Faces in the Crowd:

26th Annual Hoops For Hope

Highlights from last month's 26th annual Hoops for Hope dinner with the Syracuse University Men's Basketball Team and Coaching Staff include:

Assemblymember Pamela Hunter, Speaker Pro Tempore presented the BGCS East Fayette Street Club's 2026 BGCS Outstanding Youth Award to a helpful young man with one of the best attendance records: Zyaire Harris! Zyaire is also pictured above having a serious conversation with his new friend Kiyan Anthony while sitting with The Pinnacle Family of Companies.

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon presented the BGCS Brexialee Torres Otiz Club's 2026 Outstanding Youth Award to a young lady who has become known as quite a singer and dancer: Kinza Johnson! Kinza really enjoys working with Caprice Hibbler and everyone at The Arts Project (TAP) of Syracuse, a collaborative partner that inspires BGCS youth members to learn and have fun with local artists.

Hospitality Restaurant Group (dba Taco Bell) marketing Executive Danielle Rafte presented the BGCS Shonnard Street Club's 2026 Outstanding Youth Award to Armani DuBose. Club Unit Director Derrick Bacon accepted above because Armani just got a new job at Target and could not miss her orientation - a great testimony to the Workforce Readiness programs Derrick delvers to approximately 440 Club Teens on the near westside.

Fan favorites: The Enterprise Mobility Autograph Alley where everyone was able to meet and talk with their basketball heroes! Also, everyone was thrilled to see OTTO! Rounding out the top three, Syracuse drummer Nathaniel "Big Nate" Brown leads two major musical projects that blend jazz, R&B, and hip-hop. For the second year, his jazz group, In The Pocket (also stylized as N'Da Pocket) provided beautiful jazz music during the cocktail hour before dinner.

WE ARE VERY PLEASED TO INTRODUCE

OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,

MR. RON KLEIN, JR.

"Day 1" by Ron Klein, Jr.

Central New York, I could not be more honored or energized to step into this role and get to work!

Starting today, we begin a bold new chapter.

Across our three local club locations, thousands of young people rely on us to be their safe haven, their learning hub, and their launchpad. My top priority is elevating every single one of these clubs—expanding our reach, enhancing our programs, and ensuring every member has the resources, mentorship, and opportunities they deserve to thrive.

To achieve this, we can’t do it alone. Building a brighter future for our youth takes an entire community working in lockstep. Starting today, we are actively locking arms with:

Local Businesses & Corporate Partners: To build innovative workforce prep, STEM programs, and direct mentorship pipelines that connect our kids to real-world opportunities.

City, County & State Leaders: To align on community initiatives, secure key resources, and ensure our neighborhood clubs remain safe, vibrant pillars of Syracuse.

Our Philanthropic & Donor Community: To accelerate our fundraising momentum and turn visionary goals into tangible, everyday impact for our members.

Our kids represent the absolute best of Syracuse, and we are setting the bar high for what we will accomplish together.

To our team, board, partners, and supporters—thank you for the incredible welcome. Let’s amplify our mission, elevate our clubs, and build something extraordinary for Central New York.

See you soon—let’s get to work!

DAY 2 - First all-staff meeting with our new Chief Executive Officer Ron Klein, Jr.

SIDNEY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

DONATES ANOTHER $20,000

Thanks to Sidney Federal Credit Union's $1 Million Reasons Community Support Initiative, BGCS CEO Ron Klein, Jr. was joined by our staff and some Club Teens to accept another $20,000 from SFCU to support our mission today! This follows the $2,500 SFCU raised at their walkathon at Destiny USA earlier this year!

SFCU President and CEO James H. Reynolds presented Ron with this incredibly generous donation - and announced SFCU is coming to downtown hashtag#SyracuseNY with a new branch in the historic Chimes building at 500 S. Salina Street! Welcome to the neighborhood, Mr. Reynolds! And special thanks to all the support Ashley Krizman, CBDP and Amanda Riley Schrader give to our three downtown clubs.

This very special presentation was immediately preceded by our annual staff excellence awards. Recognized this year were, from left to right in the following photo, Carmelita Rice for excellence in youth development; Timothy Kirkland for safety excellence; and Roosevelt Bullock for excellence in youth engagement!

Guest speakers today during our all-staff meeting were from Onondaga County's Project Concern: a collaborative initiative focused on youth fire-setting intervention.

We had quite a celebration today with delicious food donated by Ron's generous friends at Avicolli's Italian Restaurant, The Home Team Restaurant and Antonio's Italian Kitchen! The Club Teens were texting their friends - "Pasta, Pizza and WINGS at our Club!"

A really wonderful day today. Grateful to SFCU and all of Ron's awesome foodie friends!

Happening Right Now

$12,500 from The Arby's Foundation

Truly grateful to The Lofberg Group and their executives at Arby's who just, at the time this eNewsletter was being sent, stopped by our Shonnard Street Club to present BGCS CEO Ron Klein, Jr. with a check for $12,500 from The Arby's Foundation! We cannot thank their customers enough for growing their support this year at the point of purchase. Also, some of their executives just mentioned they are up for volunteering again during this coming January's Syracuse Winter Fair!

Seneca Wilson brings poetry and gently used computer equipment to BGCS

Another POWERFUL guest speaker, and the gift of approximately $8,000 worth of high-end computer equipment.

Proud father of a Texas A&M football player, a BGCA Hall of Famer and a proud former Youth of the Year at his childhood club in Mississippi, Mr. Seneca Wilson (pictured above with Coach McNamara at Hoops for Hope) recently visited our Shonnard Street Club. He left our staff and a group of our youth members, speechless and inspired.

Widely known as Seneca the Motivational Poet—he is an acclaimed youth motivational speaker, spoken word artist, author, and educator. He utilizes a unique framework called S.H.I.P. (Sports, Hip Hop, Inspiration, and Poetry) to empower students, athletes, and educators to conquer self-doubt and realize their full potential. Beyond his career as a verbal artist and public speaker, he also serves as the Barnes Center Recreation Director at Syracuse University (pictured below with some of our Club Teens).

Aldi's Volunteer Day

Aldi's district executives from all across New York State (pictured above) returned to defend their Basketball Knockout Champion Title, beating our Shonnard Street Club Teens, after beating our East Fayette Club Teens last year! They also suffered a loss in a closely scored Kickball Tournament.

Afterwards, they spent time in small groups to talk about life lessons, career opportunities and a even a little homework. Fun, learning and mentorship. A truly wonderful day for youth working hard to enrich their futures.

St. Joseph's Health Increases Support of Triple Play Program

BGCS board member and chairman of our development committee Eric Stone (top center) was pleased to share the news with everyone at Hoops for Hope after informing BGCS board president Mike Vaughan St. Joseph's had increased its support by 33%, donating a check for $20,000 a few days before.

Lacrosse Night with @syrcitylax and LeMoyne College - most popular Triple Play Program activity at our East Fayette Street Club

Watch Torch Club VP Taliyah fake out one of our staff members shooting some amateur video below - she is only 12 and when this program started two years ago, she had never played!

Thompson & Johnson Equipment Company Employees Name BGCS, Charity of the Month for October!

From their public announcement:

Bright futures begin with people who believe in them.

T&J is proud to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Syracuse as our September Charity of the Month with a $1,500 donation to help further the incredible work they do for young people in our community.

Every day, their team helps young people build confidence, discover opportunities and reach their full potential - creating brighter futures and a stronger community for all of us.

When we invest in young people, we invest in what’s possible. We’re proud to support an organization making that possibility brighter every day.

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