On Wednesday, October 17th dignitaries, board members, community leaders and supporters all gathered together at Boys & Girls Village to celebrate the opening of the organization’s new Program Services Building.
Three years in the making, the new 15,000 square foot building will house many of the organization’s community-based services aimed at helping at-risk children and families create healthy developmental pathways. Funding for the building began with a grant awarded from Governor Malloy’s Nonprofit Grant Program, with remaining funds provided by Newtown Savings Bank and private donations.
Senator Blumenthal addressed the audience. “In terms of behavioral health, schooling and physical help, Boys & Girls Village has always been a beacon of hope and opportunity for so many,” he said. “Coming here is a reaffirmation of the principles and values that make this community and our state great. We are dedicated to the proposition that we leave no one behind.”
Awards were presented by Dr. Steven Kant, Chief Executive Officer of the organization, to Board Chair Carol Smith Harker and Vice Chair Joseph Tramuta, Esq. for their hard work and dedication to the organization.
Joette Katz, Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families also spoke to the crowd of 100. “There’s nothing more important than serving the children of the state of Connecticut and Boys & Girls Village has been a great partner,” she said. “Buildings like these demonstrate what a partnership can do. I’m grateful to the work Boys & Girls Village has done.”
The event also marked the expansion of the organization’s Charles F. Hayden School, now serving grades K-12 as a state-approved special education school. The school develops children academically while also helping them to learn how to manage their own emotional and behavioral challenges.
State Representative Pam Staneski presented Dr. Kant with an official citation from the Connecticut General Assembly extending best wishes on this memorable occasion from the entire membership.
Refreshments were served with catering provided by Meatball Heaven, one of the organization’s three Work to Learn programs that prepares young adults with job and life skills. Inside the new building, attendees enjoyed tours and visiting a ‘Wall of Progress’ exhibit, which depicts the organization’s 75-year transformation into a leading comprehensive behavioral health agency.
“This is such a seminal moment in this organization,” said Dr. Kant. “We’re grateful to this community and our state for its support of Boys & Girls Village and for its commitment to creating better futures for at-risk children and families.”
About Boys & Girls Village: For 76 years, Boys & Girls Village, Inc. has been one of Connecticut’s leading providers of behavioral health, educational and permanency planning services for at-risk youth and their families. Since its founding, Boys & Girls Village has touched the lives of thousands of children and families from 50 different Connecticut communities, providing behavioral health, educational, family preservation and stabilization, and vocational services with the belief that all children can develop a healthy developmental pathway. Learn more at www.bgvillage.org.