mike Joyce at 617-288-7120, ext. 2110.
