Over 100 dignitaries gathered at the Boys & Girls Club of Fall River on Bedford Street for a dedication of the new Robert F. Stoico/FIRSTFED Youth Building on November 2, 2006. The new facility, first opened a year ago, houses a new teen center, community room and a learning and computer center. Over $3 million cost of the new 18,000 square foot facility was raised from local donors, many of whom were members of the Club as youth. Today, the club has over 350 kids a day using the multi-level building for games and organized activities. Over 1,000 kids are enrolled in an evening meal program which uses a new state-of-the-art kitchen. An after-school tutoring program serves over 75 kids a day in a well-equipped learning center dedicated to Earl P. Charlton, II, one of the major donors. For more information about the Club and its programs, contact Executive Director Peter McCarthy at 508-672-6340.
 

(Top row, left) Thomas Chew Memorial Boys and Girls Club Board Chairman John J. Feitelberg welcomes the assembled dignitaries for the dedication ceremony. (Top row, right) Massachusetts Representative David Sullivan smiles as the audience applauds. (Middle row, left) Earl P. Charlton II, Rick Dreyer and others applaud Executive Director Peter McCarthy as he unveils a plaque dedicating the room to Louis "Skip" Freedman for over 40 years of service to the Club. (Middle row, right) E. P. "Chuck" Charlton II talks about the historical roots of the Club that go back over 100 years. (Bottom row, left) John Feitelberg and longstanding board member John Dator enjoy a laugh as Robert F. Stoicio, Chairman of the Stoico/FIRSTFED Foundation, speaks. (Bottom row, center) A board member gets a tour of the learning center by one of the staff. (Bottom row, right) Guests get a tour through the new computer center, equipped with internet-ready computers, all with content-protected software filters.