Page 10 - BGC prototype

Wired for Success Alex Reyes, Boston Police Officer, Schools Unit “My neighborhood growing up was not safe, but my mom wanted my sister and me to have things to do beyond the backyard, to meet and play with other kids. I don’t know how she knew about BGCD, but she had to have been comfortable with it to sign us up,” Alex Reyes says. “I remember thinking that mommy wouldn’t leave me here unless it was a safe place. And that gave me peace.” It also started a life-long connection to the club. Alex became a bona fide “Club Fiend”, or one of those kids who never wanted to leave at the end of the day. During college he worked as staff on hours built around his class schedule. The BGCD values are the same today as when he was eight years old. “Some of our neighborhoods can be rough around the edges. Young people get written off; people say you’re headed for jail, you’ll be a drop out. But that’s not your story here.” At the club, all children and teens are wired for success, buoyed by smiles, hugs, high-fives and high expectations. You can feel it. The adults genuinely care. It’s not just words, it’s action,” Alex says. f