[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7132]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO THE BRIDESBURG BOYS & GIRLS CLUB

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                          HON. ROBERT A. BRADY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 24, 2016

  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
Bridesburg Boys & Girls Club which opened its doors in 1941. Originally 
built as a Boys Club by Otto Haas and the neighboring Rohm and Haas 
Plant as a place where boys could socialize, it included a game room, a 
wood shop, a leather crafts shop, a boxing room and a gymnasium. Sports 
were the main activity. There was a baseball field adjacent to the 
building and an iron fence surrounded the property. Girls were not 
permitted.
  Girls were invited to become members in the mid 70s and the name was 
changed to Bridesburg Boys & Girls Club. The club has become one of the 
best youth service agencies in Philadelphia. In the late 70s a capital 
campaign for funds resulted in a new, larger gymnasium being built. 
Rohm & Haas deeded the property to the Boys & Girls Club in 1984. Gone 
is the baseball field, replaced in the mid 80s by a regulation size 
outdoor hockey rink and parking lot. In 1997 the vegetable garden was 
tended for the last time and the Lil' Clubhouse was built adjacent to 
the existing facility. During the summer of 1998, in a combined effort 
with KABOOM and Nike--and a lot of help from the employees of Rohm and 
Haas and Sunoco--a preschool playground was built in two days. The 
summer of 1999 had the club building again--this time it was a skate 
park, complete with eleven ramps for skateboards, bikes and 
rollerblades. Riverside Skate Park opened in September, 1999, closing 
in the spring of 2002. This would not have been possible if Rohm and 
Haas had not leased the ground, formerly an employee parking lot, to 
the Boys & Girls Club.
  Many changes have taken place at the Club over the years, the most 
recent with Samsung and HDTV performing a complete makeover in the 
original wood shop, a/k/a art room, teen lounge and conference room, 
turning it into an exciting teen center, complete with new windows, 
furniture, tablets and a flat screen. Thanks to Comcast Cares, the art 
room was moved into a newly renovated space on the ground level, the 
teen center was freshly painted and the lavatory facilities have been 
expanded and improved. The gym and hallway received a complete makeover 
and the Cymbala Literacy Center was remodeled, complete with new 
computers, furniture, windows and air conditioning.
  The Club offers a wholesome environment in a friendly setting, 
enhancing the quality of life of the members by providing educational 
support, physical fitness programs, cultural and recreational 
activities, vocational development and guidance. It instills a feeling 
of importance in the members while helping build character and 
leadership abilities.
  After-school child care and preschool day care support the needs of 
working parents. Our preschool program is committed to promoting 
quality child care that contributes to increased social and emotional 
development, learning skills and school readiness. The Summer Career 
Exploration Program provides on-the-job experience to teenagers for a 
six week period. All teenagers are invited to apply for summer 
employment, beginning with the completion of job applications and being 
called in for an interview. The interview process itself teaches teens 
valuable life skills in obtaining employment, especially how to present 
oneself at an interview. It also provides self-esteem and self-
awareness. Leadership abilities are enhanced when a youth is placed in 
a job, has a say in decision making and becomes responsible for their 
performance. A sense of pride is established when a teenager can say 
``I did a good job today.'' Adult participants act as mentors for the 
teens. The youth involved in this program attend workshops covering 
topics such as peer pressure, conflict resolution and substance abuse 
prevention, to name just a few.
  Summer camp is a well-rounded, ten-week program offering each child 
opportunities that may not be afforded to them if they stayed home with 
a babysitter. Campers receive breakfast, lunch and a snack each day and 
all go on one trip a week to places like the FunPlex, The Academy of 
Natural Sciences, The Franklin Institute and the Brunswick Zone. The 
Club offers a computer program, arts and crafts, environmental 
education and other activities designed to instill creativeness and 
pride in our children. Anti-violence workshops teach the youngsters to 
respect themselves and others. Children are taught that they can make 
the world a better place by believing we are all members of the same 
race--the human race. They learn to protect the environment by 
recycling, to improve literacy by reading and to help others by 
performing club related community service.
  The Club also has a scholarship program which provides small 
financial gifts to college bound members. Keystone and Torch encourages 
children to stay in school and guides them in career and vocational 
choices. The Club is also a worksite for the Juvenile Justice System 
and many youth perform court-ordered community service there.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues 
join me in recognizing the Bridesburg Boys & Girls Club, an 
organization that has been proudly serving the youth of Philadelphia's 
neighboring communities for over 75 years, demonstrating in so many 
ways that they are an organization that truly lives up to their motto, 
Great Futures Start Here.

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