Education

By Ginger DeShaney Owen Rogers credits the Edgerley Family South Boston Boys & Girls Club with helping shape the person he is today. ​​ “A lot of us who have been there since we were 6, we wouldn't be the people we are without the Club,” said the Edgerley Club’s 2022 Youth of the Year. “We wouldn't have any of these opportunities and resources that keep us in check … which is amazing. I can definitely say the Club is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. “It's been my No. 1 lifeline my whole life.” Owen said he was excited when he found out he won this prestigious award out of five applicants. “It's nice to be able to be a role model [...]

By Ginger DeShaney Pride. Honor. Respect. Leadership. The cadets of South Boston JROTC exude these qualities.  And when we see these young leaders at events and ceremonies, presenting color guards or providing escorts, we can’t help but feel proud of them and our neighborhood. “It’s helping the community and giving the community something to be proud of,” C/MAJ George Infante, a senior at Excel High School, said about the cadets’ involvement in events. “We are doing these things to inspire people,” said LTC (R) Anthony Hinson, who has been with the South Boston JROTC at Excel for seven years and leads the cadets with SFC (R) George Machado. The cadets recently participated in a flag raising at UMass-Boston on Pearl Harbor Day and the opening [...]

https://youtu.be/HFxfRBrRIlE South Boston Community Health Center’s Youth Ambassadors are determined to get their friends protected from the Covid-19 virus. The teens, all fully vaccinated, spearheaded a video/social media project to encourage other teens to get vaccinated after discovering that many of their peers and classmates were still not vaccinated against the virus. Michael Indresano, of Indresano Productions donated his studio time and talent to help the teens bring their vision to reality. The campaign went live on SBCHC’s YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/HFxfRBrRIlE “We couldn’t be more proud of these young people” said Bill Halpin, CEO of South Boston Community Health Center. “The Youth Ambassadors have always been an important voice among their peers on critical health issues like substance abuse and anti-vaping efforts. We were [...]

By Ginger DeShaney Boston teens are using their voices to spread the word among their peers about the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. They are hopeful their message will be heard and heeded.  The “Teens Talking to Teens About the COVID Vaccine” video/social media project was spearheaded by the South Boston Community Health Center Youth Ambassadors in collaboration with the South Boston Neighborhood House and the Edgerley Family South Boston Boys & Girls Club. Michael Indresano of Indresano Studios in South Boston is generously providing professional studio, staff, technical support, and editing -- all pro bono.  “It’s a good opportunity for us to be able to have that voice and spread the word,” Youth Ambassador Owen Rogers, 17, said before his recent shoot. The [...]

By Ginger DeShaney They say variety is the spice of life, but you’d be hard-pressed to find any spices in a food pantry. Stephanie Chace, nutritional literacy coordinator for Boston Public Library and organizer of its Spice Bank Collective, is on a mission to change that.  “It’s an idea I’ve carried with me for a very long time, probably 8 or 10 years,” she said. “Whenever I would see a call-out for a food pantry for people to donate, you would see the list of things that most pantries were looking for; nonperishables was ultimately the final message. Bring canned goods, bring boxed mac and cheese, and I was always kind of struck that spices, which are nonperishables, were never listed. “So that always stuck [...]

By Ginger DeShaney “If you like your job, it’s not really work,” said Anne Gordon. “That’s been the way it’s been for me all along.”  So after reaching her goal of “working” for 50 years at the South Boston Boys & Girls Club, Anne is retiring on June 29, 2021, the 50th anniversary of her start date. The 68-year-old Anne is currently the Arts Director and Summer Camp Director at the Edgerley Family South Boston Club but has held various titles throughout her tenure. “That’s one of the reasons I stayed so long is because I can change jobs around,” she said. “Being able to have something different to do … has been very rewarding.” As her retirement date nears, Anne acknowledges it doesn't feel [...]

By Ginger DeShaney “Art is amazing,” said Erica Bayliss, age 10. “Art lets you express your feelings,” said Sean O’Keefe, 11.  “It’s kind of a fun way to relax,” said Nolan Brennan, 14. “I love it. I’ve drawn my whole life,” said Kay’ary King, 10. These were the answers to the question: What do you like about art? South Boston Online sat down for a Zoom call with these four artists from the Edgerley Family South Boston Boys & Girls Club and the Club’s Arts Director, Anne Gordon. “They’ve really blossomed this year because they’ve been able to devote so much time to their art,” said Anne, who is retiring this summer. “They’ve really done some great work.” The three younger kids are in Anne’s [...]

By Ginger DeShaney Staff members at the Edgerley Family South Boston Boys & Girls Club just want kids to have a typical summer camp experience this year. “We're excited to get back to a little bit of normalcy,” said director of operations Tim Bothwell. “The staff is excited to get back to the fun aspect … Just having the positive energy of kids in the building and having fun and interacting with one other.” Added Caroline Moreno, membership director, “I would love for them to be able to have fun and be around each other again. So many of our kids have not seen each other and have not seen our staff for over a year now. It’s always good to make new friends and [...]