New RAC Room Will Provide Positive Place for Teen Girls
Teen girls at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester will now have a positive place to hang out and call their own, thanks to a partnership between Boys & Girls Clubs of America (B.G.C.A.) and Rent-A-Center, Inc. On April 7th, we will officially open the new Teen Girls Lounge with a Grand Opening ceremony. Teenagers can be a tough group to impress, but across the country these new RAC Rooms will help attract more teens by furnishing fun and much needed new teen centered spaces at the participating Clubs. “Across the country, millions of teens grow up with no place to go after school,” said Bob Scannell, President & CEO. “Many of them have limited contact with positive peers or caring adults. And all too frequently, these young people resort to negative behaviors as an alternative to boredom. The new RAC Room will be a comfortable place for our teen girls to enjoy, while exposing them to alternatives to the negative influences around them.” The Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester’s RAC Room is one of 20 such centers being furnished by Rent-A-Center this year. Based on its needs, each Club will select several thousand dollars worth of merchandise from a menu of items, such as sofas and love seats, cocktail and end tables, computers, game systems, appliances, lamps, TVs, TV stands and dining tables and chairs. Rent-A-Center also guarantees a one-year maintenance service on all merchandise provided. The 2010 Rent-A-Center RAC Room program brings the total number of RAC Rooms to 115 since the program began, awarding approximately $200,000 retail value in merchandise yearly to 20 clubs in 45 states. In addition to our existing Teen Center space, this new Girls RAC Room allows our teen girls a place to socialize with one another, plan trips and events, and meet new friends. “Rent-A-Center is honored to have been part of this initiative for the last five years with Boys & Girls Clubs of America,” said Mark Speese, Rent-A-Center chairman and CEO. “By creating an inviting atmosphere, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester RAC Room will offer teen girls an experience to look forward to and an incentive to stay in the Club.” For more information on the Grand Opening event please contact Director of Program Development, Laurene Plourde at ext. 2120.
All-Star Basketball Program
Our four All-Star Basketball teams competing in the N.E.N.E.A.P.C. Basketball league are beginning to wind down regular season play with several teams looking to qualify for their respective post-season tournament. Our Boys 12 & under team stands at 5-5 with an outside shot at getting the fourth and final play-off spot. In their most recent game they lost a nail-biter to the Waltham Boys and Girls Club 58-57. Leading the team were Walter Dew-Hollis (23), Zelito Pina (9), Edison Vazquez (8), Phillip Bennett (7), Dirique Richards (4), Romeo Miller (2), Pedro Lopes (2), Junior Monteiro (2), Brian Texidor, Dezmani Montrond, Andronique DosSantos, De’Andre Dew-Hollis, Jeffrey Herron and Joshua Herron. Our Girls 14 & under All-Stars finished at 6-1, earning the 2nd seed in the post-season tournament. They closed out the regular season with a thrilling 39-37 win over the Jordan Boys and Girls Club of Chelsea. Leading the way were Cadejia Matthews (28), Jessica Teixeira (11), Jailene Peguero, Armani Monteiro, Kiara Lodge, Selena Santos, Jennifer Tavares and D’Mitra Weathers. Our Boys 15 & under team stands at 6-2, also hoping to earn a spot in the play-off tournament. In their most recent home game, an 83-80 loss to the Lynn Boys and Girls Club, the home team was led by Rayshaw Matthews (24), Eduardo DeLeon (19), Philip Lodge (16), Stanley Harris (8), Evandro Teixeira (6), Bernard Barbosa (5), Emoni Vicente (2), Tyrell Davis, Alberto Monteiro, Jason Fernades, Francis DePina, Rafael Garcia, Cedric Correia and Jay Rodrigues. Lastly, our Boys 18 & under team finished at 6-5 thanks to a 64-63 win over the South Boston Boys and Girls Club. Leading the offense were Daquan Hardy (15), Tyrik Jackson (13), Johnathon Lopes (10), Kenny Ribeiro (8), Joey Centeio (7), Beethovens Laguerre (4), Kendrick Jackson (3), Paulo Maia (2), Joey Brandao (2), Kasim Tahsir and Ryan O’Neil. Currently, the Athletic program is filling any remaining spots for the 10-team Intermediate/Senior Basketball League (ages 13-18) and Co-ed Intramural Indoor Soccer which will also include a Clinic (ages 6 & 7) and All-Star component. For more information please contact Bruce Seals at (6170 288-7120, ext. 2210.
