About The Boys’ Club of New York
The Boys’ Club of New York (BCNY) is the nation’s oldest
boys-only youth development organization serving nearly 3500
boys a year in clubhouses in East Harlem; Flushing, Queens;
and the Lower East Side.
Throughout its 140-year history, BCNY has combined a
determined focus on the empowerment of boys and young men
with a unique, multi-disciplinary approach that prepares its
members for a fulfilling and meaningful adulthood. The Boys’
Club of New York accomplishes this through programming that
includes music and arts, social and recreational activities,
academic support, and athletics.
THREE LOCATIONS
Elbridge T. Gerry, Jr. Clubhouse
EAST HARLEM
Harriman Clubhouse
LOWER EAST SIDE
BCNY’s open-door policy and $5 annual membership fee
attracts boys ages 6 to 20 from historically marginalized
communities. BCNY’s membership is 44 percent Latino, 38
percent Black, 14 percent Asian or Pacific Islander, and 4
percent White. Over 75 percent of the Boys’ Club’s members
live in households at or below the poverty level, 50 percent in
single-parent households.
Marion McMahon Abbe Clubhouse
FLUSHING, QUEENS
Our Programs
STAND TALL: Character Development & Life Skills
These programs instill strong character attributes, teach positive decision-making, encourage leadership, and support the transition
of our members into adulthood. Programs include mentoring opportunities, youth council, community service, career readiness, and
financial literacy.
HIT A HOME RUN: Sports & Recreation
Members learn the fundamentals of games and sports, and progress to playing competitively or coaching. BCNY’s Aquatics program
teaches members to be safe in and around the water through our American Red Cross certified Learn to Swim and Lifeguarding
programs, and is the home of our championship swim teams.
EXERCISE YOUR MIND: Academic Support
BCNY helps boys reach their full academic potential through homework help, tutoring, early literacy support, STEM, and fun
academic competitions. Members are also assisted in their pursuit of secondary and post-secondary education through SSAT and
SAT prep, admissions counseling, financial aid workshops, and our Independent School Placement services.
EXPRESS YOURSELF: Visual & Performing Arts
BCNY offers music instruction in 12 instruments and chorus with professional musicians in state of the art studios. Boys can also
explore drama and dance, as well as studio art, photography, filmmaking, animation, graphic design, and more.
FEEL GREAT: Mental and Physical Health
These programs concentrate on the overall wellness of members in the areas of nutrition, safety, physical fitness, and self-discipline.
Members can study martial arts and yoga, learn to cook, and have access to our full-time mental health team that provides counseling
and clinical evaluation services to members with special needs and challenging life circumstances.
Executive Staff
Executive Director/CEO STEPHEN TOSH
Stephen Tosh’s tenure at BCNY has been marked by innovative program development
and evaluation initiatives. Under his leadership, BCNY has reinstated a full slate of
services for high school age boys, created a comprehensive academic support program,
provided accessible mental health care for members, redesigned the Gardiner School and
READ curriculums, and increased clubhouse attendance by over 20%.
Stephen came to BCNY in April 2010, after ten years as the Executive Director of Phipps
Community Development Corporation where he developed a wide range of early
childhood, youth development, and teen programs. Stephen was Vice President of the
Justice Resource Institute in Boston, where he managed prevention and treatment
programs for delinquent and mentally ill adolescents. He has also served as Executive
Director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany, Director of Staff-Secure Detention for
the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice, and Director of Community Care at
the New York City Youth Bureau. He has a MA/ABD in Sociology from New York
University and received his B.A. from Dartmouth College.
Chief Operating Officer NANA A. ANNAN
Chief Operating Officer Annan manages a wide range of operational areas including
Human Resources, Information Technology, Facilities Management, Security, Central
Purchasing, and Risk Management.
Ms. Annan has an extensive professional experience, including ten years at Morgan
Stanley in project management and IT positions. Prior to joining BCNY, she worked with
non-profit organizations focused on education, development, and advocacy; such as
Brooklyn Generation School, United Nations Development Programme, Kids in Need of
Defense, and Greater Boston Legal Services. Ms. Annan has a JD from Boston
University School of Law and a BSc. in Computer Science from Spelman College.
Chief Financial Officer BART SAMSON
Samson brings extensive experience in public and not-for-profit accounting and real
estate operations to the position. Prior to his appointment in April 2000, Mr. Samson
served as the Real Estate and Investment Controller at Trinity Church for 5 years. He
also worked as a senior public accountant for a large public accounting firm for 10 years.
Today Mr. Samson continues to work with The Boys' Club of New York Investment and
Audit and Risk Committees to be best in class.
The Crisis for Young Men Today
THE CRISIS
Today, boys of color face a structural inequality that can result in poor education, low graduation rates, and lack college and
employment preparedness; directly correlating with startling incarceration, unemployment, teen pregnancy, and quality of life
statistics when these boys grow into men.

Black and Hispanic males are 3.5 times as likely to be suspended from school than their white counterparts.

On average, Black male twelfth grade students read at the same level of white eighth grade students.

Only 14% of Black eighth graders score at or above the proficient reading level.

Over 70% of students involved in school related arrests were Hispanic or Black.

Compared to their white counterparts, Black boys are three times as likely to be placed in remedial or “problem” classes as o pposed to receiving
counselling or a diagnosis. After placement, these students rarely catch up to the education level of the rest of their class mates.

Hispanic males drop out of high school 70% more than their white counterparts. Only 34% of graduating Black males are college or career ready.

40% of Black males between the ages of 16-24 are unemployed.

The majority of males with felony convictions are minorities. There are 9.81 times as many Black males between the ages of 16 and 24 with a
felony conviction than their white counterparts.

Hispanic teens between the ages of 15 and 17 are 9 times as likely to become parents. Black teens are 5.6 times as likely to become parents.
*statistics are gathered from the following sources:
The NYC Young Men’s Initiative Overview: http://www.nyc.gov/html/ymi/downloads/pdf/overview_of_the_young_mens_initiative.pdf
The New York Times: Lewin, Tamar. "Black Students Face More Discipline, Data Suggests." The New York Times, 05 Mar. 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.
The Daily Beast: Bouie, Jamelle. “Are Black Students Unruly? Or is America Just Racist?” The Daily Beast, 21 March, 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2014 . http://
www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/21/are-black-kids-unruly-or-is-america-just-racist.html
New York Afterschool Youth Development
OUR 2015 IMPACT

We served over 3,200 boys ages 6—20.

612 boys participated in learn to swim, which
teaches lifesaving water safety skills.

576 boys took over 10,000 music lessons, offered
in 10 different instruments at only $25 a
semester.

We placed almost 50 boys in competitive
independent boardingd and day schools around
the country.

115 members participated in READ, BCNY’s
early literacy intervention program, free for all
members.

Out members came from 972 different schools.
BCNY Success Stories
BCNY offered him a community of support,
respect, and, perhaps most importantly, high
expectations.
JOHNATHAN LOPEZ
Jonathan Lopez joined The Boys’
Club of New York in 1989 as a 6
-year old. Coming from a home
of drug abuse in a neighborhood
fraught with violence and crime,
Encouraged by the staff of BCNY’s
Department of Educational Services (DES),
Jonathan resisted the ubiquitous negative
influences around him on the Lower East
Side, and decided to focus energy on
academics. Says Jonathan, “[DES] gave me
a tangible perspective on the benefits of
working hard in the classroom . . . There
are all sorts of statistics that demonstrate
improved quality of living for people with
more education. BCNY helped me to
appreciate this invaluable lesson, which has
substantially shaped my lifestyle.”
With the support of BCNY, Jonathan
attended the prestigious Millbrook School,
But his intimate relationship with the
organization began over 60 years ago, when
Ed walked into the Harriman Clubhouse as
a seven year old, slapped down a nickel, and
joined The Boys’ Club of New York.
EDWARD J. RAPPA
As President of the Board of
Trustees, Edward J. Rappa has a
profound understanding of the
mission and vision of BCNY.
Growing up on the Lower East Side, like
all kids, Ed was faced with challenges and
choices. As Ed puts it, “there [was] a thin
line between joining a gang and joining the
Boys’ Club. Both offered security and
community and kept you busy. [In both,
you were] part of a group.” But, he added,
“you might end up in a very different place
depending on which path you choose.” Ed
chose BCNY.
Today, Ed is Chairman and CEO at R.W.
Pressprich & Co., Inc., one of New York’s
where he earned major awards for his
leadership and community involvement.
After Millbrook, he was accepted to Colgate
University, and graduated on the Dean’s list.
In his own words, “without The Boys' Club, I
may have never considered going to college.
More specifically, I probably would have
been consumed by the streets I grew up on—
possibly selling drugs or… incarcerated.”
Today, Jonathan continues to give back,
working at Millbrook as Assistant Director
of Communications. He stays in touch with
the BCNY staff, and can often be seen around
the clubhouses sharing his story with other
boys. “BCNY was the impetus that changed
the trajectory of my life,” he says. Jonathan is
destined for success, and we at BCNY are
proud to have been a part of his journey.
most respected institutional investment
firms. Reflecting on his path from the Boys’
Club to his corner office, he credits BCNY
with teaching him the determination and
persistence necessary to get through years
of night school.
At the Boys’ Club, says Ed, boys learn
essential skills such as ethics, character, and
leadership. “The social skills I learned at the
Boys’ Club were just as important as the
academics I learned in college.” More so, he
adds, BCNY “reinforces who you are,” and
helps boys be the best, most confident, most
successful versions of themselves. Ed is
certainly a testament to that philosophy.
Boys Club in Flushing addresses summer decline in youth literacy
By Tom Momberg
July 25, 2015
The Boys Club of New York, 133-01 41st Road in Flushing, is spending the summer working with children who have been struggling with reading, fighting what many educators call the “summer slide.”
The “summer slide” refers to the learning loss experienced by youth when they do not engage in educational activity during the summer.
And the phenomenon disproportionately affects youth from lower income families, losing the equivalent
of two months of the prior year’s literacy achievement when not engaged in any reading activity over
the summer, according to finding by the Summer Learning Association.
But there are several programs available to help increase children’s access to books and summer learning, ensuring students who are already struggling with literacy do not fall any further behind.
The Boys Club offers its six-week Summer Superheroes Program for intensive literacy support to first
through fourth grade boys, who they call explorers. At the same time, the program makes teenagers beholden to some responsibility during summer vacation that can otherwise cause them to lose focus, by
making them mentors to those younger kids who struggle with reading, writing and phonetics.
“If you are in education, we are always talking about that summer learning loss that happens, especially
with lower income populations,” said Education Director Stephanie Hakes. “We make this really more of
an intensive program, so they can get real quality instruction. This is the third year, and we’ve actually
made some great gains.”
The Boys Club has estimated the Superheroes program resulted in average reading level growth equivalent to 0.23 of a school year in 2014, by providing that additional instruction time.
“Something that works very well with this program, is that it is not summer school,” Flushing Boys Club
Communications Director Helen Frank said. “These kids aren’t being penalized. It’s like coming for camp
all week long, and reading is just like something special they do in the middle of their camp day.”
There is a plural meaning behind the name of the program: The Explorers are encouraged to read literature they are interested in, like stories based off their favorite characters or superheroes. And, by being
given a teenage mentor, each explorer is given their own role model, their own superhero that gets them
thinking “reading is cool,” Hakes said.
In the Media
The Explorers are assessed and given books
on their letter-based reading level: “A” being
equivalent to Kindergarten level and “Z” being equivalent to an eighth grade level.
At a recent session, Explorer Louis Lopez, 7,
said he is spending his first summer in the
Boys Club program, and loves that it is not as
structured or as strict as school. Plus, his instructors said his reading comprehension
has been improving.
“We do a lot of fun stuff,” Lopez said. “I also
have to do a lot of reading. I’m currently reading level N books, but officially I’m a level F ... I do like reading a little more now, especially comic books, because the characters actually talk and do stuff. There’s
dialogue, but books in school can be boring.”
With a little additional encouragement at home, Lopez said his mom promised him a big surprise when
he can reach a developmental reading assessment level Z.
Nick Robinson, 19, is one of the program mentors, and has been since the Boys Club started the program
in 2013. He just finished his freshman year studying psychology at SUNY Geneseo, but returned for one
more year helping out the young Explorers.
“I love seeing these kids improve,” Robinson said. “Sometimes they struggle with words, and when I
show them the same words later on, you can tell they are getting it and I feel like I am actually helping
them.”
Robinson has been a member of the Boys Club for much of his teenage life. Through his work as a mentor, he said he came to realize he wants to continue to work with kids. After completing a medical tract
in college, he said he wants to become a pediatrician.
The Boys Club also works with teenagers in professional development and resume building. Membership to the club for any age is $5 a year. The Summer Superheroes program is an additional $25. Frank
said money never stands in the way of any boy or young man that wants to join and would encourage
any family to apply.
A nonprofit organization, the Boys Club subsists mostly on private contributions and investment returns, not on program or membership dues. The organization said 80 percent of every dollar it raises
goes directly into programming. Visit www.bcny.org for more information.
Reach reporter Tom Momberg by e-mail at tmomberg@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.
In the Media
How to Choose the Right College
Friday, April 24, 2015 - 04:03 PM
Brayan Sanchez was accepted to a handful of colleges,
some in New York City and some elsewhere in the
state. As the first member of his family to attend college, distance was a key factor in deciding where to
enroll.
Other things that mattered? Financial aid was a big
consideration. And then there was the intangible feeling of the place.
"I caught a feel of the campus and, like, the school itself, and I see myself there for four years," said
Sanchez, a senior at Civic Leadership Academy in Queens.
Yesenia Garcia-Fortuna is a college program manager at the Boys Club of New York where Sanchez participates in college-support programs and tutors younger kids in math. She said she always includes the family in
the college application process, and tries to allay people's fears about the costs.
"A lot of folks go into this process not understanding what access there is to funds out there," she said. "I
think sometimes families discount schools thinking they're not going to be able to afford the sticker price."
Sanchez, for one, is taking advantage of the Educational Opportunity Program offered by the State University
of New York.
HOSTED BY: Richard Hake
PRODUCED BY: Annmarie Fertoli
EDITORS: Patricia Willens
Listen to the story: http://www.wnyc.org/story/how-choose-right-college/
In the Media
Boys Club Teaches Teens They Don't Need to Be Tough to Be 'Real Men'
By Lisha Arino
January 14, 2015
EAST VILLAGE — A program at the Boys Club
of New York aims to show its teenage
members that there’s more than one way to be
a man.
Real Men, a weekly program held at the club’s
East 10th Street location — as well as its
clubhouses in East Harlem and Flushing —
uses facilitated discussions to show teenagers
that there are different ways to be masculine.
Real Men Program at the Boys Club of New York
“We can’t keep a boy from feeling like a certain
kind of man,” whether it's an athlete, a tough guy or another identity, said Taryn Campbell, the club’s
curriculum manager.
“What we can do is engage him in a conversation about how he came to hold those values and what
other values might be available to them.”
The conversations challenge stereotypical masculine values, which emphasize toughness and stoicism.
The program, which began last year, uses text messages created by Youth Communication to generate
discussions about topics relevant to teens' lives like sexting, drug use and relationships, according to
staff. Members of the Boys Club aged 13 to 20 are invited to join.
The texts, which are read out loud in each meeting, consist of true stories written by people their own
age and who live in similar situations, Campbell said.
The boys share their thoughts on the readings, but the staff also encourages participants to look at the
story from the perspective of different characters and to consider the consequences of their actions.
“A stereotype is that guys just keep everything bottled in, they don’t say nothing. These guys [the teens]
just let it loose, let it out, whatever they’ve got on their mind,” said David Lucas, a teen director at the
East Village clubhouse who helps run the Real Men program.
Jason Rosario, a program coordinator who leads the program’s activities, said participants usually don’t
need much encouragement to participate.
In the Media
“I don’t have to say much,” Rosario said. “Last [meeting] we did something on sexting and I read one or
two questions and they took it from there.”
At a recent meeting, the teens took over a discussion about gun violence. With little prompting from
Rosario, they debated the merits of using a gun for protection, discussed the consequences of being
caught with an illegal firearm and shared their experiences of getting into fights.
After the session, some participants, including 15-year-old Tyson, said the program helped them make
more responsible decisions without lecturing them.
“It doesn’t tell you exactly, ‘Don’t do this,’” he said, “but it gives you different scenarios where you can
understand and process what to do or what not to do.”
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Contact Us
www.bcny.org
212.677.1102
info@bcny.org
fb.com/BoysClubNewYork
@BoysClubNY
Press Inquiries:
Helen Frank, Director of Communications
347.505.5416
helen.frank@bcny.org