The Boys & Girls Club of Stoneham & Wakefield is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000.00 each through Cummings Foundation’s “$100k for 100” program.  Our Clubs were chosen from a total of 574 applicants during a competitive review process.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield Executive Director Adam Rodgers commented; “The Cummings Foundation has a history of transformative gifts to many local non-profits. Their name has become synonymous with charitable giving. We are honored and humbled that they decided to choose us as a grant recipient this year. With this investment we will be able to serve even more youth and build the Clubs our communities deserve.”

“By having such a local focus, we aim to make a meaningful positive difference in the communities where our colleagues and leasing clients live and work,” said Derek Russell, Vice President of Operations at Cummings Properties. “We are most grateful for the nonprofit organizations that assist and empower our neighbors, and we are proud to support their efforts.”

The complete list of 100 grant winners is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.

The $100k for 100 program supports nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties. Through this place-based initiative, Cummings Foundation aims to give back in the area where it owns commercial buildings, all of which are managed, at no cost to the Foundation, by its affiliate Cummings Properties. Founded in 1970 by Bill Cummings, the Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 10 million square feet of space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.

The history behind Cummings Properties and Cummings Foundation is detailed in Bill Cummings’ self-written memoir, “Starting Small and Making It Big: An Entrepreneur’s Journey to Billion-Dollar Philanthropist.” It is available on Amazon on cummings.com/book.

Stakes were at an all-time high as old rivalries reared their heads, new rivalries formed, and rookie teams upset legends over the course of ten dodgeball-packed days.

Per usual, the intertown match-ups resulted in some of the most intense games: In the Stoneham Leaders v. Wakefield Leaders game, things came down to the wire as the Stoneham Leaders barely edged a win against their competitors. Former Stoneham Select Board Member Anthony Wilson had this to say about Stoneham’s win:

“It is awesome that Stoneham Leaders won again against the Wakefield Leaders. Stoneham now has three Dodgeball trophies against Wakefield! But the real winners are the kids at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield. The Clubs provide a much needed service to the
community and to our children. Their programs, ranging from art to computer programming to woodworking, are educational and fun for the club members. It was a pleasure to play and good to know we were helping to raise funds for programs. I look forward to a fourth trophy next
year.”

Nicole Nial, Chairwoman of the Stoneham School Committee joined in the celebration: “I’ll just say this: there are very few organizations that could get me to set foot on a dodgeball court. However in all seriousness, I am proud to be a part of a community in which so many people are willing to
go out of their way to support kids. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield does exceptional work for the youth of our towns, and I am always excited to be a part of that in any capacity.”

Wakefield Leaders’ team member Gerard Leeman responded gracefully to the loss: “Where else can you be motivated by so many different people combining efforts for a good cause while at the same time be so completely humbled by your own inability to play a childhood game.”

Chris Tarr, member of the Wakefield DPW Advisory Board, echoed this statement saying “It was an honor to play in this year’s Dodging for Dollars tournament. Giving back to the community, especially the children of Wakefield & Stoneham will always be a priority of mine. I would like to thank everybody who donated their hard-earned money to such a wonderful cause. Going forward I am excited to help the Boys & Girls Clubs however possible. In regards to our Stoneham competitors: we have the Lake, they can have the trophy. But next year, we won’t be
so kind.”

Saritin Rizzuto, local community activist and member of the Wakefield Leaders’ team had this to say about the experience: “The Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield is a life changing organization that is shaping the lives of our future leaders by engaging our entire community. It takes a village and we have a strong, caring and generous one. This is by far one of my favorite fundraising efforts.”

But this wasn’t the only game that brought the heat:

A match between the Boys & Girls Clubs teens and local business SDL became a battle of youth versus experience as both teams fought to display their dodgeball skills.

Phil Delaney, one of the event’s top fundraisers and member of the SDL Dodgeball Team, had this to say about his experience playing for the
third year in a row: “Having participated in this event for a few years now, this was the most competitive one I’ve seen both on and off the court. It’s a true reflection on the great services the Boys & Girls Clubs provides for our community, and I’m delighted to be part of it.”

Towards the end of Dodging for Dollars 4, it was family against family as Team Lawton took on Team Gresci.

Frankie Lawton of Team Lawton, had this to say about the event “We had a lot of fun facing off against Lisa’s family and friends. It was a nail biter but luckily my sister came to the rescue, rather anticlimactically I may add, with a shot to the foot of Team Gresci to win the final game. We look forward to a fun rematch next year if Lisa and her team would so be inclined?”

Lisa Gresci of Team Gresci responded with this: “Team Gresci had a blast despite a devastating loss to the Lawton Family. They played well — what can we say! Although, they did add a last minute player. In the end we got a bit too lost in the game, and we look forward towards the rematch of the year at Dodging for Dollars 5! And of course, we look forward to working with our friends at the Boys & Girls Clubs in the meantime.”

The event’s additional corporate matchups were just as intense:

In the Brightview Senior Living Wakefield v. Life Care Center of Stoneham, Brightview Senior Living Wakefield walked away with the win.

The Middlesex County Sheriffs held their own against the Middlesex County District Attorneys. L.L. Bean showed their skills as they took down CAST in a very close game.

Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group defeated their neighbors at Vestmark. 

In a very close match-up, the Wakefield DPW was victorious against the Stoneham DPW.

Keith’s Tree Removal finally had their moment in the sun as they took down Tarpey Insurance for the first time in three years. Wakefield Youth Action Team walked away with a victory against the Stoneham Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Community. Our Boys & Girls Clubs Teen Team faced a tough loss against our friends at Epsilon, Lahey Health at Winchester Hospital, Doctor Mickey’s Pediatric & Orthodontic Specialistsand Insperity; but ended the week with a triumph over SDL Inc. Team Ross won out against Boston Chauffeur, Prestige Homes Real Estate took home a win against The Savings Bank. C-4 Analytics brought over 100 players with an inter-staff match which ended with a Purple Team win over the Black Team. In what turned into a three-on-one controversial match with suspect officiating, MassPay, Salem Five, & Staples beat NBM in a nail-biter. The Wakefield Dads emerged victorious against the Stoneham Scouts. In the classic match-up of Gatto v. Getty, the Getty Family inspired us in a close loss to the Gatto Family (Carey Gatto Real Estate & Chef Joe Gatto). Rebirth Body Transformation Center walked away with a close win against High Function Fitness. Life Care Center of Stoneham took the “L” against Over the Top Barber Shop in what was their second game of the event.In an extremely close matchup, the Wakefield Fire & Police took back their title as champion against the Stoneham Fire & Police. To close out ten days of dodgeball, HDPT became 4x champions by defeating Fitzgerald Physical Therapy. 

When asked about the event, Adam Rodgers, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield had this to say: “We are extremely grateful to all of our teams who participated in Dodging for Dollars 4. Not every community is so willing to give up their time and resources to support a given cause, and the ability to host local community members in our Clubs is incredibly meaningful to us. It is our hope that when they are here, they get a taste of the spirit and fun that our Clubs bring to so many kids.”

Dodging for Dollars 5 will be held in Spring 2020. For information about how to get involved with the event, contact Anthony Guardia Commissioner, at [email protected]. His advice is as follows: “start practicing now.”

His daughter Lauralyn Chetwynd & granddaughter Brittney commented “Bill was a husband, a father, a grandfather, a brother, a friend. He was also an activist, a leader, a mentor, and a confidante. He believed that children are our greatest resource and that investing in them is the only way to a bright future. He was passionate about the mission of the Boys and Girls Club and was so proud to be a part of it. We are proud of him and honored by this recognition.”

This year the Clubs will also be honoring Wakefield Firm C-4 Analytics, the Houghton Family of Stoneham, and the McGrail Family of Wakefield.

Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield Adam Rodgers described the honorees as partners “who have made a significant difference in the lives of young people.”

“We often talk about how our best-in-class strategies set us apart, but really, what makes the biggest difference is our people,” said Michael Weiss, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at C-4 Analytics. “We’ve worked hard to establish and build upon a culture of collaboration and teamwork at C-4, and we’re proud that our team’s desire to give back and help others extends to our community. The relationship we’ve formed with the Boys & Girls Club over the past several years is truly special, and we look forward to contributing more to the good work they do in the future.”

These sentiments were echoed by Attorney Brian McGrail who commented, “The McGrail family is honored to be recognized by the Boys & Girls Club. Our father, the late Richard J. McGrail, would be so proud. He served as Wakefield’s Veterans Agent for approximately 35 years providing guidance and services to countless veterans and their families in times of need. He set a high bar of civic engagement and helping others for his six children who were all raised in Wakefield and attended the public schools. The Boys & Girls Club is the epitome of caring for and helping others by providing invaluable services and resources to the children of our communities. We are humbled by the Boys & Girls Club’s recognition of our family.”

However, it is the Houghton Family that has the longest history with the Boys & Girls Clubs. The family commented “Our family has a legacy of community service, civic engagement, and philanthropy. This value was instilled and modeled in the family by Frances and Robert Houghton the mother and father of Karen, Janice, Charlie, and Katherine. While Janice and Charlie focused on serving and significantly contributing to the local and surrounding areas of Stoneham their hometown, Karen after working at the Boys and Girls Club moved North and worked in the human services area with children in need. Katherine committed herself to the field of higher education administration which provided opportunities for national and international service to others. In summary, the Houghton family has been fortunate to be able to continue the family tradition of civic engagement and community service locally, nationally, and globally.”

For the past 3 years nearly 350 guests attended the event and heard powerful testimonials from current and former members of the Clubs. They heard inspiring stories about overcoming abandonment, abuse, addiction, bullying, and more. All the stories had one theme in common: how the Clubs in Stoneham & Wakefield helped them during very difficult times.

Other than hearing testimonials – guests will bid on auction items from vacation homes to sports tickets/memorabilia, enjoy a gourmet dinner, and hear about the Clubs’ plans for the future.

To learn more, sponsor, and/or purchase tickets, please visit www.StonehamWakefieldGala.com.