2011.Annual Report - Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Lowell ...
2011.Annual Report - Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Lowell ...
2011.Annual Report - Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Lowell ...
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<strong>Boys</strong> & <strong>Girls</strong> Club <strong>of</strong> <strong>Greater</strong> <strong>Lowell</strong> 2011 . Annual <strong>Report</strong><br />
Serving Club<br />
<strong>and</strong> Community<br />
Tony Lobao<br />
“When I walk through the doors,<br />
it’s kind <strong>of</strong> like home for me.”<br />
Every day after school, 15-year-old Tony Lobao<br />
walks from his house in <strong>Lowell</strong>’s Back Central<br />
neighborhood to the <strong>Boys</strong> & <strong>Girls</strong> Club <strong>of</strong> <strong>Greater</strong><br />
<strong>Lowell</strong>. The kids at the Club call him “Mr. Popular,”<br />
<strong>and</strong> once he is inside the building, he is greeted<br />
by dozens <strong>of</strong> longtime friends, schoolmates, <strong>and</strong><br />
Club staff that he’s known for years.<br />
Story written by Raymond Soto, UMass <strong>Lowell</strong><br />
Page 5 | 2011 Annual <strong>Report</strong> | <strong>Boys</strong> & <strong>Girls</strong> Club <strong>of</strong> <strong>Greater</strong> <strong>Lowell</strong><br />
Tony is a member <strong>of</strong> the Keystone Club, a program<br />
that fosters civic engagement through community<br />
service <strong>and</strong> leadership opportunities. He enjoys<br />
working with Club members <strong>and</strong> staff to plan<br />
special events <strong>and</strong> community service projects.<br />
In February <strong>of</strong> 2011, Tony <strong>and</strong> his fellow Keystone<br />
members led a group <strong>of</strong> volunteers at a two-day<br />
park cleanup at <strong>Lowell</strong> General Hospital. In the<br />
spring, he participated in Comcast Cares Day with<br />
staff <strong>and</strong> volunteers from Comcast to repaint the<br />
Teen Conference Room.<br />
Tony is now the Vice-President <strong>of</strong> Keystone.<br />
In November <strong>of</strong> 2011, Tony <strong>and</strong> his fellow<br />
“Keystoners” attended the annual regional<br />
Keystone Club Conference held in Nashua,<br />
New Hampshire. At the conference, members<br />
<strong>of</strong> Keystone chapters throughout New Engl<strong>and</strong><br />
congregated to share ideas <strong>and</strong> resources.<br />
Tony credits his experience with Keystone <strong>and</strong><br />
the <strong>Boys</strong> & <strong>Girls</strong> Club with having made him<br />
a stronger individual. “I’m defi nitely more<br />
confi dent,” he said. “I wouldn’t be the person<br />
I am today without the Club.”
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