Josh Kraft Mattapan Teen Center – Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston honors Josh Kraft, who was integral in opening the original Mattapan Teen Center in 2014.
BOSTON – Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston (BGCB) honored Josh Kraft’s nearly 30 years with the organization with a special dedication ceremony. Club leadership, donors, members and guests gathered to commemorate the naming of the Josh Kraft Mattapan Teen Center with remarks from current BGCB CEO Nicholas President and CEO Robert Lewis, Jr. and Josh Kraft.
Originally opened in May 2014 in the former Mattapan library on Hazelton Street, the Teen Center was built with special thanks to a grant from the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation. Since then, it has been a convener for neighborhood teens of all backgrounds to gather, pursue opportunities and grow up to be active community members.
Josh Kraft Mattapan Teen Center – Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston
BGCB members perform for Kraft family and crowd during the naming ceremony!
The new teen center will feature homework space, a kitchen, a technology room, a music studio and a performing arts area that also can be used for fitness activities. The club will not have a swimming pool or a gym, like other full-scale Boys & Girls Clubs.
Although the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston has renovated some of its existing clubs over the past 10 years, the last new standalone facility that the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston opened was in Chelsea in 2002. Kraft served as executive director of that club before taking leadership of the entire Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston organization in 2008.
The minority hiring for the renovations of the library building has made Kraft particularly proud. Eighty-four percent of the subcontracting opportunities went to minority-owned business and 13.5 percent of them were women-owned businesses, said Gregory Janey, owner of Boston-based Janey Construction Management and Consulting, which managed the library project.
And 87 percent of the workers on the construction site were minorities, Janey said.
Kraft recalled that, at one of the meetings to discuss the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston’s proposed use of the library, a community member stood up and said, “‘You do these buildings but you never
BGCB Nicholas President and CEO Robert Lewis, Jr. embraces Josh Kraft at the podium during the dedication ceremony
use local contractors or local businesses. You bring in people from the outside.'”
Kraft said he met Janey that night, at the meeting, and decided that hiring for the construction and renovation project needed to be weighted heavily toward local and minority workers.
“Not only are we going to invest long term in the community but we’re investing short term in the community by creating jobs and supporting local businesses,” Kraft said. “We wanted to show the community we were serious about investing.”
The Josh Kraft Mattapan Teen Center is located at 10 Hazelton St, Mattapan, MA 02126. To learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston VISIT HERE.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston
Since its founding in 1893, Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston (BGCB) has been helping young people, especially those who need us most, build strong character and realize their full potential as responsible citizens and leaders. BGCB does this by providing a safe haven filled with hope and opportunity, ongoing relationships with caring adults, and life-enhancing programs in six core program areas. The organization serves more than 8,000 individuals in 9 Clubs and through its YouthConnect program in partnership with the Boston Police Department. BGCB is an affiliate of Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley. For more information, visit BGCB on the web at bgcb.org.
Josh Kraft Mattapan Teen Center – Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston was first posted at 501c3.Buzz
Bailey Snyder | BGCB
Associate Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston
[email protected]
Calvin Jacey | Castle
Account Coordinator
[email protected]
D 617.337.9529 | M 860.501.7976
Boston Atlanta Maui | thecastlegrp.com
Forbes 2021 Best PR Agency
GBCC 2021 Small Business of the Year
Public Relations Global Network | prgn.com
1 Comment
[…] post Josh Kraft Mattapan Teen Center – Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston appeared first on […]