Weekly Media Roundup: May 29, 2024

Celebrating 100 Years: The Boys & Girls Club at Alfond Youth & Community Center in Waterville Reaches Milestone, The Morning Sentinel (Maine)

In 1924, the Boys Club opened in Waterville, Maine to provide enriching activities for boys in the community. Now, a century later, the Waterville Boys & Girls Club at the Alfond Youth & Community Center serves youth of all genders and offers swimming lessons, martial arts instruction, academic support, gardening, summer programming and more. This week, the Club will celebrate its 100th anniversary at an awards dinner featuring a video history narrated by former U.S. Sen. George J. Mitchell, who grew up in the program. “One-hundred years is an incredible achievement,” Joe Reisert, chairman of the Alfond Center’s board of directors, told the Morning Sentinel. “And, thinking about all the good work the club has done in this community, it’s really humbling. Obviously, you make it to 100 years, and the goal is to make it to another 100 years — and we plan to do that.”

Vibes for the Valley to Help Fund After School Programs in Black Mountain, Black Mountain News (North Carolina)

The Black Mountain Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) in North Carolina is hosting a community-wide Vibes for the Valley concert next week to help raise funds for afterschool programs at Black Mountain elementary and primary schools. “Quite frankly, we can’t just keep asking families and the same local businesses for money,” Black Mountain Schools PTO Vice President Frank Cappelli told Black Mountain News. “That was the genesis [of the benefit concert]. Could we somehow have tourism or revenues from the restaurant and music industry somehow help fund the basic necessity of the local school?” The PTO has raised 50 percent of the funds necessary to support the afterschool programs and hopes to raise the remaining funds through the benefit concert, silent auction, and community sponsorships.

Denver Mayor, Schools Superintendent Announce Youth Summer Programs Meant to Help Curb Gun Violence, The Denver Gazette (Colorado)

In response to a rise in gun violence, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is launching three initiatives to provide safe, engaging activities to students during summer break. “Summer is a great opportunity to get young people engaged in positive activities,” Mayor Johnston told the Denver Gazette. “It can also be an at-risk time for young people who are not engaged in positive activities to be exposed to violence. So we are thinking about this as a multi-pronged approach to how we can engage young people into positive summer activities.” The initiatives, funded through the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief state grant, include a summer jobs program for 14- to 21-year-olds, an interactive website that provides information on area summer camps and programs, and “pop-up” community events.

'GMA' Celebrates After-School Program Creator in Detroit, Good Morning America

At the Downtown Boxing Gym afterschool program in Detroit, students take part in more than boxing – they also learn to cook in a commercial kitchen, connect with tutors and mentors, raise chickens, and more. ABC’s Good Morning America recently surprised the program’s creator, Khali Sweeney, with a makeover of the program’s STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) lab, and varsity jackets for every student. “Khali means literally everything to me,” Deshawn Beal, a 2022 Downtown Boxing Gym graduate, told Good Morning America. “He changed my life because I didn’t really have anyone who could talk to me and who understood me, who has been through some similar situations I’ve been through.”