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Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester

Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester 2024 ‘Youth of the Year’ Awards

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A grand evening event at Crabtree’s Kittle House, attended by 165 supporters and friends of BGCNW, featured five extraordinary teens. After deliberations by a panel of judges, three winners were announced to rounds of applause.

Grace Gerosa, a junior at Pleasantville High School, won the Youth of the Year Award. Grace, a Club member for 10 years and a competitive swimmer for 12 years, is a social media manager for her high school Varsity swim team, the Vice President for Sources of Strength, and a member of the Youth Leadership Task Force. She volunteers at Fox Hill Farms.

Zayaan Hussain, a senior at Horace Greeley High School, Zayaan received the Chris Curti Memorial Scholarship Award. A Club member for 10 years, on the Marlins swim team for 9 years, he swam in the National Level Paralympics competition, and volunteers at interfaith events, peer leadership and executive roles in school clubs.

Xio Nieves, a senior at Fox Lane High School and Club member of six years, received the Wilfred E. Jennings Leadership Award. Xio is a Junior Staff member and 2-time Youth of the Year finalist.

All winners travel to Albany with Club leadership to advocate on behalf of critical programming impacting NYS youth and families.

The other finalists were:

Katie O’Donnell, a sophomore at John Jay High School. She has been a Club member for 11 years and is part of the Marlins swim team.

Paige Fagan, a senior at Lakeland High School, and Club member for 10 years, works for the Club as a water safety instructor teaching younger members of the Club how to swim.

The judges for the finalist competition included WABC reporter, Marcus Solis; Westchester Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Chair Aleida Frederico; Robert Martin Company Managing Director Lawrence Gottlieb; Pro Bono Partnership Senior Staff Attorney Judy Siegel, and Examiner News Publisher Adam Stone.

The winner of the BGCNW Youth of the Year advances to a state-level event. The winner is tasked with participating in events, public speaking, and serving as a thought leader and advocate for their Club and community. They receive the benefit of a generous college scholarship, mentorship, and networking opportunities. For more information, visit bgcnw.com

An ‘Extraordinary’ Testimonial from the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester to Honor 20 Years of Inside Press

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“First of all, Grace is extraordinary. As a person and as the CEO of a local non-profit organization, to have the opportunity to partner with someone like Grace who is so collaborative and creative and can make introductions and connect people… that is a unique gift. Working with Grace is extraordinary!

Secondarily, I value the opportunity not just to work with Grace but with her whole team. Inside Press publications give you an opportunity to have your message go directly into someone’s home, which I believe gives you credibility.

Thirdly, from the perspective of trying to improve brand awareness within our community, the publications that Inside Press produces are extraordinary. People trust you. People know or come to learn that you are part of the community. Not only do we all read all of your publications to keep on top of the pulse of what’s going on in the community, but we are also appreciative that we can share our own messaging with the community regarding very important initiatives to improve programming for children.

Lastly, Grace and her team recognize the importance of collaboration, spotlighting so many different agencies, “sharing the heart of our community” which is beautiful, and in so doing so, The Inside Press educates the community on the importance of a partnership between us all. In this way, we leverage resources we learn about to be that much more effective, provide that much more impact, and to be that much more fiscally responsible. As a long-time reader, I have found Grace and the Inside Press team adept at educating the community on available resources.

We are so grateful to The Inside Press for producing publications that has improved our business by enabling us to better educate the community regarding ongoing programming at the Boys and Girls Club for all children ages 3 to 18, in addition to strengthening families, and therefore, the community.”

Alyzza Ozer
Mount Kisco, NY

Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester Marlins Swim Coaches Earn Top Honors for Excellence from the Metropolitan Club

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Marlins Assistant Coach Connor White; Westchester County Legislator Erika Pierce; Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester CEO Alyzza Ozer; Marlins Head Coach Zak Hojnacki.

The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester‘s Swim Team Head Coach Zac Hojnacki and Assistant Coach Connor White got a surprise parade  from children at the club congratulating them on being honored by Metropolitan Swimming.

The governing body for competitive swimming in the NY Metro area, named Hojnacki Senior Coach of the Year and White was named “Must Watch Age Group Coach.”

They were selected from among more than 500 coaches in 75 swim clubs in the metro area. The two coaches also received a proclamation from Westchester County Legislator Erika Pierce. The Marlins are no stranger to accolades. The team was awarded Bronze level recognition from USA Swimming in 2021-22 and has routinely finished in the top 100 nationally in USA Swimming VCC.  The coaches also received a proclamation from Westchester County Legislator Erika Pierce.

“Working with Zac ,Connor and all the swim team coaches is an inspiring experience,’’ said Alyzza Ozer, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester. “Together we inspire and enable all young people to realize their full potential and productive responsible caring citizens.”

Hojnacki began his sixth year as Marlins Head Coach. He arrived the fall of 2018 from Tucson, Arizona, where he served as a coach for Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics since 2012, including three years as Head Age Group Coach. When he’s not coaching, Hojnacki teaches Child Psychology and Adolescent Psychology at Iona University in New Rochelle.

 White has been working with the Marlins since 2015, after swimming as a Marlin for 13 years. As a Marlin swimmer, Connor was a multi-event Junior National qualifier, HS Section 1 Champion in the 100 Fly & 100 Back, and was a NY State top 8 finalist. He graduated from Ithaca College in 2014 with a B.S. in Health Science, with an emphasis in Exercise Science & Physiology.

 

News Courtesy of Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester

 

 

 

Two Time Champs Greeley Boys Swim & Dive Team Aim to Win a Third & Unprecedented State Championship Title

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Greeley Swim & Dive Team Champs. Photo by Christina Schoonmaker

A leisurely swim is one of summer’s greatest pleasures enjoyed by many but for Horace Greeley’s Boys Swim and Dive Team, summer is the time for tough workouts in the pool to prep for next season. They are hoping to clinch the State Championship Title for a third year in a row.

This past spring, the 35-member team won that title at Ithaca College for a second year in a row, and were the first team in Greeley’s history to win back-to-back state titles. The boys practice year-round, including the summer, and swim for approximately 15 hours weekly plus two land workouts weekly consisting of strength training workouts and stretching. It is a grueling schedule with some students waking up prior to 5 a.m. for morning practice, but many of these students have been swimming since they were in elementary school and are truly dedicated to the sport.

The team is hoping for a three-peat this year despite graduating six talented swimmers. Swim coach Meg Kaplan notes that the “rising junior class is filled with state level swimmers who have two to three years of state swimming under their belt. They are determined to direct the team to win another championship one at a time – league, conference, sectional, New York State and Federation. It is a goal that has not been accomplished by any other team in NY state history.”

Harriet Engel, mother of senior swimmers Eric and Oliver, explains that the Greeley swim team or what many refer to as “G-swim” is run differently than a team sport. The boys swim under the Greeley banner but many practice under the tutelage of Zac Hojnacki, the Head Coach of the Marlins, a swim club based out of the Mount Kisco-based Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester.

Engels’ boys began swimming at age seven for the Willowbrook swim team and eventually landed at the Boys and Girls Club with the Marlins. Of the ten boys who qualified for States this past spring, nine swim with the Marlins and one for the Larchmont-based Badgers. “The G-swim legacy is due in large part to the Marlins’ success,” explains Engel.

“During COVID it became abundantly clear the boys need the G-swim team. They love the high school team.  It is a lot of fun for these boys and they bond as a group. You can see the smile on their faces on the deck. Swimming is a solitary sport. When they swim for their club, they are swimming for themselves but when they swim for G-swim they are swimming for team glory,” Engel says.

Hojnacki believes the team’s success is due to their values as a group. “They have a great culture and are passionate about the team. They embrace each individual’s success which propels them as a group,” he notes. Hojnacki who has been with the Marlins for the past five years has noticed that the G-swim team has progressively taken the sport of swimming more seriously and really bought into a culture of training excellence not just for the Marlins but also for their performance on G-swim. He works with several swimmers from various high schools throughout Westchester and has been impressed by the Greeley boys and offers a recent anecdote. “This morning after practice we were pulling lane lines which is basically grunt work. A few years ago maybe only a few kids would willingly do this. Now we have 20 or 30 kids helping each other and they treat one another with respect. The camaraderie, sportsmanship and teamwork play a role in their success and has them performing at a higher level.”

Meeting Goals & Striking a Balance

Hojnacki is also grateful for the ongoing dialogue that he has with Kaplan and the Greeley team. “We have the same goals, and it is about finding a balance between the G-swim and the club’s practice schedules, meets etc.,” says Hojnacki who is currently training some of the Greeley swimmers for nationals and even Olympic trials.

Hudson Chung, a former captain who just graduated Greeley will swim for the University of Chicago this fall. He believes the combination of coaches is crucial to their success. “Coach Meg who does the line-ups helps us achieve a win on every level from sectionals to divisionals to states while Coach Zac is amazing and helps push us to our limits,” he says.

So will the G-swim team be able to have a three-peat this year? Kaplan and Hojnacki both think it is possible to accomplish. “They need to remain focused, train to their maximum ability and stay off the injury list. It’s the character and trust in their brotherhood and drive and determination that fuels the swim team forward,” Kaplan adds.

These swimmers train seven days a week from before the sun rises to after the sun sets. Despite the fact that Greeley does not have a pool. “Where there is a will, there is a way. Come watch a meet at SUNY Purchase. We will for sure not disappoint,” she sums up.

At its 27th Humanitarian Gala, BGCNW Celebrated “84 Years of Transformative Impact and a Record Breaking Day of Fundraising”

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The theme of the evening was real storytelling with the common thread being how the Club serves as a second home changing the trajectory of generations.

On June 2, 2023 more than 300 people joined in the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester’s (BGCNW) gala celebration. Club Co-Presidents, Anne Citrin and Emily Stoddard, who shared their own connections with the Club and commitment to being champions of children introduced the honorees Philanthropists Kimberly and Andrew Handler. Andrew, a former board member, shared “Every time I visit the Club it is still overwhelming for me to see how this place contributes so much to the lives of so many.” He received a standing ovation after his presentation.

One of the featured storytellers was current Aquatics Director and Club Alum Eric Mitchell who shared that he had a very tough home life while growing up and the Club was his sanctuary. He had a bike accident at 15 and was told he would not swim again. “The last remaining thing in my life that gave me purpose was now taken from me. My chances of going to college were gone. I was devastated and completely hopeless. The folks that are involved with this organization rallied around me, built me up, and pushed me forward, I eventually accepted a full athletic scholarship to swim at Old Dominion University, earned a Masters degree from Columbia in Sports Management, coached college swimming for 7 years before finding my way back to the Club and every day I have the chance to make a kids day more enjoyable and be there for them to teach resiliency.

Torell Nugent, Club Alum, BGCNW Board VP and Account Executive at Disney explained that “The Club became my safe haven, support system, and my home away from home. I discovered newskills and explored my passions outside of academics. It was through these activities that I learned the importance of diversity, community, and leading by example and the importance of resilience, perseverance, kindness, and integrity.”

The third featured storyteller is the longest-serving board member, 38 years, and fondly looked to as the community Patriarch, Stuart Marwell. Mr. Marwell is also a Club alum, past Board President, and currently President of Curtis Instruments, Inc. He explained that his story with the Club was a family affair. “Generations of my family have supported and benefitted from the Club for years and we look forward to making sure that other children and their families have the same opportunity. I enjoyed all that the club had to offer – Basketball, crafts, the trampoline where I had to learn trust for those who spotted for me, and helping with community service projects such as planting the willow trees along the stream in Leonard Park some are still there today.”

To add to the storytelling theme guests were encouraged to participate by leaving a message on the audio guestbook or video booth and were treated to book art centerpieces created by Club kids. The event journal highlighted 15 Club Tales; inspiring stories from Club alumni, volunteers, and staff members of all ages. An amazing time was had by all.

To lend your own support to the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester, visit their website at www.bgcnw.com or send a check to 351 Main Street, Mount Kisco, NY 10549. Give the gift of your time as a volunteer or mentor. For more information, contact Shantae Artis at sartis@bgcnw.com

News and photos courtesy of BGCNW