BGCG CONNECTIONS
Dear Friends,
As we begin our first week of summer camp, we are optimistic that our programs and services will impact hundreds and hundreds of youth this summer and beyond. The pandemic highlighted our team’s ability to be flexible, nimble, and most importantly, to provide essential services to our members and the Greenwich community despite significant challenges.
 
During the past year, we welcomed children in our after-school and evening programs without interruption. Our signature programs, such as swimming, academic support and enrichment, Friday teen nights, sports clinics, and all three summer camps, were programmatic highlights. In addition, our Youth of the Year, College Scholarships, and Award’s Night spotlighted the positive outcomes of our programs. 
 
I am enormously grateful to our Staff, Board of Directors, financial supporters, community partners, and families for supporting our work during this extraordinary year. We are very excited to see many of you in person at camp this summer and at our Annual Benefit and Muddy Up 5k this fall. Thank you again, and wishing you all a healthy and happy summer!

With gratitude,
Cristina Vittoria
CEO, Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich
Camp BGCG
THE 2021 CAMP SEASON IS OFF TO A GREAT START!
We're having a GREAT first week of Camp with many new faces and returning friends, as well! Throughout the week, our Clubhouse Campers will enjoy "Animal Adventures" as they discover the wonders of the animal world. Campers will "Blast Off" with activity challenges at Camp Simmons, topped off with snow cones and "Red, White & Blue" day. Our teen campers will stay active visiting Greenwich Point, Island Beach, and playing a few frames of bowling. GREAT summers start here!
HIGHLIGHTING OUR MEMBERS
YOUTH OF THE YEAR 2021
Some of Greenwich’s best and brightest were celebrated on Wednesday, April 7, during the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich’s Annual Youth of the Year celebration.

Damarys Aceituno, a junior at Greenwich High School, was named the Club’s 2021 Youth of the Year. Lauren Herrera (Greenwich High School senior) and Karen Maldonado (Greenwich High School junior) were finalists for the 2021 award. Event co-chairs Lisa and Bruce Quackenbush, and Icy and Scott Frantz were among the panelists who chose Aceituno.

“Through the interview process here’s what I learned about the finalists - each of them are smart, super smart, and have overcome incredible personal challenges with grace,” said Icy Frantz. “Each one has been positively impacted by their tenure at the Boys & Girls Club.”

In addition to naming the Youth of the Year winner, Lisa Stuart was honored as the 2021 Champion of Youth.

AWARDS NIGHT
A buzz of excitement filled the air at the 49th Annual Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich’s Awards Night. Held on the evening of June 10, the event honors club members who are outstanding in their areas of choice. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the 2020 Awards Night was postponed and combined with the 2021 event, creating a special evening for awards recipients.

In addition to Cristina Vittoria, CEO, the members, and their families were greeted by Board Chair, Eileen Tang, the Club’s Program Staff team, and Club alumnus and First Selectman of the Town of Greenwich, Fred Camillo.

SCHOLARSHIPS
The Scholarship Committee of Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich recently reviewed applications from 34 members, then met with each applicant to learn about the individuals’ dedication to higher education, involvement with the Club, and future aspirations. For the high school seniors and college students, good grades, commitment to character development, volunteerism and community leadership, have led to a combined reward of $181,200 in scholarship funds.

In 2019, former Greenwich First Selectman Rebecca Breed made a historic $1 million gift to the Club to support college scholarships. A longtime club supporter, Mrs. Breed’s family gift is being distributed over ten years.
BOARD REPORT
BGCG WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BGCG Board Chair, Eileen Tang, welcomed five new members to the organization’s Board of Directors. The new members are Garfield Charles, Nancy Fazzinga, Kevin Gillespie, Marie Rocha and Kelly Vintiadis

Garfield “Gary” Charles is Assistant Dean at Greenwich High School. Gary brings education expertise to the Club and has experience as the Greenwich Public Schools Summer School Coordinator. He has also coordinated the diversity awareness activities at the high school level for several years. 

Dr. Nancy Fazzinga is a pediatrician with her own private practice: Whole Child Pediatrics in Greenwich. She received her medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine in 2007, and after completing her residency at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, she has stayed very involved and is a current member of the foundation board. 

Kevin Gillespie is a lifelong resident of Greenwich and the owner of Gillespie Design & Build, LLC, which renovates and builds residential properties in Fairfield County. Being raised in Greenwich, he was a member of the Boys Club when in elementary school. He attended Greenwich High School and went on to earn his B.S. degree in Design at Northern Arizona University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. 

Marie Rocha is the founder of Realist Ventures, a CT-based venture fund investing in early-stage SaaS, cloud, mobile, and biotech startups with diverse teams solving scalable problems. With over 20 years as a software developer and entrepreneur, she advises and mentors women and people of color on their startups in her spare time. 

Kelly Vintiadis started her career at Ralph Lauren as the Women’s Public Relations Manager, and then worked at J.Crew as the Women’s Public Relations Manager. Kelly earned a B.A. from Loyola University, New Orleans in Communications and Broadcast Journalism.
UPCOMING EVENTS
ANNUAL BENEFIT: MOONLIT IN MYKONOS - Friday, September 10
We are thrilled to present an in-person cocktail party that will take place outside under the moonlit sky at our main Clubhouse on Friday, September 10, 2021. As always, you can expect to celebrate the work of Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich with fantastic food, dancing, and friends. Funds raised will allow us to continue our mission and provide a safe “home away from home” to so many youth in our community.

MUDDY UP 5K - Sunday, October 3
This exciting event is for runners and walkers of all ages who enjoy a competitive adventure over a rugged, 3.1-mile wooded course with natural and man-made obstacles and plenty of MUD! Held at Camp Simmons on Lake Avenue, you can run as an individual, a family or part of a team.

Registration will go live soon!
Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich
4 Horseneck Road - Greenwich, CT 06830
FOLLOW US