B&GC-NCM News

In The News
Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central Massachusetts

Cavaco is a Homework Hero
The Bruce Lawrence Teen Center Homework Hero for the month of January is Quinn Cavaco. He is 13 years old and attends the eighth grade at Memorial Middle School. Cavaco enjoys math and basketball. His career goal is to become an architect. >>More

Stellar Spellers regain trophy Bee scores for kids? club
Spelling glycogenolysis, versicle and orthography gave Leominster’s Medical Associates Pediatrics Stellar Spellers their fourth first-place finish in seven years at the Leominster Boys & Girls Club Adult Spelling Bee last night.

The team’s secret weapon was Linda C. Williams, nurse and master speller, who had all the right stuff, according to her teammates.

They beat Fitchburg State College’s Word Sleuths, last year’s winners, in a semifinal round before taking on IC Credit Union’s team of IC Fishermen in the finals.

Achievements celebrated at Boys & Girls Club of North Central
The confident young woman seated at the chair behind a display of various photographs and other items collected on nature walks had no trouble relating her experiences on the nature walks she had participated in at the Boys & Girls Club of North Central Massachusetts. “These are photographs of what you can see when there’s snow on the ground,” Ashley Godin, 8, of Leominster said, as she pointed out the different photographs on the table. “These are turkey tracks and these tiny ones, they belong to mice.”>>more

Hannaford Supermarkets teams up with Boys & Girls Club of North Central
How do lime green walls with black trim sound? “We wanted to paint the walls green and then the trim black, just to help bring it out,” said Kiara Delgado, a member of the Boys & Girls Club of North Central Massachusetts, speaking about plans to paint the walls in the Bruce Lawrence Teen Center. The idea did have a great deal of support, but the color scheme is something that will continue to be discussed in the coming weeks as members of the Boys & Girls Club look for the best way to spend a $455 donation from Hannaford Supermarkets. >>more

Boys & Girls Club of North Central MA receives grant of over $24,000
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC®) of Eastern New England recently presented the Boys & Girls Club of North Central MA with a $24,550 grant to be used for the conversion of an old kitchen into a science lab and classroom space.

The Club moved into a former school building at the Doyle Conservation Center in 2008, where it emphasizes handson learning methods to teach children about science.

They currently provide programming for more than 600 children in subjects such as maple tree mapping, kid’s gardens, animal tracking, and astronomy, on which it partners with MIT and Harvard.

Boys & Girls Club spotlights organization's achievements
The Boys & Girls Club of North Central Massachusetts has had a lot to be thankful for in 2009, including one year in its new location, an increase in science programs and a chance to honor a few of the many local kids who make the club possible.

Fallon awards $15G grant to local Boys & Girls Club
LEOMINSTER -- The Fallon Community Health Plan awarded the Boys & Girls Club of North Central Massachusetts a $15,000 grant Tuesday. The money will be used to pay transportation costs for more Fitchburg students to attend after-school programs at the Lindell Avenue facility, said the club's executive director, Donata Martin ".

09/04/2009, Leominster Champion
The Lancaster Golf Center donated its facility and the Ninety-Nine Restaurant donated a barbecue for the 150 kids and guests who recently attended the 5th Annual Boys & Girls Club of North Central Massachusetts' Mini-Golf Classic, a major fund raiser for the club. See more.

The Boys and Girls Club of North Central Massachusetts enrolls more than 600 children ages 8 to 18 in afterschool programs. For more information, please call (978) 534-8358.

08/07/2009, Fitchburg Pride
Children participating in the Boys & Girls Club of North Central Massachusetts' CONNECT program have logged in approximately 9,000 miles with many more to come. "It's interesting to see their reaction to the other club members. They're very nervous about asking the questions of the other club members," Tony Spagnuolo of the B&GC-NCM said."After seeing the surveys and the pictures it is cool to see that kids everywhere enjoy the things that we do," said KyishaWright, age 10, a participant in the CONNECT program. "I like most that we get to learn about other Boys & Girls Clubs from other places." More.

08/06/2009, Sentinel and Enterprise
Children of the B&GC-NCM have been given the oppurtunity to connect with other members of Boys and Girls Clubs within 9,000 miles around the world. This includes clubs in the communities like Sacramento, Calif.; Santurce, Puerto Rico; Spirit Lake Nation at Fort Totten, N.D. and Anchorage, Alaska. "One of the advantages of working here is that you get to offer a lot of great programming," said Tony Spagnuolo, of the Boys & Girls Club of North Central Massachusetts. Spagnuolo said he thought it would be a good idea for club members to reach out and connect with other club members wherever Boys & Girls Clubs could be found."It's a way of bringing kids together," Spagnuolo observed. "They get to ask questions of the club members in other communities, and they ask us questions. It's a way of learning about what's happening with their peers in other clubs."Each week, approximately 10 Boys & Girls Club Summer Adventure campers ask children in other Boys & Girls club programs various questions.

The Fitchburg Longsjo Classic is hosting a series of family events to celebrate the 50th anniversary, beginning with the Opening Ceremony on Wednesday night, July 1. On July 2, the race will begin at 6 pm at the new Courtyard by Marriott South Street Time Trial course, which begins on South Street near the town offices in Westminster. Fitchburg State College will be hosting a BBQ on July 3 during its 3.1 loop for the Circuit Race. A Food feast will also be held on Saturday, July 4 at the First Congregational Church in Princeton Center.On Sunday, July 5, a series of activities including: a Rock climbing wall, Animal Adventures, Blinkee the Clown, Mike Steidley Extreme Bike Stunt Show, face painting, games and more! In addition, hamburgers and hot dogs will be sold, with all the proceeds benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of North Central Massachusetts.

Leominster Credit Union President and CEO Gordon Edmonds (left rear) stands with Unit Director Rocco Spagnuolo and members of the Boys & Girls Club of North Central Massachusetts at the Homework Heroes and Members of the Month awards presentation held recently at the club. LCU is a sponsor of the after-school program as well as other support programs directed to benefit area youth, ages 8 to 18 in North Central Massachusetts.