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

James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn is excited to start virtual, middle school programming this January! All middle school students are invited and encouraged to join us for bi-weekly enrichment and social recreation opportunities with your peers.

Teen Director, Katie Sullivan, will be offering varied opportunities for our middle school population to interact and engage with Club staff, high school mentors and other middle school students. Open to all, these meetings will work to encourage positive social interactions, provide a safe space and support teens’ unique needs.

Join our Kick Off Event on Tuesday, January 26, 2021. Email Katie at k.sullivan@bgcwoburn.org to RSVP and receive the registration link. Direct any questions to Katie!

The James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn is excited to announce a new leadership development opportunity for high school members at the Club! Our Youth of the Year program will prepared members in a variety of important leadership skills and culminate in the naming of our 2021 Joseph L. Drew Youth of the Year.

In a year where Club programming and offerings have never looked so different, the Club is adapting our annual Youth of the Year competition. All interested high school members are eligible and encouraged to participate in our 10 week leadership course. This program will feature 10 workshops to develop youth’s public speaking, interview skills and other important 21st Century Learning skills. Youth will complete the 2021 National Youth of the Year application throughout this program and be eligible to be a finalist for our local Youth of the Year award. Finalists will then go on to compete via an interview process for the title of 2021 Joseph L. Drew Youth of the Year.

If you have an questions about our program or this process, please email Meg at m.gambale@bgcwoburn.org. Keep an eye out on our website for updates from this program and our teens as we move forward!

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.

We can’t believe we are typing this … but it is time to register for the last two weeks of Camp in a Box for this summer! We have traveled the globe, designed structures and board games, explored the Earth and put on an amazing play. It has been so much fun engaging with members virtually and learning new things together. You do not want to miss our last two weeks of this awesome summer program!

All youth, ages 8 and up, are welcome to participate but programs are designed with ages 8 – 12 in mind. The group meets via Zoom, Monday-Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Options for our upcoming weeks are:
Week 7, August 17th – August 21st:
Write On!: Join us as we learn the basics of creative writing. Build your own stories and characters this week and make your way to becoming an author.
Art 101: Club members will spend the week exploring the elements of art! We will learn about famous art pieces and artists before we try our hand at using new elements.
Week 8, August 24th – August 28th:
The Show Must Go Online!: Back by popular demand! We will be hosting another opportunity for members to sharpen our acting skills and practice a script for a small virtual performance. 
Space Invaders: Launch into space with us as we explore the solar system and spend the week among the stars! From building rockets to learning about moon rocks, you’ll be on your way to astronaut status in no time.

Camp in a Box, offers online meetings each afternoon accompanied by a box full of all the supplies you’ll need. There is a one time $30 registration fee and then a weekly $25 program fee.

Members meet with Club staff and their peers to play games and dive into a Club program. This is a great opportunity for members to learn new concepts, get creative and socialize online with friends with a trusted adult mentor. We hope to see you in an upcoming week.

To register, email info@bgcwoburn.org beginning Monday, July 27, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. Space is limited and fill on a first come, first serve basis. Include the following information:

• Your Name
• Child’s Name
• Child’s Age
• Preferred Email
• Program Choice
• Is your child a Club member?

If you have any questions please reach out to Meg at m.gambale@bgcwoburn.org!