The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua celebrated the opening of the Dionne Family Entryway, a new entrance connecting families and community members to its Early Learning Center, Full-size Indoor Pool, and Youth Wellness Center.
The entryway will welcome families whose children attend the Club’s newly expanded licensed childcare program, which now serves 225 children each day, as well as more than 1,500 community members who use the pool annually. It also provides direct access to the Club’s Youth Wellness Center, which houses a food pantry, Catie’s Closet, and spaces for youth counseling services and social and emotional development.
The entryway was made possible through a gift from John and Jacquelyn Dionne and bears the Dionne family name in recognition of the Franco-American traditions that shaped the family in New Hampshire generations ago: being good to one another, working very hard, and remembering that your life is not just about yourself. For John and Jackie, the gift is a way of carrying those traditions forward for a new generation of Club members.
A Nashua, New Hampshire native, John joined the Club at about age nine, spending hours playing ping-pong and bumper pool. He also had his first job there, doing laundry for twenty-five cents an hour. He remembers a place where every child felt equal and special, with room to try, discover new talents, and grow.
Looking back, Dionne describes the Club as one of the important “dots” in his life. His childhood experiences there — including his first trip to Fenway Park — have helped shape the way John and Jackie stay involved with the Club today, from creating special experiences for Club members to supporting opportunities that reach them more broadly. “Helping create those same possibilities for the next generation felt less like giving back than carrying something forward,” John said.
The Club recognized that commitment during the opening celebration by presenting John with its “From the Heart” Award. Speaking directly to Club members, he encouraged them to believe in what makes them unique, discover talents they may not yet know they have, get back up when they fall, and appreciate the helping hands around them.
“John knows what it means to be a Club kid, and he has never forgotten those experiences,” said Craig Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua. “For over fifty years, the Club has been encouraging its members to work hard at becoming the very best version of themselves, and John has done just that. What is most impressive, however, is that he is now using that success to help generations of Club members who are following in his footsteps.”
The Dionne Family Entryway will welcome children and families each day. The message John shared with Club members was simple: you are not different — you are unique. Fall down. Get back up. Recognize the helping hands around you, and become one for someone else.
About the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua
The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua serves more than 2,000 young people each year through childcare, afterschool and teen programs. Its mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.