Youngstown Foundation, BGCY team up for new teen lounge
CAPTION: From left: Jan Strasfeld, Randi Russell, La'Niya Muldrow, and Germaine McAlpine at BGCY today.
YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown Foundation donated $28,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown, and on Thursday, the two organizations celebrated the impact of the funds.
A new teen lounge was constructed with some of the funds, and more teen programming was created, too.
The teen lounge is enjoyed by teens daily, equipped with new flooring, furniture, computers, TVs and lighting.
“The funding from The Youngstown Foundation to renovate the teen area was a very important project for our organization, being that our teen members have never really had a dedicated space to call their own. We wanted to provide our teens with a safe program space that they could take pride in,” says Germaine McAlpine, the executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown.
“We have been able to provide club programming to over 300 teens throughout the year. The teen lounge renovation gives them a fresh atmosphere to relax together, while also developing as our leaders in the Club and community.”
The Youngstown Foundation has been impacting the lives of Youngstown residents for more than 90 years through fostering charitable giving, addressing community needs through thoughtful grant-making, and providing leadership in the community on vital issues.
Youngstown Foundation Executive Director Jan Strasfeld felt that this project was very reflective of the Foundation’s values:
“During my tenure, the Foundation's priority has been our youth... their safety, education, preparation for postsecondary training and life skill development. Our teen population is our community’s future, and it is vital that these kids have the support system needed to be successful in life. When we received the request to assist with the “Year of the Teen” program development and facility renovation, it was an easy decision for us.”
For 47 years, the Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown has been in the forefront of youth development, working with young people from disadvantaged economic, social and family circumstances.
The Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown on Oakhill Avenue on Youngstown's Southside has sought to enrich the lives of girls and boys that other youth agencies have had difficulty reaching.