I am excited to introduce myself as the new President & CEO of Boys & Girls Village and am looking forward to building on the growth that Dr. Steven Kant’s leadership has brought to the agency as we face the challenges and successes that lie ahead. Our Charles F. Hayden School continues to expand, we now offer three different juvenile justice programs, and we have an exciting new building beginning to take shape on our Milford campus. The Life Skills & Vocational Training Center that is discussed in this report has helped us build new partnerships with local community colleges and businesses in the area. We are thrilled to play such an important role in helping youth and young adults face the challenges of early adulthood, but we are even more thrilled to be able to bring the community together in helping to solve this problem.
Please feel free to reach out to me to discuss this new building or any other programs we have at BGV. I look forward to getting to know all of you!
Sincerely,
Kim Shaunesey, Ph.D.
President & CEO
Greg M. Fenn Chair
Joseph Tramuta, Esq. Vice-Chair
Chris J. Hickmann Treasurer
Gregory M. Raucci CO-TREASURER
Brian E. R. Moles SECRETARY
Dr. Ellen Beatty**
Portia Bonner
Njeri Collier, CPA**
Robbin A. Drew Elliott*
Joseph N. Enright
Gina Carloni Hart
Arthur J. Kelleher, Jr.*
Aaron T. Kriss
Joseph J. Mager, III, Esq.**
Brian E. R. Moles
Michael Sirochman
Matt Thurston
Kim Shaunesey, Ph.D.
PRESIDENT & CEO
The Village Foundation, Inc.
Kevin Hart, PRESIDENT
Dave Marro, VICE PRESIDENT
Dan Cusack, TREASURER
Karen Monteith-Flynn,
Secretary
Gina Hart
Ray Pantalena
*No longer on board in FY2020
**Joined board in FY2020
Former BGV foster care client,
24 years old
Every child faces day-to-day pressures as they navigate a pathway to adulthood. For many, the social and emotional learning they receive in their childhood helps to build the strength and resiliency needed to handle these pressures. Unfortunately, sometimes children face challenges and setbacks unfairly at an early age that make it harder to develop these skills.
BGV’s wide range of behavioral health services offers a variety of interventions and therapies including after school outpatient clinics, intensive in-home therapy, and residential group home options on the Milford campus. No matter what challenges a child faces, BGV wants to ensure that he or she is given every chance to overcome those obstacles and build a fulfilling future.
Every child needs a comfortable and secure home. BGV works with families to reduce behavioral problems and ensure that the family can relate to each other in a safe and constructive manner. If youth cannot stay with their family, we offer therapeutic foster care. BGV also offers reunification programs to help a child return to their family home. While our goal is for everyone to live at home with his or her family, this is not always the best option. BGV ensures that every child is safe and knows that someone is looking out for his or her well-being.
BGV offers group home residential programs (short and longer term) as well as in-home therapy with a goal to keep youth out of detention centers. These programs offer therapy, mentoring, life skills, and education in order to help modify the child’s behavior and prevent the life-altering experience of being incarcerated.
Hayden School student,
17 years old
Charles F. Hayden School, our K-12 special education school, welcomes children who are having trouble finding the support they need in their home school. Our teachers and therapists are skillfully trained and ready to help any child in need succeed academically, socially, and emotionally.
Early adulthood can be a risky time and BGV is dedicated to increasing the chance of success and reducing the chance of failure. A young adult who does not have the confidence or skills to enter the “real world” could suffer from substance abuse, homelessness, or trouble with the law. Through its Work to Learn program as well as Hayden School, BGV provides older youth with the life skills needed to handle day to day setbacks, the job skills needed to find and maintain employment, and the financial management skills needed to save, budget, and purchase assets.
In January 2019, BGV received a grant from the State to build a new Life Skills & Vocational Training Center on the Milford campus. This program will provide practical skills for our students in the areas of automotive repair, culinary arts, and manufacturing in order to give them a leg up when entering the workforce. While the building, which will be constructed in 2020, is initially intended for Hayden School students, BGV sees a future where youth from all over the community can participate in this innovative and life-changing program. BGV is collaborating with local community colleges and business to build a comprehensive curriculum that will best prepare our students for jobs in the real world.
Work to Learn participant,
19 years old
