Michigan/Ohio Regional Council Honors BGCT
April 24, 2014
Two awards were presented to the Boys & Girls Club of Troy at the 2014 Michigan/Ohio Area Council Meeting & Youth of the Year Conference on Friday, March 28 at the Troy Marriott. Award winners in several categories were selected from nominations by Boys & Girls Clubs from both neighboring states.
The Club received the Michigan Outstanding Program award for Late Night, while Meritor, Inc. was awarded the Michigan Community Service Award.
Initiated over a decade ago, Late Night was established as a way to provide teens with a safe place to gather on Friday evenings. This free program is intended to keep teens off the streets and out of trouble, and to help prevent them from making life-altering mistakes.
Members and guests aged 12-18 are welcome to hang out at the Club at Late Night and enjoy music, video games, open gym, table games, or just a place to relax and enjoy the company of friends. In its infancy the program consisted of a handful of young people playing cards, but has grown into a bi-weekly event with an attendance of over 60 youth from the Club and community.
For the last two years, the employees of Meritor, Inc., have organized a 3-on-3 basketball tournament which is played in the gymnasium at the Boys & Girls Club of Troy in the spring. On each occasion the gym was packed with Meritor employees looking to compete, have fun, get some exercise and – most importantly – raise money for a good cause in the community. The Meritor 3-on-3 employee basketball tournament has generated over $10,000 for the Club in the last two years, thanks to not only the efforts of tournament organizers but the generosity of the Meritor Foundation.
Meritor has donated substantial amounts to the Club outside of its basketball event over the years, and played an active role in the capital campaign to construct the new Boys & Girls Club of Troy facility in 2006. Additionally, Meritor has maintained a presence on the Club’s Board of Directors for many years. The company, a recognized leader in the global commercial vehicle and industrial markets, has served its customers for over 100 years, and has maintained its headquarters in Troy since 1975.
