Boys & Girls Clubs maymerge
Albany, Troy organizations eye consolidation
CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. » Officials of two leading youth development organizations in the Capital Area announced Wednesday that they are in formal negotiations intended to lead to a consolidation of the two organizations.
Members of the Boards of Directors and senior professional leadership of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany and Troy Boys & Girls Club have engaged in exploratory discussions for more than two years to find opportunities to build on the unique expertise and strengths of the respective organizations, a news release said.
The Clubs worked to identify possible areas of cooperation, such as shared services and consolidation, to strengthen both organizations, impact the lives of more children and families, and align their goals with Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Great Futures 2025 initiative.
Should the consolidation move forward, the two not-for-profit organizations would combine resources to create a new, larger not-for-profit. The new corporation – named Boys & Girls Clubs of the Capital Area – would be one of the region’s largest youth organizations. The newentity would explore opportunities and expand to surrounding cities without Clubhouses, providing hundreds of more youth access to low-cost, quality programming. In addition, the mergewould strengthen programming by enhancing quality and increasing services, facilitating job creation, expanding training for staff, and modernizing facilities to meet 21st Century needs.
To date, the potential merger has been approved by Boys & Girls Club of America and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. An application has been submitted to the New York State Attorney General for consideration and its approval will allow the merger to take place. Pending approval from the New York State Attorney General, a grand opening celebration will be announced.
“Our intention on entering these discussions was to determine if there were collaborative ways to improve quality, cost-effectiveness, and accessibility of youth development services in the Capital Area and beyond,” said John Buntich, President of the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany. “A merger has the potential to take two strong organizations and provide themwith an opportunity to serve more youth. Should this merge move forward, we will have a new name, but our mission will remain the same, and our ability to fulfill that mission will only continue to improve.”
The Albany and Troy Clubs, with more than 250 employees in 18 locations throughout the Capital Area, provide a wide array of services to thousands of our region’s youngest residents, from age 3 to age 19. These services include after school, teen, and summer camp programming geared towards academic success; living healthy lifestyles; and character and citizenship development. Additionally, the Albany Club offers a Universal Pre-Kindergarten program, which serves over 300 students a year, and the Troy Club provides over 150,000 free meals annually through its food service program.
“Day- in and day- out,
we work to be an asset to the youth in our area, especially to those living in an urban setting who may have unique needs and challenges before them,” said Justin Reuter, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany. “We serve youth during the most critical times of their childhood development. From preparing for school readiness in our UPK program, to teaching healthy lifestyles and promoting academic success during middle childhood years, to assisting with college preparedness and workforce development during teen years. The Boys & Girls Clubs motto is ‘Great Futures Start Here,’ and we work to embody that every single day.”
“Although we will have a new name, it is important that both Clubs remain connected to their respective communities,” said Patrick Doyle, CEO of the Troy Boys & Girls Club. “These are organizations with long standing histories that serve unique communities. Initial discussions, however, indicate we have organizational cultures and missions that are far more common than they are different. As these discussions continue, both organizations are committed to providing the same high- quality service that has been the hallmark of both organizations for over 125 years.”
The management structure will be finalized during due diligence, but both Reuter and Doyle, the respective Club leaders, will hold executive positions. All current locations will remain open and continue to serve their members. Addition- ally, no disruption of staff or management personnel is expected as a result of the process. While some operational changes are expected to begin after the affiliation, it is the goal of both organizations to minimize the impact on staff and families during the integration process.
“Boys & Girls Clubs of America fully supports the Boards of Directors’ desire to deepen their current collaboration. We truly believe a merged organization will be able to better leverage inherent assets to serve more area children at more Clubs with a greater impact. This is a perfect complement to the goals of the Great Futures 2025 Initiative,” said Gene Bailey, Director of Organizational Development for Boys & Girls Clubs of America.