Dear Editor:
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Hudson County have a proud and successful history of serving the needs of youth in the Hoboken community for 27 years and Jersey City for 119 years. As a non-profit organization, our mission is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us the most, to realize their full potential, as productive, responsible and caring citizens. This is achieved by providing a safe haven filled with hope and opportunity, by building ongoing relationships with caring adults, and also by young people participating in life-enhancing programs. We serve all children regardless of race, religion, culture or income. We provide programs such as the “Power Hour” homework incentive program, Youth of the Year, recreational activities, dance, martial arts, chess, cultural arts and drama. We also provide a healthy snack every day.
I am proud to confirm we consistently and continuously fulfill our mission since our partnership with the City of Hoboken began almost three decades ago. Recent inquiries have questioned our tradition and service to the children in our program and since many of our community members have grown up in the Club, we felt it appropriate to respond accordingly.
When we took over residence in the Edward A. Dalton Hoboken Boys & Girls Club at the Jerry Molloy Youth Center building in 1984, it was an unusable, dilapidated structure. We made major renovations at our own cost through grants and fundraising and turned a community eye sore into a second home for the youth we serve. Throughout the past 27 years, we have continued to rehabilitate the building through grants, fundraising and renting space to other community-oriented groups. All of the funds received are directly applied to programming and to the facilities’ operations to provide a safe haven for our children, who have always come first. We attempt to maximize the use of the building for the benefit of our kids and the community at large and believe doing so is consistent with the terms and tenor of our lease.
In recent years, the financial landscape has been particularly tough and non-profits such as ours have not escaped the economic epidemic. Accordingly, our programs continuously evolve depending upon the needs of our youth and our limited budget with the continued goal of offering our kids critical life-learning opportunities. With $12 annual dues per child, it would be impossible to make ends meet without the help of dedicated organizations, other community focused groups and volunteers such as our board members.
We hope some of Hoboken’s citizens might be inspired by our commitment to our young people and consider volunteering some of their time to encourage and educate the youth of our community. We welcome the opportunity for members of the community to visit us at the Club. You can find us online at www.bgchc.org and we are located at 123 Jefferson St.
Sincerely,
Gary Greenberg
Executive Director
Boys and Girls Clubs of Hudson County