The OM’s
Today
The Older Members
Association continues to be a vibrant and vital organization
supporting the Bristol Boys & Girls Club. Active membership
currently is around 40 members with another 13 Honorary and Life
members. One of the unique characteristics of the OM’s is
the longevity of service to the organization. The most senior OM
has been an active member for 53 years; 7 members with more that
30 years of service and 8 members with over 20 years of service.
That commitment to service in itself is extraordinary.
In addition to the
OM Show, the OM’s have also sponsored a numerous variety of
other events either to raise money or do something for the
community:
· Snowball
dances, a formal dance for 7th and 8th
grade students, in the 40’s and 50’s.
· Sweetheart
dances in the 60’s and 70’s
· Grammar
school basketball tournaments in the 60’s and 70’s
· Hosted
an NBA basketball event in the 70’s
· Operated
a concession stand for 17 years at Muzzy Field, a local baseball
park that has hosted American Legion Baseball, Big East College
Baseball Tournament, local and regional high school baseball,
soccer and football games, etc.
· OM
Basketball Classic – a pre-season high school basketball
tournament
Today, the OM’s raise an average of
$25,000 annually, all of which directly supports youth
programming at the Club.
In addition to financial support, the
OM’s remain extremely active in volunteering their time and
talents to the Bristol Boys & Girls Club. For example, snow
plowing services have been donated to the Club for over 40 years.
The current facility is very old and has seen its better day, so
there are always painting and repairing jobs that need to be
done. Just recently, the toilets had to be repaired and the
showers had to be re-grouted. The OM’s handled it. The front
door to the Club was broken and parts were no longer available.
One of the OM’s engineered a solution and had a replacement
part manufactured to fix the door. There are countless other
examples.
The OM’s continue to meet every
other Wednesday for dinner just as the founders did. Business is
discussed and ideas generated on how best to continue our support
for the Club. At our 75th Anniversary
Celebration in 1998, Jim Truscio, executive Director of the
Bristol Boys & Girls Club had this to say about the OM’s
“When
some organizations start they are fruitful for five years,
sometimes ten years.
But, the
OM’s have been fruitful for the community and the Bristol
Boys & Girls Club
for 75
years. And they not just put their names on the membership rolls
or only
attended
their weekly dinners. They have put their hearts into our mission
and
brought
their ideas and enthusiasm for hard work and service to our
Club.”
When you learn about our
history, our culture and our achievements, you can understand why
we are proud to be OM’s.