New York State Senator Peter Harckham and New York State Assembly member Chris Burdick presented the Boys and Girls club with a check totaling $280,0000. Both Harckham and Burdick have been working together with the senate and assembly to secure the money. The club had originally been denied nearly $2 (m) due to new eligibility criteria for NYS LEAPS.
This money will now help keep fall programming in place for the children who are part of the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester.
Youth of the Year recipient, Grace Gerosa, spoke about the importance of keeping these programs in place. Many of the kids have been coming to the club since age 3 and are thriving throughout childhood because of what they learned from the programs.
NYS Assembly member Chris Burdick recalled how his own kids went through the program and how he and his wife personally know what a fabulous program this is at the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester. “The Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester (BGCNW) has been providing superb programming for children of all ages since the 1930’s. I am so grateful for all that BGCNW does for the families of my district and beyond, and am delighted that Senator Harckham and I were able to secure emergency funding in the amount of $280,000 so they could continue providing a vital service that was abruptly cut off from funding due to a change in grant criteria. Our families rely on BGCNW and I will do all I can to try to get their funding reinstated. For now, I am pleased that we are able to provide this temporary relief,” said Burdick.
CEO, Alyzza Ozer says “Senator Harckham and Assemblyman Burdick understand the importance of after school programing for the community. They understand that at the Club youth participate in essential academic, wellness and social programing while enjoying hot nutritious meals made on site while their families can work. They mobilized all efforts immediately and successfully secured 1 year of legislative funding.”
Senator Harckham says “thank you to all the children, staff and community members who wrote all the letters, over 700 about why the Club is so important to them and is a second home. Manystudents need a safe environment after school where they can continue learning and have fun.When it comes to stepping in to help students on so many levels, organizations like the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester are indispensable. I am glad that my colleague Assemblymember Burick and I were able to step in and keep this important program running. Our school children should not be penalized because of budgetary decisions.”
