BGCNW

Where Beauty Abounds: Inside the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester

November 12, 2021 by Alyzza Ozer

To dream is a birthright.

In June, at his high school graduation, with a face beaming of pride and gratitude, my youngest child hugged me with so much love and said, “Mom thank you for letting me dream.”

To dream, one must recognize and understand the unadulterated need, joy and benefits of purpose and intention. Dreaming requires first the ability to envision, imagine and see something of beauty that exalts the mind spirit and heart. Second, design planning and implementation supports must be accessible.

Beautiful, smart, generous, creative people are developing at your BGCNW, and they are giving back to our community.

The mission of your BGCNW is to inspire and enable all young people–especially those who need us most–to realize their full potential as productive responsible caring citizens.

Having served the community for 82 years, our key differentiator as a youth-based organization is civic advocacy and leadership. The lessons of recognizing community, and the multitude of opportunities to provide support to these communities, are woven into all our programming.

All children are worthy of experiencing the unique feelings of purpose and generosity when helping others. Consistently supporting community members is a privilege and responsibility whereby one hones skills of leadership collaboration and friend-making.

Examples of how our curriculum provides lessons in leadership, empathy and collaboration include: our pre-school children making capes for children in the hospital; the Middle School Torch Club creating book drops so all kids have access to creating their own home libraries; Liberty Keystone High School teens working in conjunction with Boys & Girls Club of America regarding environmental sustainability awareness and stewardship; all club kids supporting Youth for Unity and Youth of the Year promoting leadership and vision for improving lives in the future.

Nationally 87% of kids who regularly attend BGC programming, as adults, will consistently give back to their communities. Giving back to community is simply part of BGCNW DNA.

The Club is “home,” a family dwelling place, a place where you belong.

95% of Club staff went to the Club as kids. When staff were asked why they remained or returned to the Club the unanimous answer was: “I get to do what I love, be where I belong and help make kids better people.”

Examples include our: Aquatics legend Dennis Munson who started the swim team 52 years ago; Director of Programming Athenia Lee; Fundraising Associate John Tunas; newly appointed Marlins Head Age Group Coach Connor White; and Director of Teen Programming Chris Beaudreault.

BGCNW programming along with the team provides kids with the chance to grow self-confidence, imagination, and faith–the tools to dream. Then we ensure our members have the supports to design and create a plan to make the dreams come true; we never give up.

Philanthropy is a business and there must be evidence-based impact:

• For the last 13 years,100% of our high school seniors, including those designated “at risk,” have graduated high school on time and went on to University, the military or technical school.

• Annually, we serve over 125,000 nutritious delicious meals and snacks.

• We have taught more than 65,000 children to be water safe.

• BGCNW Marlins Swim Team can also claim 275 athletes, and in the past 30 years, over 500 Hall of FAME NESCAC college graduates from the world’s most prestigious institutions including Ivy League.

• BGCNW Marlins is the Top 100 ranked club out of 3000+ in USA Swimming for the 2020-2021 swim year.

• It is an ethnically diverse program–over 50% of athletes identify as non-white.

• For 21 consecutive years BGCNW Marlins have held the Boys & Girls Club of America National Championship title.

Giving back to the Community is beautiful.

Meet some of our amazing alumni…

Liz Brennan

“We came from diverse backgrounds but, we were all able to connect. My goal is to teach kids how to read, giving what I learned at the Club to my students.“

At the Club Liz Brennan developed the self confidence to dream of being a teacher. At age 8, as a first generation American, she began her BGCNW experience as a Club kid attending after school programming. In the 9th grade she enrolled in the Counselor Mentoring Program. As a high school junior she helped start a camp leadership program. The Club helped prepare Liz for college and gave her a place to work while she was at college and completing her Masters’ and internships.

As the CEO of BGCNW, I proudly spoke directly to the Principal of Crompound Elementary in Yorktown, NY, where Liz is now working as a 5th grade teacher giving back to our community.

I shared Liz was innately intelligent with an unwavering work ethic and excellent childcare and teaching experience. Most importantly, she has a gorgeous heart, and the kids and community are her priority and joy.

John Tunas

“I love watching kids learn and the different transitions they go through at the Club, by securing funding for programming, I know more kids in our community will have great futures.”

At age 11, John Tunas came to camp where he built lasting friendships. He worked at the Club through high school and college. For over 25 years, his father Juan Tunas worked on the Horace Greeley High School Janitorial Team often requiring very long days at work. John’s Mom worked as well.

John looked to the Club for life mentors who helped him become the first in his family to graduate from University. At the Club, John has held positions as Pre-School Teacher, Athletic Director and now, Fundraising Associate. John has been offered sales, marketing and entrepreneurial opportunities but is dedicated to Club fundraising. All three of John’s children attended pre-school, after school programming and Learn to Swim.

Connor White

“The community that makes up the club is one I grew up in and I wanted to share that same connection with a new generation of Marlin swimmers.”

Recently promoted to Marlins Head Age Group Coach, Connor White first came to the Club as a young kid and dreamed of being a BGCNW Marlin. For 52 years, Coach Dennis has had a loving tradition of giving team members nicknames. “I dub thee Mini Me,” Dennis declared to Connor 22 years ago.

Connor learned discipline, respect, and being part of a team while swimming. Afternoons before practice were spent at the club playing four square or billiards in the games room, meeting new club kids in the computer lab, or playing basketball in the gym. He associated the club as a safe place with a close-knit community that allowed him to make new connections, be a kid, and play. Wonderful relationships were built facilitating a positive environment. Connor studied Exercise Science at Ithaca College, and was a nationally ranked collegiate swimmer. He holds three school records. Six years ago, after college, he came back to work at the club because he has roots here.

Torell Nugent

“As I look back and reflect, I am extremely appreciative of my time spent at the club. I discovered the importance of diversity, community, and what it means to lead by example.“

Today, Torell Nugent is a Multimedia Associate Account Executive at Disney Ad Sales. He started at BGCNW at age three and attended after school programming through high school. After school began with a snack followed by school-work in a small classroom. States Torell: “Once I completed my homework, my attention would quickly shift directly towards a number of Club recreational activities. Being on the field, gym, game room, or playground, I felt as though everything I could have ever wanted was at my fingertips. I quickly began to learn new skills and explore many of my passions. I fell in love with all things.”

“This was all made possible because of the outstanding staff at the BGC family. Day in and day out I received unconditional love and encouragement from everyone. My counselors became my mentors, friends, and teachers all in one. I have always revered them as the ultimate role models.”

“When it was finally my time to become a counselor, it was a dream come true. After nearly ten years of being a club member, it was my time to make sure my kids would have a similar, if not better experience than mine. I started as 2nd grade basketball coach and ended as a head counselor. I was getting paid to do something I loved, quickly realizing I was working my dream job.”

“Now as a member of the board I am able to incorporate my experiences in our community to continue to create life changing opportunities for the future generations.”

Boys & Girls Club CEO Alyzza Ozer Looks Forward, Gives Back

December 1, 2017 by Amy Kelley

On a recent school day afternoon, the lobby of the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester in Mount Kisco contained a bustle of activity. Cheerful-looking teens and adults wearing staff T-shirts greeted kids coming in and said goodbyes to kids leaving; an enthusiastic game of ping-pong was partially visible through the game-room window. Nearby, a young boy with special needs thoughtfully drove his toy yellow car along a table on his way out. A young woman in a pink headscarf walked down the hall past a complex, brightly-colored paper schedule affixed to the wall, toward a mother paying for swimming lessons at the front desk.

“Miguel, you’re matching all over today!” CEO Alyzza Ozer said to a boy whose sneakers, sweatshirt and backpack displayed the same green and blue. Down the hall, she asked another boy why he didn’t eat his mashed potatoes. “They’re so good!” she assured him.

Shantae Artis, director of volunteer programs at the club, was gathering signatures on several cards. “Yes, we write real thank-you notes,” she said, explaining that several local pizzerias had donated pizzas for a taste test and the Boys & Girls Club youngsters were expressing their gratitude the old-fashioned way. Artis was able to get everyone’s attention pretty easily, perhaps partially because the club has had a no-cell-phones policy for two years now. The only cell phones you’ll see in the halls are in the hands of parents coming to pick up their kids.

Ozer, a Chappaqua resident who grew up in Armonk, said at first, the teens resisted the policy –but now many express gratitude for it. “When we first instituted it, there was resistance,” she said. “But now the teens say, ‘thank you. Now there’s a part of the day when I can just enjoy myself and not be distracted.’” Technology is available, though, to groups of youngsters in the room where Power Hour is held, right across from the game room and around the corner from a busy kitchen and dining room where more than 80,000 meals are served every year. Homework is done, studying takes place, all assisted by adults, many of whom are bilingual. Some are staff members and some are part of the large volunteer contingent that is essential to the club’s operation.

According to Chappaqua resident Solveig McShea, director of community partnerships and fundraising at the club, “The club is a vibrant, welcoming and impactful place, where kids can just be kids. We need, however, the community’s help via financial and volunteer support to keep our programming running and to continue to help kids have the brightest possible futures.”

New Castle resident Dan Harrison volunteers to help with homework three afternoons a week. “I like to see the light bulb go off when a kid understands something they didn’t understand before,” he said. “We want the volunteers to have an equally valuable experience to the kids,” Ozer said. Then the experience becomes a partnership and the volunteers learn from the kids as well as vice versa. “There’s another world out there than what we see immediately around us.” Ozer is currently seeking, particularly, volunteers with expertise in the college application process.

The club serves kids ages 3-18 and their families, offering more than 40 programs including preschool, camp, swimming lessons, after-school care, volunteer opportunities and more.

The swimming program is, by any measure, stellar. Aquatic Director Dennis Munson, a club alumnus himself, has been with the club since 1969 and coaches the Marlins, a high-level swim team that’s consistently well-ranked nationally and has won the national Boys & Girls Club National Championships every year since since 2000. Marlins swimmers have been recruited to top colleges and make the pool atmosphere one where excellence is encouraged. Swimming instructors at the club employ innovative techniques.

More than 500 kids are served by the club every day. The children come from all over Westchester, primarily northern. Kids start trickling in at 7 a.m. and the last bus leaves just before the 9 p.m. close. Some of the kids from families below the poverty level, and others come very affluent homes.

All the youngsters who come learn there’s a wide world out there with all kinds of families in it, and are taught to value their community. “It’s not just a place,” Ozer said, explaining that many club kids spend many hours there for many years. In the process, many come to love the club, which is why so many staff and volunteers were ‘club kids’ themselves.

Tatiana Restrepo, 2017’s Youth of the Year at the club and now a freshman at Pace University, said, “This was my second home, my community.” “We have advocacy and leadership throughout the curriculum starting with 3-year-olds,” Ozer said. “What makes someone a great leader, able to advocate for their community? They need to be able to recognize their community and be grateful for it.”

Recently, younger children at the club made capes for children in the hospital. “They’re learning about empathy and gratitude and that not every kid is lucky enough not to be in the hospital,” Ozer said, and then the children act in response to that information. “All people, especially youth, learn leadership skills and empathy from giving back to the community.”

Older club kids have made trips to Albany and Washington D.C. to advocate for funding and legislation for various issues, and the club hosts various politicians to come talk to the kids, “so they know what a leader looks like and does.”

This training pays off into adulthood: Ozer said eighty-seven percent of kids who regularly attend Boys & Girls Club after-school programs are committed to giving back to their communities as adults. The club boasts other impressive statistics: Last year, 11 of the high-school seniors from the club were the first in their families to graduate high school in the US and go on to college. One hundred percent of the seniors continue on after high school to college or technical school, Ozer said.

Ozer had a career as an attorney in commercial real estate before turning her energies full-time toward her passion: the non-profit sector. “That was my passion,” Ozer said. “My extracurricular activity was always philanthropy.” For years, she served on the boards of various organizations while continuing to work in commercial real estate. “You get to a certain point in your life and you ask yourself, what am I doing and do I love it?” she said. “This is what I love doing and I’ve been extremely fortunate” to be able to make the transition, she said. Ozer also credits her mother for her interest in community service–she was a teacher who always stressed the importance of giving back.

The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester depends on private donors and volunteers to do its work, Ozer explained. “There are a lot of extraordinarily worthy agencies, but the youth is really our future. Our work is essential,” she said. “That’s why I’m always excited to get out of bed in the morning.”

For more information, visit: http://www.bgcnw.com/

Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester Celebrates its Youth(s) of the Year

June 3, 2017 by Beth Besen

BGCNW Youth of the Year finalists (L to R): Isiash Pratt-Wade, Rolando Trinidad, Eric Lopez Duarte, Tatiana Restrepo, Stephanie Trejo and Adam Campbell. PHOTO BY Ana Slaviero Werner

The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, founded over 150 years ago in Hartford, Connecticut, is stated as one which will “enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.”

Spend an afternoon with local Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester (BGCNW) CEO Alyzza Ozer and Director of Teen Programming Athenia Lee, and you’ll see that mission in action. Arrive at 3 p.m. or so and witness area school buses rolling up to the BGCNW front door, and kids of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds jumping out, eager to take part in a myriad of the club’s after-school programs.

One such program, the prestigious High School Youth of the Year competition, recently concluded its local awards. From the six Club kids (see Finalist Group Photo here) chosen as High School finalists, Tatiana Restrepo was awarded Youth of the Year and Rolando Trinidad was named the Chris Cutri Memorial Award recipient. After this edition went to print, Tatiana competed in a state-level competition in Albany.

Alyzza Ozer, BGCNW CEO
PHOTO By James Poster

Historically, this state level sees approximately 45 competitors, each of whom has the chance to cap their previously submitted packages of background information with a prepared speech before a panel of judges. The winner of the state competition goes on to the Regional competition and the Regional finalists all get together to compete one more time in Washington DC. Ultimately, the winner in DC will begin a one-year term as teen spokesperson for all the Clubs’ members nation-wide.

How does a BGCNW member become eligible for High School Youth of Year? According to Ozer, the requirements (for any student in grades nine through twelve) are one year as a Club member plus 25 hours of community service for the year. However, Ozer is quick to point out that “most kids have much more.” She goes on to explain that the opportunities to give back to the community begin with preschool and continue on through the years, ultimately culminating in the youth leadership group known as the Keystone Club.

Keystone is a dynamic program invested in academic success and career exploration in addition to community service. With so much going on at the club at every level, it is no small surprise that Youth of the Year contenders have garnered many more years and greater hours than the basic eligibility requirements. In fact, says Ozer, “in many ways, Youth of the Year is the personification of the [BGCNW’s] club mission–academic strength, community commitment, civic responsibility.”

Adds Lee, a BGCNW Club kid herself and now, eight years into her position as Director of Teen Programming, sees herself as a mentor to all those following in her footsteps, “Some kids are eager to apply, others are reluctant and we need to encourage them. We largely let them self-select, but there’s a whole long application process and some need more encouragement than others.” She adds that, in some cases, the fear of public speaking gives pause to many a qualified student, so part of her mentoring goal is to help those students open up and trust that they have something worthwhile to share. Whether one-on-one or through some of the other Club programs, teens are empowered to find their voices.

Speaking of teen voices, I’m immediately struck by Tatiana’s poise and maturity when we are introduced. She has a firm handshake and a winning smile. Asked how she feels about her new Youth of the Year title, Tatiana thinks for a moment and then, with another bright smile, says “it’s a great honor.” She goes on to share that she’s been coming to the BGCNW for 14 years, and that the Club “shaped me as a person; taught me what to strive for, gave me confidence to reach my full potential and achieve my aspiration to go to college.”

Athenia Lee, BGCNW Director of Teen Programming
PHOTO BY Ana Slaviero Werner

In fact, Tatiana recently made her final college decision and will be attending Pace University come fall. She is proud that, like her older brother, she is part of her family’s first generation to attend college.

Cutri Award recipient Rolando is equal parts humble and proud of his honor too. A young man with a strong and confident demeanor and handshake, he too reflects upon his time with the BGCNW, saying “the Club has allowed me to show leadership and achieve my goals. In particular, Mr. Cutri has given me confidence to be strong and stand up for my beliefs.” Rolando plans to attend Manhattanville College where he will study sports business with the ultimate goal of becoming a sports agent.

National statistics have repeatedly shown that, from preschoolers on up through high school, children who participate in Boys & Girls Club programs perform better in school and make smarter life choices. Whether they are official Youth of the Year honorees or simply moving forward as more focused students, participatory community members and contributing citizens, BGCNW kids, without doubt, all deserve a round of heartfelt applause!

Check the Boys and Girls Club website, www.bgcnw.com, for the update about the state competition.