addByline("Nicole Pettit","Celtics.com","Celtics");
ROXBURY, Mass. – Throughout the month of June, the Boston Celtics CommUNITY Crew presented by TD Bank worked to fully renovate the local teen center at the Roxbury YMCA.
The Celtics and TD Bank jumpstarted the summer for Roxbury teens Thursday evening, unveiling the refurbished space to them for the first time.
The teen center, which aims to offer a safe space for youth to enjoy, was unrecognizable in its new state, featuring a fresh coat of paint and professional wall graphics that depict Boston’s MBTA lines.
The CommUNITY Crew fully outfitted the room with brand new furniture, a 65-inch Smart TV, JBL headphones, an Xbox One, Google Chromebooks, educational resources, and more. The highlight of the renovation was a new state of the art recording studio equipped with a deejay mixer and professional recording equipment.
To kick off the unveil, the CommUNITY Crew invited teen camp counselors to join in on a financial literacy workshop taught by TD Bank volunteers. Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas and community ambassador and former player Leon Powe stopped by to assist with the course.
“We are super excited to be involved with the Y here today,” said TD Bank Vice President of Commercial Banking William Granchelli, “because it’s a great place for kids to come to grow, to be safe and to be educated beyond just their schools. We’re excited and very proud to be involved in it.”
During the workshop, the youth were taught the primary principles of how to save and properly budget their money.
Thomas provided the teens with a few personal saving tips of his own along the way.
“I grew up in the YMCA, always playing basketball. My first official job was at a YMCA,” reflected Thomas. “To see these kids get these outlets and people to help talk with them about finances is only helping them. I’m just here to solidify that and see the smiles on their faces.”
After the informative lesson, the kids explored the new space with the special guests. They played video games together, gazed over the community pictures on the walls and created music in the studio.
The YMCA campers and staff were then invited into the gymnasium for a spirited pep rally to celebrate the new space. Celtics and TD Bank VIPs answered questions and spoke to the importance of hard work and giving back to the community.
The evening was finally capped off with a energizing dunk show put on by Celtics mascot Lucky.
“It was heartwarming,” said YMCA President and CEO James Morton, reflecting back on the event. “Our job is to put a caring adult in the presence of absolutely every child we tend, and today was a great example of that.”
With summer programming offered by the YMCA set to start the following week, the teens left fully geared up and excited for a fun-filled summer!