February After School Program!

We can't believe it's already the second month in 2020, with over 470 registered members! For full February after school calendar, click  here
 
New Programs:
  • Martial Arts on Mondays with Anthony Miele and MYC staff where youth will learn basic skills and discipline. 
    • Creative Writing with Victoria Williams where youth will have a chance to get their creative ideas flowing. 
    • Science Club on Thursdays with Victoria Williams. Kid's will get a chance to do experiments and learn how the world around them works! 

 
One time programs: 
  • Dog B.O.N.E.S. Therapy  with Dawn Foley and her therapy dogs, Callie and Daisy will be back February 12th to visit with any youth who would like to take some time to relax and learn more about therapy dogs. 
  • Nail Salon with our Assistant Director Katie Covell on February 13th where you can pick your nail colors and get pampered!
  • Life Skills:Healthy Heart Obstacle Course will take place at the end of the month on Wednesday February 26th! This was a lot of fun last month and the kids have been asking to do it since! We had almost 20 participants last time so hopefully we can have even more this time! February is Healthy Heart month so we are partnering with the Milford Board of Health to teach our youth healthy heart tips as they traverse the course! 
 
Returning Programs:
  • Milford TV will be back on Mondays, with Liz Harkins, Nicholas Coelho! Youth will learn how to use the MTV camera equipment, how to become a member at MTV and help film future MYC events. 
  • Quiet Zone on Tuesdays with Madeleine Poitras and Sarah Schneider Watson where youth can use our computer lab and take some much-needed time out. 
  • Boxing with Brian Bell and MYC staff on Tuesdays and Thursdays where youth will learn the basic skills needed to continue their training. As the youth continue their boxing training, we will be incorporating our new boxing ring!
  • Knitting will continue this month on Tuesdays and Fridays with Beverly Prescott and Joann Smith-Barnes where youth can continue or make new knitted/crochet creations. 
  • Homework Help with Pamela Wilkinson and Lily Robinson will continue to be offered on Wednesdays where youth will have the opportunity to get some outside help. 
  • Kid's Boot Camp will continue on Wednesday, February 5th and 12th with Lisa Kohne which is funded by the Milford Regional Hospital. This will give youth the chance to stay active during this cold month and learn how to use basic equipment. 
  • Youth Council with MYC staff Chrissy Ferrucci and volunteer Lily Robinson will continue on Wednesdays where youth will learn how to get involved in their own community including how to create their own initiatives. This month the youth are participating in the Hearts of Kindness Project and making Valentines for the Milford Senior Center!
  • Crafts with Darlene Dulude and Joanna Abrantes on Thursdays where youth will get creative with different art styles.
  • Nutrition with Darlene Dulude and our Assistant Director Katie Covell on Fridays where youth will learn the benefits of healthy eating while learning to cook/bake. 
  • Gardening with Chrissy Ferrucci will continue on Fridays where youth will learn how to grow and maintain their own food source.
  • STEAM will return on Monday February 10th and 24th with Kim Wach, who has a degree in civil engineering! 
 We would like to recognize some our weekly volunteers who help serve dinner and/or snacks and also help monitor space, including: Dave Rizzo, Barbara Brashier, James   Brevigleiri,  Shah  Shreyaunsh and Julia Kidman who was just featured on WCVB 5! Click here for video! 

The Milford Youth Center has become the focal point for the children of Milford. It hosts many different activities and events throughout the year for the youth of Milford and/or the Milford Schools. The Milford Youth Center's after school program is open for youth ages 8-18, free of charge, from 2-6 pm, Monday through Friday (check monthly calendar, website and social media for any changes due to weather, holidays or vacation weeks). All Youth members must be picked up by time of closing (unless they walk home). Pick up is outside of the building on 24 Pearl St. Please visit our  website  for both our  weather policy  and  traffic control plan .

All participants must fill out a  registration form annually to be a member. Once this form is completed and returned to the Center, the member will be provided with a key tag and ID number (if they are new members to the program).  This will be how the Youth Center staff will track  attendance. Therefore, all members are required 
to bring in their key tag in order to enter the facility. If key tag is lost, the Center will charge $1.00 for replacement. The game room, lounge and gymnasium will be offered daily. There will be structured programs that participants must sign up for to participate in. Members are also able to use our washer and dryer, free of charge, during operation hours. The Center also offers a free snack and dinner program, due to the collaboration of CACFP, Hockomock Area YMCA and the Milford School Food & Nutrition Services department.
Special Operations Unit Team Officers 
at the Youth Center!

As many of you may have noticed, every afternoon we now have Special Operations Unit Team Officers at the Youth Center. In addition to the Center, these officers are now stationed at the schools, the library and local sports and community events where youth will be in attendance.

The goal of this unit is to add a heightened presence and visual deterrence but not due to any heightened security measure or actual threat. We wanted to make sure we informed the community and Youth Center families so they know that there should be no cause for any alarm or concern when you see the officers and/or patrol vehicles.

This collaboration ties in perfectly with both the mission and vision of the Youth Center: "To provide a safe environment that promotes self-esteem, builds character, and fosters the notion of community and the importance of respecting and serving others. By providing Milford youth with programs and a safe environment during the after-school hours and during our monthly events, we hope to address adolescent risk factors as well as promote the partnerships among community members to ensure a comprehensive vision and plan for the health of the youth in the town of Milford."

This would not be possible without the Town recently funding the new police unit and we hope it continues. We are very appreciative of the efforts it has taken to form this unit and to be present during these critical after school hours. Our after-school members often recognize the officers from their schools and are able to interact with them during our program as well, creating a very welcoming and positive environment and relationship! If there are any questions or concerns please contact the Center or ask one of the team members present!

Zombie Prom 
to Benefit  the Youth Center!

We are so appreciative  and excited for New England Legends and Amped Up Promotions, "3rd Annual Zombie Prom" at Central Tavern in Milford!

This event will be held on Saturday, February 15, 2020 from 7-11 pm, the night after Valentine's Day! The event will be hosted by Jeff and Ray from the New England Legends Podcast and Dustin Pari from Ghost Hunters. There will music, a 50/50, raffles, auctions and great prizes for the best costumes! Entertainment will include:
  • American Slang
  • Templeton's Holiday
  • Justin and Ray
The funds raised at this event will benefit the Milford Youth Center's future music room! The Center has been working on raising the funds to create this space for the last three years!  The fee is $10 donation at the door! For any more information or if you would like to donate a raffle prize, please connect with Ray Auger  here .

Tickets Available Now:
MYC's 10th Annual St. Pat's Fundraiser!

The Milford Youth Center would like to invite the community to our 
10th annual St. Pat's Fundraiser on 
Friday, March 20, 2020Please consider joining us for our largest fundraiser of the year at CraftRoots Brewing, which is located at 4 Industrial Rd., in Milford from 
7 - 11 PM. The event will include community awards, raffles, appetizers and live music from the Pub Kings! 

Tickets are available at the Youth Center and online through UniPay  here ! Tickets are $30 each and come with a pint of beer! We would appreciate and be so grateful for your support to make this event a success by considering attending, donating, and/or contributing a raffle prize. All proceeds of the event go towards the free physical fitness and educational programs of the Center. To thank you for  your contribution we will
 publicly recognize your business/organization at the event, in our monthly
 newsletter, social media and the newspapers.

Fundraisers like this, help staff continue to work towards our mission, which is to provide a safe environment that promotes self-esteem, builds character, and fosters the notion of community and the importance of respecting and serving others. By providing Milford youth with programs and a safe environment during the after-school hours and during our monthly events, we hope to address adolescent risk factors as well as promote the partnership among community members to ensure a comprehensive vision and plan for the health of the youth in the town of Milford. 

We have now been in our renovated facility for over three years and have seen the attendance, programs and events flourish! We have almost 450 registered After School members for this school year alone, and the number continues to grow each day. We see hundreds more throughout the week through our additional programs and rentals.

If you need additional information, please call the Center at 508-473-1756. Thank you in advance for your contribution. 
MYC Receives a TJX Foundation Grant !

We are so excited to announce that the Milford Youth Center received a $2,500 Foundation Grant, on behalf of TJX and The TJX Foundation! This grant is to support our future MYC Music Room and more specifically to purchase equipment! 

This grant was also awarded on behalf of their Associate Nominated Grants Program! The TJX Foundation strategically invests in in non-profit organizations that address its mission of "helping families most in need, build a valuable future - one where families and children are safe and secure, and have the opportunities they need to thrive." Thank you TJX for believing in our cause and for this generous award!
MYC Thanks Community for Donations:

The Youth Center would like to extend a very appreciative thank you to the following list who donated items and/or their time this month to the Center:
  • Ariea Bryan & Amazon for donating various baby, food, drinks supplies;
  • Pat Morrill for donating various arts and craft supplies and kits;
  • Chrissy Ferreira (shelter volunteer) for donating various packaged snacks for the kids;
  • Joann Smith-Barnes for donating aprons for some of our programs;
  • Valerie Olesky-Tessicini for donating kids craft scissors;
  • Grace Lavallee for donating cookies for the kids and decorative paper;
  • Pam Wilkinson for donating a flat screen tv with a surround system;
  • Ed Motuzas for donating books and puzzles for the game room;
  • Mike Bonina & Paul Bonvino for donating their time and supplies to instal cages to protect the lighting in the basement from the batting cage use;
  • Tim Kearnan & Woodland Elementary for donating pizza from Papa Ginos for the kids;

A BIG THANK YOU TO: The Milford Highway Department and the Town Facility Department (Carlos, Lester, Mark) and volunteer John Dulude for aiding in bringing in and putting together our new boxing ring, which was purchased through a Greater Milford Community Health Network: CHNA 6 Grant (Thank you to the Milford Police Dept. for their letter of support)!

 

The Youth Center relies on donations to help sustain our programs! Please contact the Center if you would like to donate! 
Volunteer Spotlight: Madeleine Poitras!

We are always looking for ways to thank our community and especially our volunteers. This month we would like to recognize the efforts of Madeleine Poitras!

Madeleine is one of our high school volunteers who started volunteering at the beginning of October, assisting with our Quiet Zone program. The kids are always looking to play games or talk to her and she is always a great help. In the few months Madeleine has been volunteering she has put in over 30 hours during our After-School Program and along with continuing to volunteer has branched out to assisting with other activities and programs. We were happy to find out she could help in knitting where she taught several youths to knit by hand, which made it much easier for the younger kids. She has also given great ideas in Improv where we learned she had some theater experience in her past school. Even with her busy high school schedule Madeleine tries to volunteer as often as possible and that is why we chose to give her the spot light this month. Thank you for all of your efforts and we are happy to have volunteers like you!   
March Madness Tourney Sign Up's 
Volunteers Needed!

We are quickly approaching March, which means it's time to think about March Madness here at the Milford Youth Center! This is a wonderful event for the After-School youth members to get active, stay team orientated and get involved in some fun competition. This will be a month long a double elimination 3 vs. 3 tournament! In the past we have had upwards of 16 teams  and 80 youth competing!

All the youth participants will receive a t-shirt and trophies and medals will be awarded at the end of the month to second and first place participants! Games will be played on Mondays and Wednesdays at 3:30 during our after-school program. All members of the youth center who would like to participate may sign up at the Milford Youth Center though the month of February. There will be a mandatory meeting March 2nd to discuss dates, times, rules and to draft teams!

We are looking for volunteers to referee and keep score during our tournament. Games will be played twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays and the final Championship game will be schedule for the last Monday of the month. If interested, please contact our Program Coordinator Kathleen Irwin at [email protected] or 508-473-1756 for more information!
MYC Kid's Play Group: February Dates!

Join us for our MYC Kid's Play Group on February 6th, 13th & 27th! Please note there will no group during February break.  This is a children's play group for parents and/or guardians to bring their kids to play, craft and socialize! The groups will run on  Thursday afternoons from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

Each session will include activities such as circle time, free play, crafts, snack, story time, and clean up! There is a requested donation of $5 per family per session, so the MYC can continue and expand groups and programming. Come on down and bring your child to run and play while adults socialize and meet other families in the community! Please click here for weather policy. 
MYC Morning Walking: February  Dates!

The Milford Youth Center will continue the indoor walking program from 9 AM to 10:30 AM, Tuesday and Thursday mornings for Milford residents to use the gym for walking. 

Reminder that you will have to complete a liability waiver the first time you join! 

For February, the Center will be open during those hours for the following dates (we have coffee and tea too!);
  • Feb 4th & 6th
  • Feb 11th & 13th
  • NO SCHEDULED WALKING FOR FEB 18th & 20th: Please call the morning of to check if available!
  • Feb 25th & 27th
Please click here for weather policy. 
Adult Open Gym will Continue  into February!

Adult Open Gym will continue on Wednesday nights, including February 5th, 12th, 19th, & 26th from 9:00 pm-10:30 pm. 
 
This is only open to adults (18+). You will have to fill out a waiver your first time participating, along with providing a license and/or ID. 

Milford residents will be charged $3 each and out-of-town participants will be charged $5 each week.  For any questions, please call Center at 508-473-1756.

Please check Facebook and/or Twitter page for cancellations). Click here for weather policy.
Teachers Driving Academy (TDA) 
2020 Classes!
The Milford Youth Center would like to thank the TDA for $28,000 worth of donation funds through their 2018-2019 sessions! The Milford Youth Center is pleased to partner with Teachers Driving Academy to offer students a great program, at a reasonable price, with added convenience of taking classes right at school! We are very grateful for this collaboration and support! 

TDA 2020 registration information:
  • You are now able to pay the $119.00 fee here! We no longer collect payments at the Youth Center.  This classroom registration price INCLUDES the fee that must be paid to the RMV for the teen's driver's education certificate. THIS IS A FEE THAT THE RMV MAKES ALL DRIVING SCHOOLS COLLECT ON BEHALF OF THE TEENS who complete driver's education.
  • For more information, please visit the TDA website here
Rentals Available at MYC!
The Milford Youth Center is available for rental purposes. The spaces available to rent are the gymnasium and/or stage area, conference room and batting cages. We do require an application to be filled out 3 weeks prior to your event and must comply with our rules and regulations. All information required must be submitted prior to the approval of your request. Please contact Assistant Director, Katie Covell,  here or at 508-473-1756 for more information. All booking for rentals are by appointment only!
Town of Milford - February Updates:
In an effort to help Town Hall get information out to the public, the Milford Youth Center will help distribute upcoming dates, deadlines and information. Please click  here  for this month's info!

For any questions, contact the Town Clerk's office at:
  • Town Clerk's Office:
  • Town Hall Room 12
  • 52 Main Street
  • Milford, MA 01757
  • Ph: (508) 634-2307
  • Fax: (508) 634-2324
  • [email protected]

Milford Youth Center
Newsletter
February 2020
In This Issue
MYC After School Program
Save the Date: St. Pat's Fundraiser
MYC Thanks Community for Donations
Volunteer Spotlight
March Madness Volunteers
MYC Kid's Play Group
MYC Morning Walking
Adult Open Gym
TDA
Rentals at MYC

Join the

Milford Youth Center on Facebook and Twitter


         Facebook
 

Join the

Youth Council
 on Facebook and Twitter


         Facebook   

Check out one of our major sponsors 

United Way Logo 

Check out our MYC Apparel!

 

Check out 

Newsletter Sponsor 

 

Milford Youth Center (MYC) mission  is to provide a safe environment that promotes self esteem, builds character, and fosters the notion of community and the importance of respecting and serving others. For more information, click here .

The  MYC  works together with other community organizations to provide resources and opportunities for youth to make healthy decisions. The MYC works to provide local youth with the necessary activities and events that help them develop physically, mentally, socially and emotionally through their childhood years. By providing Milford youth with these types of programs and a safe environment during the after school hours and during our monthly events, we hope to address adolescent risk factors as well as promoting the partnership among community members to ensure a comprehensive vision and plan for the health of the youth in the town of Milford.

Milford Youth Center:  [email protected]
phone: 508.473.1756
web: http://milfordyouthcenter.net/