News

For more than a decade, the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club's facade has been embellished by two sister cherry trees, that welcomed our children through our doors. Today, however, those trees were thanked for their many years out front and removed as one of the first visible steps in the Club’s Safety, Security & Clubhouse Renewal Project . Along with changes to the main entry, a new gym entrance, and modified preschool entrance, this multifaceted project encompasses upgrades to equipment and currently underutilized spaces. Together these improvements will allow the Club to expand enrichment programs, offer additional space for Club Jr. Preschool, and provide a safer, more functional Clubhouse for our members and community. In 2015, when the Clubhouse at 69 Sparks Avenue underwent its last major renovation, Trustee Emeritus John Loose generously gifted the Club two cherry trees to frame the main entry. For the 11 years since, the sister trees have grown alongside the Club and become a signature part of its facade. While the change may require some getting used to, the removal of the trees has already revealed a much clearer view of the Club and its sign from Sparks Avenue. It's a fitting start to a new chapter for the NBGC, bringing greater visibility to the Club as we prepare for the improvements ahead through the Safety, Security, & Clubhouse Renewal project. We look forward to sharing more of the improvements taking shape throughout the Clubhouse and for those who are wondering about the future of the familiar cherry trees: "They will be replaced," says Mr. Loose. To read more about the Safety, Security, & Clubhouse Renewal, click here.

October has arrived at the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club’s Club Jr., and our preschoolers have been fully immersed in the fall with the first theme of the season being apples. Under the direction of Preschool Director Carly Peixoto and Assistant Teacher Brie Carr, Club Jr.’s youngest learners have been exploring apples through dramatic play, early literacy and math, science, and cooking. While the classroom was filled with plenty of fall fun, each activity was designed to build skills through hands-on learning. This season's unit began at the Club Jr. Apple Market , where children picked apples from the classroom tree, sorted them by color, filled their baskets, and took turns shopping and working the market. It may look like play, but there is plenty of learning happening behind the counter. Dramatic play gives young children an opportunity to practice communication, cooperation, problem-solving, counting, sorting, and decision-making while stepping into different roles and creating stories together.

The Nantucket Boys & Girls Club has been awarded $765,180 through the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources’ Advancing Massachusetts Power (AMP) Energy Storage Grant Program , part of a statewide investment aimed at strengthening energy resilience and expanding energy storage across the Commonwealth. The Club was selected through the program’s Community Resilience track and is one of 28 community resilience projects receiving funding across Massachusetts. The state identifies the Club’s project as a 250 kW / 522 kWh battery energy storage system . Other recipients include schools, community centers, affordable housing developments, public works facilities, and other critical community infrastructure. For the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club, the investment builds on existing clean energy infrastructure. Paired with the Club’s solar panels, the new battery system will allow energy generated on-site to be stored and available for use when needed, improving the reliability and resilience of the facility. Greater energy independence will help the Club remain operational when the grid goes down, reducing disruptions to programs and services while strengthening the facility as a resource for Nantucket’s children, families, and broader community. The award is part of more than $40 million announced by the Healey-Driscoll Administration for 36 energy storage projects across Massachusetts. According to the state, the investments are intended to help critical facilities maintain power during outages, expand energy-storage safety and education, and advance longer-duration storage technologies. The AMP program is administered by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and is designed to accelerate the deployment of safe energy storage systems throughout the Commonwealth, with investments focused on resilience as well as broader clean energy, economic, and public health benefits. The Club extends a special thank you to Lauren Sinatra, Energy Coordinator for the Town of Nantucket , whose guidance and support were instrumental in navigating the process and bringing this project forward. “This investment strengthens not only the resilience of our building, but our ability to continue showing up for the Nantucket community,” said Jamie Foster, Chief Executive Officer of the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club. “We’re grateful to the Commonwealth and to Lauren Sinatra for helping make this project possible.”

The Schaeffer family has been part of the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club community for years. Currently sitting on the Board of Trustees, Justin started chairing the Sam Sylvia Golf Tournament in 2019 and has led it every year since. Claire co-chaired the Tim Russert Summer Groove in 2018 and 2019, putting the couple at the helm of the Club's two largest fundraising events.  Both sides of the family have supported the Club since 2018, with Justin's parents, Liz and Peter, and Claire's parents, John and Carol Moriarty, all active givers. As a family, the Schaeffers hosted the Club's inaugural Naples tour, welcoming new friends to the mission and vision of the Club, making a transformational impact on the Club by strengthening the NBGC’s ties to the seasonal community that cares deeply about the island's kids. This summer, that connection took on new meaning when Lily, the youngest of Justin and Claire's three children after Maisie and Auggie, became the family's first Club Kid.

For one night each August, the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club looks a little different. The basketball hoops disappear behind flowers and fabric. The gym fills with dinner tables. Club families, longtime supporters, friends and neighbors come together under one roof for the Tim Russert Summer Groove. This year, more than 600 guests joined us for the 24th Annual Summer Groove, making 2026 the largest seated fundraiser the NBGC has hosted ever before. But the significance of the night goes far beyond what happens inside the gym. Summer Groove alone provides 40% of the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club’s annual operating budget. Those funds help keep our doors open throughout the year, supporting the programs, staff and resources that Nantucket children and families rely on every day. That means an evening of bidding, dancing and celebrating becomes something much bigger. It becomes a preschool classroom ready to welcome our youngest Club Kids in the morning. It becomes a safe place to go after school. It becomes summer camp, athletics, teen programming, meals, mentors and a building where kids can simply be kids.