Celebration of Youth Gala Surpasses Expectations

By Danny Lumb

STONEHAM/WAKEFELD MA..-- On the Final Friday of June this summer, the Boys & Girls Club of Stoneham & Wakefield hosted the Celebration of Youth Gala at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Wakefield. The purpose of the Gala was to celebrate the year, thank supporters, and focus on the future.

It ended up being so much more.

This year, the Gala featured local politicians and government officials, prominent business leaders, and civic activists from around the North Shore.

Hosted by two former Youth of the Years; Danny Lumb, 2011 and Alex Brown, 2013 who commented, “The night was amazing, the turnout was more than we could have ever asked for and seeing so many familiar faces made it a truly unforgettable night” stated Lumb who was followed by Brown who had this to say, “I will not forget this night, tonight I could see the impact we made in the people who attended and it was great to see how willing people were to donate money.”

Throughout the night, the event featured speeches, slide shows, auctions and awards given to our most generous supporters including the Savings Bank, StonehamBank, The Wong Family of Kowloon and Almyra LaBerge. Along with hearing from these great groups and individuals, including the naming of the Almyra LaBerge Activity Center, the event was highlighted by the stories of club alumni Christine Murphy, Youth of the Year 2000; Shannon Leason, Youth of the Year 2016; and Joe D’Alessandro, Named Honorary 2010 Youth of the Year later in the evening. These three individuals captured the attention of the room with stories of triumph and unfortunate pasts that brought many to tears. Most importantly these three talked about how the Boys & Girls Clubs helped them become who they are today.

Christine Murphy commented on how important the Clubs were to her personally, but how we needed to do more to help those like her older brother who passed while battling addiction.

“My older brother was my best friend, my guardian, and meant the world to me … As vividly as I remember those fun experiences at the Club, I vividly remember the phone ringing … My guardian had just become my guardian angel, and while I am sure he’s protecting me from Heaven, I wish he was here instead… That’s why this organization decided to build teen centers for young impressionable teenagers who are the most likely to start using drugs. That’s why we started our mentoring program for kids of all ages. That’s why we’re expending into robotics, girls’ self-esteem programs, anti-bullying campaigns, financial literacy projects, and much much more. Yes it will create better adults, but for those most vulnerable, for the Rogers out there, it will save their life. - Christine Murphy

Joey D’Alessandro spoke about his mother abandoning his family to continue her addiction while he was in high school, and how the Clubs ensured he continued on his path to becoming a social worker. The 23 year old stated,

“At 35 she had a hysterectomy. By 36 she was hooked on pain killers. By 37 she was regularly choosing her drug dealer over my father and my family, for no reason other than she needed a score. Do you want to know the most important thing the Boys & Girls Clubs did for me? It wasn’t the programming, the mentoring, the homework help, the physical activity. The most important thing the Boys & Girls Clubs did for me was give me a place to be. “– Joe D’Alessandro

Finally, Shannon Leason spoke about how the Club helped her overcome bullying and depression.

“I felt no one cared about me because I was told multiple times that no one cared about me … I was told I would be better off dead … I was tripped down stairs, pushed in lockers, and hit with random objects. That changed when I met Diana. She introduced me to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield. I could be me. Not only could I be me, but I got a job at the Club where I could teach other kids that they could be themselves … For example, a few weeks ago, after a field trip, we all went out for ice cream. The middle-schoolers were talking about crushes they had and one boy commented that he liked boys. Do you know what happened to him? Nothing. Did anybody comment about it? Nope. Did anybody judge him? Nada. Did anybody make him feel like less of a human being? No. They moved onto an intense debate over whether brownie batter ice cream tasted like chocolate. No one cared about his sexuality. And the fact that no one cared about you being who you are at our Clubs is why I care so much about them.” – Shannon Leason

In a room filled with nearly 300 people including donors, alumni and even some current members, the Boys & Girls Club of Stoneham & Wakefield was able to set an all-time record, bringing in over $70,000+ for the kids in Stoneham & Wakefield.

The money will be used to further the Club’s mission and expand programming. As Director of Development Anthony Guardia paraphrased Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn stated, “maybe the Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield's prayer should be "Dear God, help us be something positive for these kids, every minute of every hour of every day.”