Club Memories: Alexis Finneran
The following is excerpted from a speech recently given by Alexis Finneran, an alumna of the Charlestown Club, to guests at BGCB’s 114th Annual Meeting.
The Boys & Girls Club is a vital place because it inspires what is best in the human endeavor, and for that reason we should never let it fail. I am so grateful for your time and treasure, which helped me become the responsible citizen I am today, and is continuing to help children all across Boston. At least as important, I am grateful for your hope, idealism and courage, and I know that I speak for so many other alumni when I say that we strive every day to live up to that enormous trust, and to honor you by our deeds.
My mother was 19 years old when I was born and by the time she was 21, she was a single mother and needed to work. So from the 1st grade on, I spent most of my after-school time at the Club. I was well prepared because my mom was one of a family of 10 and they all had used our institution extensively, and they told me of the fun I would have.
And they were right … I immediately joined the swim team and traveled to meets across the state. I took dance classes for eight years and performed in countless talent shows. I played basketball, gym hockey and flag football. I am still not a good dancer or a coordinated athlete – but when you are a “Club Kid” you are welcome and supported no matter what your abilities are.
I always remark when I hear of “try outs” for a particular sport or activity that it is a shame organizations feel compelled to choose a team that way. Because the Club ensures that all children are welcome to participate, to feel part of a team, to travel with one’s peers to tournaments, and this productive use of an adolescent’s free time is critically important to their overall health and the health of our neighborhoods.
In addition to life-affirming efforts at the Club, it is important to note that for many children, the Club is actually a life-SAVING experience. Children and teenagers are often thrust into very adult situations without any choice in the matter.
As the summer ended and I needed a job to start saving money for college, the Club offered me an after-school job as a lifeguard at the pool. So as I got older, the Club stayed with me during each and every turn in the road and adapted itself in so many ways to continue giving me a lifeline.
When I was growing up, very few children from [across town] used the Club because it required walking on unsafe streets. Today the Club offers bus service to help bring children to and from its doors safely. Because of this, children who might never make their way to the Club are able to participate in cooking classes, arts, sports, tutoring and countless other activities. Many of these children are latch key children with two parents working or from single parent households. Others might be fleeing an unhappy and unsafe environment plagued with abuse and addiction.
Club staff tell me that when they drive children home, sometimes a child asks them to walk them up the flights of stairs in the housing project to ensure they get home safely—they fear the drug users and gang members who often frequent the hallways in their building. For many of these children, the staff of the Boys & Girls Clubs are the only stable, trustworthy adults aside from their teachers in their whole world.
Given the current economic climate, things are only getting worse for those already living in poverty and those struggling to stay in the middle class. We need to make sure we are best prepared and committed to keeping our Clubhouses the sanctuaries they have become, and stave off cuts to services and programming. As the outside world gets tougher, we must rise to this occasion in order that these children, our future, know that the Club will weather these crises and will be there to help them fulfill their dreams.
My dreams took me to college and law school. In my job, I see the ramifications of what happens to society when an individual goes the wrong way. Children on the edge have very few options and guidance and are struggling to stay the course and do the right thing. Often they face seemingly insurmountable obstacles to success, but for the programs that provide a beacon of hope in their often dark lives.