History

Exciting News for Our Club: October 2019

To all of our parents/guardians, we thank you for allowing us to provide positive programs, professional staff and an outstanding place for your child at our Club this school year and for more than 300 kids over the last five years!

Over the course of the next few weeks our organization will be undergoing some exciting changes that will allow us to better serve the kids of our community.

We are excited to announce a new partnership with the Police Athletic / Activities League, or PAL for short. The mission, vision and values of the programming that will be made available to our community through this new affiliation will offer even greater opportunities to the kids we serve and the community as a whole.

It’s important for you to know that very little will change. It’ll be the same caring professionals, same hours of operation, same membership structure and rates. Much of the programming will stay the same, supplemented by additional, improved content and a new partnership with the Massena Police Department.

We do also want to explain why we are not continuing to pursue a formal charter with the Boys & Girls Club of America. After six years and a tremendous amount of effort and local support, we were advised the Boys & Girls Club of America has changed how they choose to charter new clubs. They now require becoming an affiliate of an existing club. Unfortunately, our attempts to secure such an affiliation under the Boys & Girls Clubs in Akwesasne or Ogdensburg were unsuccessful.

So, on to bigger and better opportunities!

What will change? The answer is: not much! In place of BGCM, you’ll start to see our fresh, new name: Police Activities League of Massena, Inc. (Massena PAL)
You’ll see our new name and brand at our Clubhouse and online.
New Resources, Programs, Training and Tools for the staff working with your kids
Additional partnerships and programs with our local PD, building positive relationships

Our directors and community are incredibly proud of what this program has been able to accomplish and the impact it has had on Massena youth since our origination in 2013. We look forward to continuing to work hard every day, under a new organization to grow and improve our program to better serve our kids.

Monday, September 18, 2017.

What a great day. The sun was shining, the temperatures were more summer-like than fall and we swung the doors open to our 30 Bayley Road Clubhouse to kids ages 5 to 18 for the very first time.

Thanks to our steering committee members who got things rolling. Thanks to the charter board members who worked tirelessly and wore so many hats — from events, to publicity, to governance, to finance, to staffing and beyond. Thanks to the volunteers who helped us clean, paint and prep our new Club.

Thanks to so many, for giving so much, to support this incredibly important effort. Together, we made a Club for the kids of our community a reality. Together, we have made it possible for thousands of kids for decades to come to achieve Brighter Futures.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

… a truly historic day for the community as the deal is inked to purchase Massena’s Club on Bayley Road.

Board President Timmy J. Currier commented, “This community has helped us get to this important step today, and we are so thankful for the support we have received. This is truly a first big step toward opening the doors to our Club next year.”

While the outpouring of support and donations have been inspiring, the President recognized that there is still work to be done to get the Club open and ensure that it stays open.

“We still have a journey ahead to meet our long-term financial goals; and, there is work we need to do with respect to building design , developing the Club’s programming, obtaining equipment and supplies, as well as identifying and meeting staffing needs, both paid and volunteer. But, we have a dedicated, hardworking Board and team of volunteers who are working diligently on that.

“Now, more than ever, we need the community’s help and support, along with that of our neighboring communities. This club will welcome kids from area communities as well, so we invite our friends and neighbors in this area to join us,” Currier suggested.

The Club has hosted a number of successful fundraising events, as well as being the beneficiary of community members / groups hosting events with proceeds going to the Club and making special donations. “This is truly a community project and the broad support we are receiving demonstrates that,” he noted.

With respect to the purchase of this building, Mr. Currier offered special thanks to Reverend and Pastor Scott Fobare and the members of St Mary’s and St. Joseph’s Church. “The symbolism here — where a former school becomes the home of our Club — means a great deal. The educational component of our Club is vital to our success. The hundreds of adults in this community that attended school here and or attended various events here in this building create a long lasting connection to our past.”

He added, “One of our goals with this club is to make Massena a better place, perhaps to bring back more of what’s great about Massena. This building and its history represents a piece of something great in our past. This will agreement which will lead to our club’s home will bridge the greatness of our past with the greatness of our future. When we decided that this building was the best one available to meet our needs, Father Scott and the parish council worked hard to help make this a reality. We appreciate their kind and the generous terms that are reflected in this agreement.”