Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holyoke celebrates 10 years of state Summer Nights program

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – Wednesday, July 17, marks the tenth anniversary of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation’s Summer Nights program.

Governor Maura Healey visited the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke to celebrate the launch of the summer program and its 10th anniversary.

“More programs and more funding means more opportunities to help the kids,” Healey told 22News. “To positively impact their life trajectory.”

The DCR Summer Nights program was launched in 2015 to provide young people aged 13 to 21 in urban areas with the opportunity to participate in recreational and educational activities in the evenings.

Extended summer hours and programs will continue through August, allowing the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke to stay open longer on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

“Youth who engage in prosocial activities are less likely to engage in risky behavior,” said Eileen Cavanaugh, president of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke. “Communities that provide a variety of opportunities and activities for their youth have lower rates of vandalism and juvenile delinquency. It’s about making sure youth are provided with alternative activities.”

The club hosts organized sports and games events including basketball, volleyball and lawn games in the park.

“For many children, it can be a second home,” counselor Giselle Piedra told 22News. “It always gives them a place to belong.”

The program works with other youth organizations in Western Massachusetts, including Girls Inc. of the Valley, Holyoke Series, Boys and Girls Club of Greater WestfieldAnd Boys and Girls Club of Springfield.