First Boys & Girls Club on College Campus Dedicated at Trinity in Ceremony Attended by Gen. Colin Powell
New Building Signals Momentum for Neighborhood Initiative
HARTFORD, Conn., June 11, 1998 -- The first Boys & Girls Club in the country to be affiliated with a college or university was dedicated today at Trinity College in a ceremony attended by General (Ret.) Colin Powell, chairman of America's Promise -- The Alliance for Youth and a member of Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Board of Governors. Programs in the new Club serving approximately 100 neighborhood children ages six through 12 will begin in September.
The Boys & Girls Club at Trinity is a centerpiece in a $175-million neighborhood revitalization initiative the College is spearheading, in partnership with other nonprofit institutions in the neighborhood: Hartford Hospital, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, and Connecticut Public Television & Radio. The facility on Broad Street is the first new building to be constructed as part of the neighborhood renewal effort that also calls for three new schools, a new family resource center, new home ownership opportunities, retail establishments and new business incubation.
The Boys & Girls Club organization has its roots in Hartford in the late 1800s, and archival material indicates that Trinity students were involved as volunteers in the original club. The new Club will be managed by the Boys & Girls Club of Hartford but the majority of staff support will be provided by Trinity students involved in volunteer work, internships, service learning, and research.
"This Boys & Girls Club at Trinity College represents the first of many programs for children and adults that will create the infrastructure for a renewed community," said Trinity President Evan S. Dobelle. "Children in this city and in this land hold the key to our future. This new club stands as eloquent testimony to the power of private-public partnerships, through which institutions and individuals can and must make a difference in the lives of everyday citizens. And this Club represents another 'first' for Hartford: the first-ever Boys & Girls Club on a college campus." Dobelle is himself a Boys & Girls Club "alumnus," having spent much time as a youth in the Club in Pittsfield, MA.
The chairman of Trinity's Board of Trustees, Thomas S. Johnson, and his wife, Ann, were recognized at the ceremony in appreciation for their $500,000 gift to the new Club. The building is being named in their honor. Mr. Johnson, an alumnus of Trinity, is president and CEO of GreenPoint Bank in New York City.
"The Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford are happy to welcome a third club into our family," said John P. Preysner, Jr., president of The Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford, Inc. "The Boys & Girls Club movement was founded in Hartford 138 years ago and we are proud to continue our commitment by accepting the challenge of offering this community the very best in youth services. We are grateful to President Dobelle and Trinity College for giving us the opportunity to serve the children of the Frog Hollow neighborhood."
Pre-registration is taking place this month, in conjunction with focus groups being held at public elementary schools in the neighborhoods the Club will serve. The new Club will provide programming in six critical areas: health and physical education; cultural enrichment; citizenship and leadership development; personal and educational enrichment (including access to tutoring and information technology in a computer room); outdoor and environmental education; and social recreation, including programs that encourage positive socialization and interaction. In several of these key areas, access to and connections with Trinity's faculty, students, staff, and facilities will enhance programming for the children served at the Club. The Club will offer activities and supervision during critical non-school hours, and will be open six days each week.
In addition to the Johnsons' gift, several other significant grants and gifts from Hartford-area corporations, foundations, and individuals provided funding for construction of the building and will support operating expenses in the future. Among the benefactors are three Hartford-based corporations: The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company, which contributed $300,000; CTG Resources, Inc., which donated $300,000; and Phoenix Home Life Mutual Insurance Company, which gave $75,000. Other donors include the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, Fleet Bank, trustee; the H.A. Vance Foundation, Inc.; the George A. and Grace L. Long Foundation, Fleet Bank, trustee; the Forrest C. Lattner Foundation, Inc.; the Hartford Courant Foundation, Inc.; the Davenport Family Foundation; Trinity College; the Boys and Girls Clubs of America; the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hartford, Inc.; the City of Hartford CDBG; and Samuel L. Milbank, a 1964 graduate of Trinity.
With more than 900 new Clubs opening nationwide since 1987, there are now 2,014 Boys & Girls Clubs serving more than 3 million American youth. Two other Boys & Girls Clubs in Hartford, in addition to the new facility that will open in September, already are in operation.
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