Bridgeport, CT - Wakeman Boys & Girls Club welcomes Carlos Collazo as the first Unit Executive Director of the organization’s new Madison Avenue Community Clubhouse, scheduled to open summer 2023 at 595 Madison Avenue, in Bridgeport’s North End/Hollow neighborhood.
Collazo comes to Wakeman BGC with over 20 years in the Boys & Girls Club movement and most recently served as the Executive Director of the Ulbrich Boys & Girls Club in North Haven. While there, Collazo led the organization through a period of growth and an expansion into multiple sites, saw membership and employment opportunities multiply, and oversaw a merger with the Boys & Girls Club of New Haven.
“Carlos brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of building relationships with community partners. Plus, as a Bridgeport native, he has ties to the community this new Clubhouse will serve. I am confident that we have found the right person to help us successfully open our doors to the hundreds of local youth who are waiting to benefit from our programs,” states Wakeman BGC CEO, Sabrina Smeltz.
Most fittingly, Carlos is an alum of the former North End Boys & Girls Club, which previously occupied the site of the new Madison Avenue Community Clubhouse. “I have been an advocate of the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of America for so long, starting as a member at the North End Club and then in 1995 when I worked at the Bridgeport Boys & Girls Club. I feel like I have truly come full circle and found a home with Wakeman Boys & Girls Club,” Collazo reflects.
Collazo will celebrate this homecoming at a Beam Raising Ceremony on Wednesday, November 16, 1pm at the Madison Avenue Community Clubhouse site. There, he will welcome many of the trustees, community partners, and donors who have made this important project possible. The event will feature an update on the project and the ceremonial raising of a steel beam–decorated with members’ handprints and signed by major donors–that will be permanently displayed in the lobby of the clubhouse.
Collazo has completed Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Advanced Leadership Program, Executive Leadership Program, and Principles of Leadership through Employers Association of the Northeast. He earned a Certificate of Completion and Fellowship through the University of New Haven for participating in the Transforming Youth Justice Leadership Development Program. He earned his Associates in Human Services at Housatonic Community College and Illustration at Paier College of Art.
For more information about Wakeman BGC, visit www.wakemanclub.org.
About Wakeman Boys & Girls Club
Since 1913, Wakeman Boys & Girls Club has provided a safe place for youth and teens after school, evenings, and weekends. Focused on Academics, Character & Leadership Development, and Healthy Lifestyles with nationally acclaimed programming, the Club continues its mission "to guide and inspire young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens." The organization serves 3,300 youth annually through its Smilow-Burroughs Clubhouse in Bridgeport and its three locations in Fairfield: the Southport Clubhouse and McKinley and Holland Hill School-Based Sites. For more information about Wakeman Boys & Girls Club, visit www.wakemanclub.org.