New Summer Program!
James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club is excited to announce a new program for July and August of 2021.
TEAM Summer will focus on supporting young people as they re-engage and reconnect after a challenging year. The goal of the program is to support the social-emotional needs of youth & teens and to curb summer learning loss.
Families can sign up to attend in either July OR August (not both).
Registration begins on Monday, May 3, 2021, at 7:00 a.m.
James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn has been continuously changing its programs and outreach services for more than twelve months now. Here’s an overview of what we have been up to over the past year.
Spring 2020: VIRTUAL CLUBHOUSE & HOME DELIVERIES. The Club shut down on Friday, March 13, 2020 due to the public health crisis. Nearly immediately, staff members launched a virtual Clubhouse where peers could gather with trusted staff members five days per week to do art projects, workouts, and more. Additionally, on a weekly basis staff members delivered groceries, educational materials, hygiene products and more to the doorsteps of our most vulnerable families.
Summer 2020: CAMP IN A BOX & SUMMER ENRICHMENT. During the first week of July, our LEAP Childcare teachers welcomed back one classroom of our preschool and pre-K students with open arms (from a distance!). We offered a limited in-person morning program for eight weeks, and also offered eight weeks of a virtual Camp in a Box program for our Club members.
September – March 2020-2021: SUPERVISED LEARNING CENTER. In September 2020, our LEAP Childcare program opened its second classroom and welcomed back even more students. Additionally, we partnered with Woburn Public Schools, the North Suburban Y and the City of Woburn to create a Supervised Learning Center for Woburn Students. We retrofitted our Clubhouse to become a virtual school where students most in need could attend on their virtual school days. In addition to receiving assistance with their schoolwork, students are served two meals and a snack each day.
Now, as students plan to return to school full time in April 2021, we must transition once again and do what is needed to support the well being of our members while keeping health and safety as a top priority. We anticipate opening some afterschool activities at our satellite locations as well as at the Clubhouse.
We hope you will consider supporting our important work as we begin planning this next phase of our reopening. Thank you for your understanding and your generosity!
Although the annual St. Patrick’s Day Social at the James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn was called off yet again due to health and safety concerns around the ongoing public health crisis, the organization’s 2021 Pot of Gold raffle was a huge success!
The Club sold $100 raffle tickets for four months, beginning just before Thanksgiving. Raffle proceeds support the ongoing operations at the Boys & Girls Club, supporting children, teenagers, and their families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting at Christmas, $1,000 was given away every Wednesday leading right up to St. Patrick’s Day.
This week, the winning ticket for the grand prize of $20,000 was pulled on March 17, 2021 at the Boys & Girls Club and shown live on Facebook. The winner was ticket #1457, belonging to Torrice Company.
Torrice Company President Stephen Torrice shocked Executive Director Julie Gage when he told her “We would like to donate all the winnings back to the Club”!
“We know how difficult this year has been and hope this donation helps the Club prepare to welcome the kids back”. Torrice Company has always been proud to support the JLMBGC.
James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn wishes to thank all those in the community who supported its annual raffle, the largest and most impactful fundraiser of the year. And, save the date for Saturday, March 12, 2022 when we hope to gather back in person at the Club to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day to benefit the kids & teens in our community! To learn more about the Club, visit www.bgcwoburn.org.
This year, we are giving away $1,000 every week to our wonderful Club supporters! Each Wednesday, we’ll update this post with the latest winners. Occasionally, we’ll also be giving away some bonus prizes, too! Weekly winners go “back in the bin” for future drawings. Take a chance today!
March 17, 2021
$20,000: Ticket #1457, Torrice Company
March 10, 2021
$1,000: Ticket #0189, Jim Foley
March 3, 2021
$1,000: Ticket #1105, Maher Family
Pirate’s Booty Gift Basket: Ticket #0742, Colleen Cormier
February 24, 2021
$1,000: Ticket #0449, Dick Kenney
February 17, 2021
$1,000: Ticket #0249, Richard DuBois
Mailbox Post: #0736, Karen & Don Mahoney
February 10, 2021
$1,000: Ticket #0475, Colleen Cormier
February 3, 2021
$1,000: Ticket #0327, Tom & Julie Qualey
Cornhole Boards (Patriots & Bruins): Ticket #807, Colleen O’Brien
January 27, 2021
$1,000: Ticket #0683, David Ahearn
January 20, 2021
$1,000: Ticket #0342, Paul Poussard
January 13, 2021
$1,000: Ticket #0832, Mark Drossos
January 6, 2021
$1,000: Ticket #0068, Kevin & Katie Young
December 30, 2020
$1,000: Ticket #0742, Colleen Cormier
MA Lottery Scratch Tickets: Ticket #0325, Rob Gonsalves & Brian
December 23, 2020
$1,000: Ticket #0064, Chris Murray & Barbara Bergeron
MA Lottery Scratch Tickets: Ticket #0394, Mary Ellen Perrotta
Due to the winter storm, the Clubhouse will be closed on Thursday, December 17, 2020. LEAP Childcare, Supervised Learning and swim team are all canceled.
School is canceled again on Friday, December 18, 2020. Therefore, LEAP Childcare and the Supervised Learning Center will also be closed as we continue our snow removal.
Stay safe and help somebody if you are able.
At its annual celebration on November 18, 2020, the Woburn Chamber of Commerce (formerly Woburn Business Association) named the Club as its Business of the Year! All of us at the Club could not be more proud and are thankful to the team at the Chamber for this great honor.
“In a year full of unprecedented challenges, The Club responded with grace to continue their important work of supporting the youth of the city.
The James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn has been serving youth and families in Woburn and the surrounding communities for more than 55 years. Typically, the Club offers recreational, character building, and educational opportunities for kids & teens afterschool. In March, the COVID-19 public health crisis forced the closure of their facility and programs. Quickly, the organization pivoted to provide critical support for families. They created a virtual Clubhouse where kids could socialize with their friends and mentors, delivered food and other necessities to doorsteps of those in need, and made weekly phone calls to others to make sure that all of their ‘Club kids’ were safe and healthy.
Currently, the Club has partnered with Woburn Public Schools and Mayor Scott Galvin to provide a supervised learning environment for students on their remote learning days. The Clubhouse serves as a safe haven for youth who might otherwise be home alone or disengaged from their education. James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn has always been committed to doing ‘whatever it takes’ to help the kids & teens in our community.”
Medeiros Crew Recycling will once again be holding appliance, Freon, CRT, and electronics recycling drives. We’ll start back on Saturday, October 17, 2020, from 9 to 1 at the Spence Farm property located at 41 Wyman Street in Woburn.
For the health and safety of all, masks will be required to be worn by both customers and volunteers during the collection. Thank you!
This is an excellent opportunity to recycle these items at a minimal cost while supporting a local group or organization each month. There is a significant cost saving compared to the higher cost associated with curbside appliance recycling programs. In Woburn, the cost for curbside pick-up of many of these items has increased once again in 2020.
The drop-off recycling drives at Spence Farm are open to residents and businesses from all communities, not just Woburn.
With your support, over the years these collections have raised over $150,000 for local non-profit organizations, as well as donations to the Woburn Memorial High School Scholarship Fund. So, clean out those basements, attics, garages, and warehouses and bring your items to the next drive on October 17th!
Check out the full announcement for the item pricing!
James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn seeks qualified, responsible candidates to provide guidance and supervision to children participating in its 2020-2021 Supervised Learning Center.
Supervised Learning Center staff team members will supervise remote learning at the organization’s Main Clubhouse location. The position will provide guidance to elementary students while they remote learn through Woburn Public Schools.
Staff members will work with the same cohort of a children, in the same program room, for the duration of the session. This position is strictly supervisory and will assist students with simple tasks as they maneuver through their school day. The position is not expected to tutor.
Supervised Learning Center staff members will also plan and provide activities during breaks and down time, that will require instruction and supervision.
This program runs Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Applicants should be available to work at least two days per week, and the opportunity for partial days also exists.
The ideal applicant should enjoy working with children, be comfortable with Chromebooks and willing to learn the basics of Google Classroom, Seesaw and other programs used by the schools.
All those with experience working with children and who are willing to join a great team to help fill a community need are encouraged to apply! This would be a wonderful position for college students who are studying education, who have taken a gap year, or are learning remotely.
To be considered for one of these positions, please complete the survey at: http://bit.ly/bgcwoburnjobs
James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive workplace and is dedicated to hiring employees who reflect the communities we serve, including women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals and people with disabilities. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.
After careful consideration and a full review of Massachusetts’ new Minimum Requirements for Health and Safety for Child and Youth Serving Programs which was released on June 1, 2020, James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn has decided not to open our traditional summer camp program in 2020.
The safety of our youth, their families and our staff were at the center of this decision, as it is our priority in everything we do at the Club. Health and safety will continue to be our priority as we move forward through this “new normal.”
We understand this is incredibly difficult for our families who have come to rely on our programs for childcare and enrichment. We know that kids need socialization and the support that our camp offers, but it has become obvious that the new guidelines would not allow us to provide the experience that our community has come to expect.
For those of you who have paid deposits for summer camp, you will receive an e-mail today laying out refund, rollover, or gifting options.
We are carefully looking at ways we might be able to welcome very small groups of children and teenagers into the Club soon, but the capacity and hours will be extremely limited.
All of us at the Club cannot wait until we can all be together again, and we wish you well during these difficult times. Thank you for your understanding.
Julie Gage, Executive Director
James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn proudly announces that Lainey Gaiero of Burlington, MA is the winner of the 2020 PFC Joseph L. Drew Youth of the Year Award. Lainey was chosen from a pool of wonderful upper classmen who are members of the Boys & Girls Club and who are nominated based on academic success, commitment to leading a healthy lifestyle, passion for their experience at the Boys & Girls Club and overall character and leadership.
Locally, this award, the top honor bestowed by the Club on an annual basis, is named in memory of Private First Class Joseph L. Drew. Joe was an original member of the Woburn Boys Club in 1964. He served his community through his participation in the Key Club and the St. Charles CYO. Joe entered the United States Marine Corps and was shipped to Vietnam where he spent 214 days. He was featured in the CBS News documentary, This Day Has 12,000 Miles which aired December 23, 1965. He was killed in action December 27, 2965 – just days before his 19th birthday.
Youth of the Year candidates are nominated in an open process and a group of finalists is selected by the Club’s professional staff. Finalists for the award in 2020 also included Caleb Sawicki, Brendan Tighe, and Matthew Tilly all of Woburn, MA. Finalists are asked to complete an application consisting of essays and letters of recommendation. They are then interviewed by a panel of judges composed of 2 staff members and 3 representatives from the community. The panel of judges make the final decision. Volunteer judges for this year’s difficult competition included Craig Iverson, Greg Murphy, and John Sheehy.
The Club’s 2020 PFC Joseph L. Drew Youth of the Year, Lainey Gaiero, is a junior at Burlington High School where she is a member of the National Honor Society and a participant in the field hockey program. She has been a member of the Boys & Girls Club for ten years and has been heavily involved in several programs, with a focus on character and leadership development. Currently she serves as the vice president of the Intrepid Keystone Club, a Jr. Staff member, and the advisor of the Gemstones community service club for elementary school students. Lainey is also passionate about helping others outside of the Boys & Girls Club. For a number of years, she has served as a team captain for Relay For Life of Burlington to benefit the American Cancer Society. This year alone, Lainey has completed 280 hours of community service.
Armed with a passion to help others, Lainey plans to attend a four-year college and hopes to have a career in social work one day. When asked about her experience at James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn, she says “The Club has acted as my second home and family along with giving me a lifetime of unforgettable memories. It has also helped me grow as an individual and give back to a place that means so much to me and my family!”