Connecticut holds a special place in the history of Boys & Girls Clubs. Hartford is widely recognized as the birthplace of the organization — the place where, over 150 years ago, the idea of a safe, structured, and nurturing space for young people first took root. So it carries a certain significance that Connecticut is also home to what Megan Altomare, Chief Executive Officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Milford, affectionately calls “the baby Boys & Girls Club in the state.” Officially chartered with Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 2011, the Milford club is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year — and in that relatively short time, it has become something Milford residents can no longer imagine doing without.
“People don’t remember a time without a Boys & Girls Club,” says Altomare, who has been with the organization since its earliest days. “And I love that. We’re so ingrained in everything that Milford does at this point.”
That sense of permanence is hard-won. When the club opened its doors, it served 30 kids. Today, more than 1,400 individual children pass through its programs each year — through after-school programming, enrichment activities, and a full summer camp that runs nine weeks, from 7:30 in the morning until 5:30 at night, accommodating the schedules of working families across the city. Five of Milford’s elementary schools bus directly to the club’s Simon Lake clubhouse. Three others — Orange Avenue, Calf Pen Meadow, and Live Oaks — are served through satellite school sites, ensuring that geography is never a barrier to access.
Nor is cost. Program fees at the Boys & Girls Club are kept as low as operationally possible, and they don’t come close to covering the actual expense of running the programs. The remainder is made up through individual donors, corporate partnerships, foundation grants, and signature fundraising events — including the club’s annual gala, which last year accounted for roughly 20 percent of the operating budget. And critically: no child is ever turned away for an inability to pay. Last year, the club distributed nearly $200,000 in scholarships. Longtime supporters including Milford Bank, Coastal Bridge Advisors, OEM Sources, ShopRite, and the Devon and Milford Rotaries have been partners since the beginning, helping build the financial foundation that makes all of it possible.
The programming itself is where the Boys & Girls Club of Milford truly distinguishes itself. The after-school model is built around five core areas — education and career development, character and leadership, health and life skills, the arts, and sports and recreation — but what Altomare and her team have built within that framework is anything but formulaic. The “homework room,” for instance, doesn’t exist. In its place is the Brain Gym: a lively, active space that has somehow become the most popular room in the building, where kids tackle assignments while also engaging in STEM activities, chess, and learning experiences they might not even recognize as such. “Sometimes the kids are learning and they don’t even know it,” Altomare says, “which is pretty cool.”
Summers bring the Brain Game program, a learning-loss prevention initiative designed to combat the academic slide that affects so many students between June and September. And woven throughout it is something that might surprise you: a serious, sustained commitment to artificial intelligence literacy. In an age when educators are still debating how to approach AI in the classroom, the Boys & Girls Club of Milford has been integrating it into programming for years. Prompt engineering games; AI-powered Minecraft sessions, funded through a Comcast partnership, where kids directed gameplay through language rather than code; a multi-generational family AI program that brought parents and grandparents in alongside their children to learn about AI ethics, human oversight, and practical tools — because, as Altomare explains, the stakes extend well beyond childhood. “The digital literacy gap is going to get much larger because of AI,” she says. “We want to make sure families understand it — not just kids, but grandparents too, because some of them have jobs that could be gone if they’re not on the AI train.”
Most recently, through a statewide Connecticut Alliance initiative funded in part by the state legislature and developed in partnership with Quinnipiac University, club members across Connecticut spent six weeks on an intensive AI curriculum, culminating in projects that ranged from original podcasts to a redesigned public transit system for Waterbury. One student from each club was selected to attend an immersive week-long AI camp at Quinnipiac.
Beyond academics, the club takes seriously its role in shaping character. The Keystone Club, the organization’s flagship teen leadership program, is perhaps the clearest expression of that philosophy. Members volunteer, fundraise, and work toward a shared goal: earning enough money through their own efforts to fund the annual Keystone trip. This year, that trip is to Disney World — but it comes with leadership sessions, networking with peers from clubs across the country, and genuine accountability. “If you don’t reach the goal,” Altomare says simply, “you don’t go on the trip. We’re not just saying, ‘you tried really hard, so here you go.’ That’s not what reality is.”
Older teens in the club have also become advocates in the truest sense. Through an environmental grant focused on erosion and coastal resiliency, a group of members spent years learning about the forces threatening Milford’s beaches — and then did something about it. They traveled to Washington, D.C. They met with Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and staff from the offices of Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal. They presented their research. They used their voices. “For five years,” Altomare says, “they really learned just how important their voice is and how much meaning it has.”
Sustaining all of it is a team that, in many cases, has grown alongside the organization itself. Director of Operations Jill Pisani has been with the Club for 14 years, helping guide its growth from a small startup organization into one of the city's most trusted youth-serving institutions. Program Director Samantha Sontag has spent 13 years shaping the experiences of thousands of young people who have walked through the Club's doors. Kassandra Janney has dedicated 10 years to the organization, Bryanna Ramirez nine years, and Jefri Caballero seven years. Newer team members including Brooke and Hannah Adams have quickly embraced the same culture that has defined the Club since its beginning: putting kids first.
Many staff members have watched children enter the Club as kindergartners and leave as high school graduates. They have celebrated honor roll achievements, athletic victories, college acceptances, first jobs, and personal milestones. They have also been there during difficult moments, providing encouragement, guidance, and stability when young people needed it most.
"The programs matter, but the people matter more," Altomare says. "Our staff are the reason families trust us. They build relationships that last for years, and our members know they always have someone in their corner."
Walk through the Club on any afternoon and it is easy to see those relationships in action: staff members know children's interests, strengths, and goals. They know which member loves robotics, who needs extra help with math, who is preparing for a driver's license test, and who dreams of becoming a teacher, engineer, nurse, or entrepreneur. They celebrate successes, challenge members to aim higher, and remind them that their futures are filled with possibility.
The same commitment extends to the Club's Board of Directors, led by Board President Jonathan Berchem.
“Together, the board and staff share a common belief that every young person deserves opportunities, encouragement, and a community that believes in their potential,” says Altomare. “That shared commitment that will continue to drive the Club’s future.”
One of our very own here at Milford City Lifestyle, intern Harshitha Kothapalli, reflects on her experience having gone through the Club's programming. She first walked through the Club's doors in third grade, enrolled by her parents in what felt, at the time, like simply another after-school program. It didn't stay that way for long.
"The counselors quickly grew into role models I admired and looked forward to seeing each day," she recalls. "The welcoming atmosphere of my homeroom, the energy of the game room, the excitement during dodgeball, the calmness of the crafts room — all of it became my new normal."
One afternoon in fourth grade stands out. Club staff selected a handful of kids with strong behavioral records to serve as counselors for a day. Harshi's name was called. It was a small gesture — one afternoon, one kid — but it landed with the force of something much larger.
"Instead of being the kid looking up to the counselors, I got to help lead activities, guide younger members, and be someone others could look up to," she says. "Being trusted with that role made me feel confident and capable, and it showed me how rewarding it could be to help and encourage those around me."
That confidence only continued to grow. Harshi recently graduated from Jonathan Law High School — and this fall, she's heading to New York University to study journalism. She credits the Club, in no small part, with making that leap feel possible.
"The idea of moving to a city as big as New York would have felt intimidating to a younger version of myself," she says. "Some of my favorite memories from the Club came from spending time with people whose backgrounds and experiences were different from my own. Those friendships taught me to appreciate new perspectives and made me realize how much I enjoy learning about other people's stories. The Club helped me grow comfortable in diverse communities, and it gave me the confidence to pursue a future centered around understanding and connecting with others."
"The Club shaped me into who I am today," she says simply. "I can say that with confidence."
Heading into year 16, the Club's ambitions are considerable. They are currently working toward the construction of a brand-new, 22,000-square-foot facility on Tudor Road, at the site of the former St. Gabriel Elementary School — more than triple the size of its current 6,600-square-foot clubhouse. The new building will include a full gymnasium, a dedicated teen center, a middle school center, grade-specific rooms, a STEM lab, and an art room. It is, says Altomare plainly, what the kids deserve. “We’re going to go from trying to fit a Boys & Girls Club into the community to having this permanent structure solely dedicated to the youth.”
Fifteen years in, the Boys & Girls Club of Milford is no longer the new kid. It’s the cornerstone — the place where Milford’s children are safe, supported, challenged, and seen. And it’s only getting started.
To learn more, donate, or get involved, visit boysandgirlsclubofmilford.com or call 203-713-8055.
"People don’t remember a time without a Boys & Girls Club."
Programs at a Glance
Boys & Girls Club of Milford structures its work around five pillars: education and career development, character and leadership, health and life skills, the arts, and sports and recreation.
After School: Club members arrive daily from five Milford elementary schools, with three additional schools reached through off-site locations. Rather than a traditional study hall, the Brain Gym blends homework time with hands-on STEM exploration, chess, and discovery-based activities.
Summer Camp: Nine weeks of full-day programming keeps kids engaged and learning through the summer months, with structured activities designed to prevent the academic backslide that sets in when school lets out.
Teen Leadership: Through the Keystone Club, older members take on real responsibility — volunteering, raising funds, and earning their way toward shared goals rather than simply being handed opportunities.
AI & Digital Literacy: From prompt engineering to family workshops on emerging technology, the Club is preparing kids and families for a rapidly changing world.
No child is ever turned away for an inability to pay.