Working at the Gander Boys and Girls Club is very important to me. Knowing that what I teach may influence or affect our youth makes my heart glow with pride. I feel a great responsibility as Program Coordinator, but it’s a responsibility that I wouldn’t change for anything.
Lori Roache: Program Coordinator
Staff
As a parent of a child who attended the Boys and Girls Club of Gander for a number of years, I would like to say Thank You to the wonderful staff for providing such an enriching and beneficial program. When we first moved to Gander, my son was a very shy and quiet child. After attending the Club he blossomed into a confident and outgoing boy who is willing to try new things and now makes friends easily. The programming offered and the wonderful staff that provides it have been a huge influence in my son gaining the confidence he needed. Thank you again for your dedication and support throughout the years. I am sure that he will always remember what he has learned from this program about sharing, kindness, and helping others.
Joanne Ballard
Parents
The Gander Boys and Girls Club has provided me with the opportunity to work with youth in a caring, positive, and supportive environment. I love coming here everyday and hopefully making a difference in a child's life.
Randilyn Parsons (Skills Link Worker)
After completing my Business Management Diploma I was given an opportunity to work as part of the office staff at the Gander Boys and Girls Club under the Job Creation Program. While creating this website and performing other office duties I have helped with the children and have been able to observe some of the activities they do. I can say that it has been a pleasure to be involved with this wonderful institution that helps parents and youth in so many ways.
Galen Anstey (JCP)
I started my position under a government grant 3 years ago. I am happy to say that I am now a full-time employee of the Club. It doesn't feel like a job because I love coming here everyday. Working with youth is very rewarding. At the end of the day when a child is asking to stay longer or make sure that they say goodbye to all the staff, it puts a smile on our faces and reasures us that we are doing things right.
Brenda Hussey (Staff Member)
Kids
My name is Robyn Paul and I have been a member of the Gander Boys and Girls Club since kindergarten. I am now graduating grade twelve and still enjoy my visits to the Club. The Boys and Girls Club has given me so many cherishable memories not to mention my best friend Sarah Bursey who has down syndrome and still attends daily. I have received so much support from the staff over the years, like the time I attended Miss Teen NL. The Gander Boys and Girls Club has become a second home to me and is one of my favourite places to be.
Robyn Paul
Grade 12
Some things that I have enjoyed about the Gander Boys and Girls Club are going to lots of places on the bus such as the Mary March Museum in Grandfalls Windsor, the Beothuk Interpretation Center in Boyd's Cove, Square Pond, and Jonathan's Pond. We do lots of fun crafts out of paper and other things. We watch movies, play Wii, nintendo, and get to do things on computers. It's a lot of fun there and it's a good place to be.
Aaron Collins
Grade 6
My Son, Benjamin, has been a member of the Gander Boys and Girls Club for the last three years. He loves the program and often wants to go there even when I am available to pick him up after school. Numerous times I have arrived at the Club and my son has turned to me and said "can you come back later". This amount of enjoyment can only come if a program is well run by a dedicated group of workers. I have seen, first hand, the dedication from the staff at the Gander Boys and Girls Club at their Sunday Night Bingo and many other fundraiser events. I know my son is in good hands when day after day he looks at me and says "Daddy can I go to the Boys and Girls Club today"!
Paul MacDonald
Upon moving to Gander in 2007, I was very concerned as to what I would do for childcare. I had heard of the Boys and Girls Club but was not sure what it was all about. I remember the first day I went to Register Aaron. Everyone was so friendly and made me feel at ease immediately. Aaron began going to the Club the first day of school in September 2007 and we've never looked back.
I can go to work every day knowing that he is looked after and cared about by the amazing workers who greet him every day with a smile. I can honestly say that I would have been lost without the Club. These workers have, over the past two years, not only looked after my son, but they have also become my friends and I look forward to seeing them at the end of my work day as they always greet me with a smile too.
My oldest son was fortunate enough to work at the Club this past summer and he loved every minute of it.
All I can say to anyone reading this is, if you want a safe, inexpensive place for your child to go lunchtime, after school or during the summer, there is no better place than the Gander Boys and Girls Club.
God Bless them all! Love ya Ladies
Judy Collins
As a busy parent of two girls, the Boys and Girls Club has become a staple in our everyday life. It gives me piece of mind to know that my children are being engaged in healthy activities and being cared for by people who care about them. I applaud the Club for their valiant efforts to promote respectful interaction among the children and truly appreciate the level of communication they maintain with parents. I'm always "in the know" and never feel a disconnect. This organization allows my husband and I to go to work without childcare worries...Thank-you.
