We hope you enjoy this month's highlights of our impact and mission in action! |
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April is one of my favorite months at the Club, as it’s Youth of the Year (YOY) time. As you may know, the Youth of the Year Award is a highly coveted honor, which recognizes one young person from our Club each year for his or her leadership skills, service to community and family, academic performance, spiritual values, life goals, and public speaking abilities.
As you can imagine, it is no easy task to present this award to just one child. This year we had eight dynamic and worthy applicants, and our distinguished panel of volunteer judges* truly had their work cut out for them! After reading through essays, resumes, letters of recommendations, interviewing each applicant over Zoom, and deliberating thoughtfully, our panel was delighted to announce that our 2021 Youth of the Year is Joe Valli!
Joe has been with the Club since the first grade and has, over the years, emerged as a leader and been involved in just about every activity at the Club – from athletics to community service. We are all so proud of Joe and his many accomplishments and are excited for him to be a key spokesperson for our Club over the next year. In fact, I hope you plan on attending the dinner portion of our Golf & Tennis Outing on May 10th as Joe will be speaking about what the Club means to him. We will also be joined by our other amazing Youth of the Year candidates. (Read more below).
Speaking of our Golf & Tennis Outing: while our golf foursomes are sold out, you can still support this event – which supports our mission – by participating in tennis, our raffle, and by joining us for dinner, during which we will hold live and silent auctions. Click here or read below for further details.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this issue of the Pilot and are as excited as I am for what’s yet to come.
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Ramon Reyes
Executive Director
* PS... Special thanks to our YOY judges: Carole Bates, MPH, MBA; Scott Bodner, MD; Cathy Chernoff; Jack Foley; Jaime Fox Posillico; and Sara Maragos! We are so grateful for your thoughtfulness, passion, and service.
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Congratulations to Joe Valli!
Our 2021 Youth of the Year
Congratulations to Joe Valli, our 2021 Youth of the Year! A member since the age of six, Joe is the quintessential “Club Kid.” For the past 12 years, he has been involved in just about every Club activity -- including baseball, ping pong, soccer, homework help, College Prep, and Torch and Keystone community service clubs. In fact, last year, Joe was elected President of the Keystone Club by his peers; he is also an Eagle Scout and a member of the National Honor Society. All around, Joe demonstrates leadership skills, service to community and family, strong academic performance, spiritual values, and public speaking abilities. We are so proud of you, Joe!
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Meet Judge Colin O'Donnell
1979 Youth of the Year
Who is still making a difference
for the Club
If there was any doubt about how meaningful it is to earn the title of Youth of the Year and be a Club alum, one need only to ask Judge Colin O’Donnell. Colin joined Grenville Baker Boys & Girls Club when he was seven years old. Since the age of seven, he immersed himself in every aspect of the Club: sports, Canadian Camp, and Camp Small Fry. He also took part in a number of community efforts. Ultimately, his dedication to the Club, his compassion for others, and his academic success earned him the title of New York State Youth of the Year in 1979. And while that may have seemed a capstone achievement at the time, it was just the beginning. Colin would go on to serve as a camp counselor, coach, and even join the Board of Directors in 1988 — a role he continues to play to this very day.
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Chip In to Make a Difference!
Support our Alumni and Friends Golf and Tennis Outing on Monday, May 10th at the Glen Head Country Club.
This year, the Club is proud to honor Stu Lubow, President of Dime Community Bank, a longtime supporter and friend of the Club. Proceeds from the Alumni and Friends Golf and Tennis Outing are especially critical this year, in the wake of COVID-19. The funds raised will help us to continue to provide incredible programs and services for more than 1,200 children and teens.
How can you support this event?
Although the golf portion of the event is Sold Out there are still opportunities to support one of our largest fundraisers by registering for tennis, participating as an underwriter, joining us for cocktails and dinner, or purchasing a journal ad or raffle ticket(s) for two fabulous prizes, an Unaccompanied Foursome at Sebonack Golf Course and/or a Peloton Bike+.
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Meet our March 2021 Youths of the Month!
In the spirit of celebrating young people, we are pleased to introduce to our newsletter a Youth of the Month Feature. Actually, we have three Youths of the Month, one from each of our groups! Kids are nominated for their active participation in programs, positive attitude and behavior, and helping others.
And the winners for March are..
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Valentina C., Teen
Youth of the Month.
She has been a Club member for four years, and enjoys SMART Girls, Torch Club (of which she is the President), and Power Hour. Through Torch, she recently led a supply drive for the Youth Homeless Shelter sponsored by Family and Children’s Association.
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Samantha R., Bayville Youth of the Month Sammy is ten years old and in the 5th grade at Bayville Intermediate School. Sammy has been a Club member for three years and enjoys Kids in the Kitchen, Art and Triple Play.
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Jasmine T., Locust Valley Youth of the Month Jasmine is nine years old and in the 4th grade at Locust Valley Intermediate School. Jasmine has been a Club member since she was in kindergarten and especially enjoys our Game Night program.
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Please join the weekend of November 5-7 for a Club Reunion Weekend filled with activities, old friends, and great memories. Click Here to Learn More.
Plus! Please fill out our survey to let us know if you are thinking of coming and help us with planning ideas.
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Schedule A Tour Of The Club |
We are maximizing use of existing space to enhance and expand our ability to serve our children and their families. We'd love to share our vision for a stronger Club and stronger community with you!
To Schedule A Tour Contact
Ray Reyes
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Keep Up With GBBGC News
Mission Possible
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Gain access to all of our Programs, Special Events, Trips, and much more!
Click Here to browse all of our "Mission Possible" blog entries.
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