Around Town

Assistant Recreation Director Looks Back on 30 Years Working with Watertown’s Youth

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Assistant Recreation Director Ernie Thebado has worked with the children of Watertown for three decades. Photo provided by the Watertown Recreation Department. Ernie Thebado, the assistant director of the Watertown Department of Recreation, recently reached the 10 year mark working for the Town, and prior to that he had another 20 years working at the Watertown Boys & Girls Club. During his three decades in Town he made some strong and lasting connections. His career, however, did not begin in Watertown. 

“It all started with the Marlborough Boys and Girls Club,” Thebado said. “It was a stone’s thrown from my home.”

Around Town

Newly Renovated Watertown Boys & Girls Club Wows the Public at Grand Opening

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When the Watertown Boys & Girls Club reopens its doors for the school year this week members may not recognize the building. The facility on Whites Avenue recently completed a major renovation, and on Saturday the Club had a grand opening. Executive Director Renee Gaudette said she can’t wait to see the looks on children’s faces when they get their first look. “We plan to take videos of children as the come in,” Gaudette said. Town Council President Mark Sideris said the renovation turned out very nicely.

Around Town

Watertown Boys & Girls Club Reopening Soon, Hosting Grand Opening

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The Watertown Boys & Girls Club’s renovation is nearly complete and the club will soon reopen, and have a grand opening celebration. The Club will have an open house and grand opening on Saturday, Sept. 22 from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. The event will feature the Boston Red Sox World Series Trophy from 12-3 p.m. Attendees can see the trophy and pose for photos with it. The Watertown Boys & Girls Club will be opening its after-school drop-in program on Monday, Sept. 24.

Around Town

Bank Provides Grant for Boy’s & Girls Club’s Girls Science, Technology Program

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The Watertown Boys & Girls Club provided the following information:

Watertown Boys & Girls Club a youth development organization providing after-school and summer programming, today announced it has received a $10,000 Targeted Grant from Eastern Bank, America’s oldest and largest mutual bank. The grant will support the implementation of “GIRLS ROCK”, an after-school STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) program specifically geared towards elementary and middle school girls. Each year, the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation’s Targeted Grant program supports hundreds of community-based organizations working for progress on a specific issue in Eastern’s New England footprint. In 2018, in celebration of the Bank’s 200th anniversary and to honor its first depositor, Rebecca Sutton, Targeted Grants have been designated to support organizations addressing a range of issues that disproportionately impact women, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking, health care, pay equity, and senior management and board representation. Watertown Boys & Girls Club is among 170 nonprofits each receiving a $10,000 grant.

Around Town

Watertown Boys & Girls Club Receives Big Donation from Oakley Country Club

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The Oakley Country Club announced it recently made a major contribution go the Watertown Boys & Girls Club:

We are excited to share that members of the Oakley Country Club made a donation of $43,334 to the Watertown Boys and Girls Club, which will help to fund their “Great Futures Campaign,” the reconstruction project for the organization that was founded in 1972. The gift was presented at a brief ceremony on July 17, 2018, at Oakley Country Club with Watertown Boys & Girls Club Executive Director Renee Gaudette. The proceeds were generate by private donations and the club’s popular “Casino Royale” fundraiser — a three-stage silent auction on April 28. “This event has become hugely popular with Oakley members, and it’s a great reminder of all the tremendous work that the Watertown Boys & Girls Club does in our communities,” said Oakley Country Club President John DeVito. “We’re thrilled that for the second year in a row this event was so successful, and that the partnership between our members and the Boys & Girls Club is so strong.”

Around Town

Spots Available in the Watertown Boys & Girls Club Annual Golf Tournament

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Watertown Boys & Girls Club will host their annual golf tournament on Monday, August 13, 2018 at the Oakley Country Club. The tournament honors one of the Club’s original founding members, Stephen Mugar. His children and grandchildren generously perpetuate his legacy by sponsoring this annual event. The Mugar Family will match the tournament’s net profits up to $80,000, thus making this the largest annual fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the Club’s yearly revenue. Foursomes and single golfer tickets can be purchased at http://bit.ly/WBGCGolf2018, along with sponsorships of varying levels.

Around Town

Watertown Boys & Girls Club Receives Grants from True Value, Lowe’s to Improve Club

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The Watertown Boys & Girls Club received a pair of grants to help improve the Clubhouse on Whites Avenue, Club representatives announced. True Value Grant Provides Paint

As students across Watertown get ready to go back to school, Watertown Boys & Girls Club is getting a fresh coat of paint thanks to a partnership with Waltham True Value. The Club is one of many across the nation selected to receive a “Painting a Brighter Future” grant. Every day, 11 million kids are left unsupervised after school. Boys & Girls Clubs are there to provide kids with quality after-school programming to keep them on track to academic success and a great future.

Around Town

Watertown Resident Wins Boys & Girls Club State Youth of the Year Award

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Watertown’s Destiny Santalucia was chosen from the top members of Boys & Girls Clubs around Massachusetts to be the state’s Youth of the Year. She is the first winner from Watertown. Santalucia, who recently graduated from Watertown High School, attended the 2018 Massachusetts Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year Event, along with the 31 other Youths of the Year from across the state. Then the big moment came. “It was such a surreal moment when they announced my name, I was shocked,” Santalucia said.