Glens Falls Area Youth Center: A Legacy of Love

Molly Congdon-Hunsdon holds a unique position – she is the second-generation Executive Director of the Glens Falls Area Youth Center. Her father, Matt Congdon, had been the Executive Director for over three decades… Following his passing on June 13th, 2019, Molly took over the position of Executive Director so that she could have a meaningful impact on the lives of the kids… Molly and the incredible staff carry on the “Legacy of Love.”

Matt didn’t have an easy childhood himself: “He was poor,” Molly said. “He knew what it meant to be hungry. His last name didn’t carry any clout within the school system. He didn’t have the best clothes or the coolest shoes… He wanted for everything. But he never used any of these obstacles as an excuse. Instead, he channeled his struggles into something positive.”

“From a young age he had two main goals in life: To make an impact on the lives of children who needed it most, and to always have a full fridge… Both goals were achieved.”

Matt graduated from Springfield College in 1982, and worked at a local gym as a trainer. When the Executive Director of the Youth Center went on maternity leave, Matt filled the position, and later on the kids petitioned for him to stay… “This changed the course of the Youth Center forever,” Molly said. “He advocated and fought for our kids with all his might.”

The first few locations of the Youth Center were anything but ideal. “The children in this community deserved better, much better,” Molly said. “Then, my dad did the impossible… He raised one million dollars in eight months to make our current building a reality. In April 2000, the doors opened and crowds of kids, wide-eyed and smiling, walked inside… That day is one that will never be forgotten.”

Despite being 55 years old, the mission of the Youth Center has remained the same: “We are a non-profit organization that serves disadvantaged youth (5th to 12th-graders) who reside in Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties, through a wide variety of educational, recreational and life-skills programs (including after school snacks and dinner each day), completely free of charge,” Molly said. “We first opened our doors back in 1968, and since that time we have successfully served over 100,000 underprivileged children, dished out over 750,000 meals, and tutored over 31,000 students. We are a small organization with big numbers.”

“The children that we serve are at-risk youths from diverse cultures, races, ethnicities, belief systems and personalities,” she continued. “The majority of kids that come to the youth center come from low-income households – 90% of them live below the poverty line. These kids need a place where they feel safe and belong… At the GFAYC they are welcomed, cared for and most importantly loved. Every day, the kids have an opportunity to eat, exercise, and do homework. GFAYC believes that young people are a vital component to the future of our community… Their success is our success.”

Carrying on her father’s legacy, Molly holds a strong lifelong connection with the youth center: “The Youth Center has been a part of my life since I was born. Matt Congdon, our former executive director, was my dad,” Molly said.

Her father was her mentor and inspires the work that she continues today: “He was the Executive Director for 36 years,” she said. “I grew up in the youth center. I would play pickup basketball and this place molded me into the person that I am today.”

Molly became a staff member at the age of seventeen, and has been working at the youth center ever since for the last 16 years: “The coolest experience for me is to see the kids grow from 5th to 12th-graders, and watch those kids make the full journey into young men and women… It’s such a privilege to be a part of that,” she said.

Matt passed away after years of battling health issues on June 13th, 2019. “Matt’s strength, spirit and selflessness will never be forgotten,” Molly said. “He worked his entire adult life to enhance the existence of young people in this area because he felt that every single one of their lives was precious and meaningful – and they are!”

Carly LaMay joined the youth center staff as the Assistant Director back in August 2020. The team is filled out by Nate Mattison, who is the Program Coordinator, and Anthony Rivera, the Program Supervisor. Anthony is a former youth center member who wanted to make an impact on the next generation.. “We are a small but mighty staff of four,” Molly said.

Carly is in her third year as the Assistant Director at the Glens Falls Area Youth Center: “I started in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic,” Carly said. “It’s been great to see how we have been able to navigate the pandemic, and now we are in a really great spot where we can do a lot of great things with the kids.”

Throughout the year, the kids travel to the Youth Center in a variety of ways: “We serve Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. A lot of our kids are transient and they move around a lot, but they still want to come here,” Carly said. “Our Glens Falls students will usually walk and bike. Kids from the outlier areas are most often dropped off. When the kids first arrive at the youth center they have to sign in, and one of our biggest rules is ‘no school, no Youth Center.’ They have to go to school.”

Activities at the youth center encourage inclusivity and participation: “We have a full-sized gym, workout equipment… A ping pong table, a pool table, air hockey and games, and there are areas to do homework,” Carly said. “We have after-school snacks, and that is something that everyone tends to do first… A lot of kids break off to do something they really enjoy. But we always have an event or a tournament going on that brings the kids back together.”

The food program – started by Matt – has provided 750,000 meals to these kids over the course of the last 40 years… This program now requires a commercial refrigerator and freezer. Originally, the youth center would close from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM so that the kids could go home and have dinner with their families… However, Matt started to see the kids hanging around outside during that hour. He realized that some of them didn’t have a place to go and eat, so he started providing dinner: “We call it family dinner, because that is what we are… A family,” Molly said.

Both Carly and Molly have noticed that due to the pandemic, the kids communicate with their peers differently, because for much of the pandemic so much of the communication was virtual: “We spend a lot of time teaching the kids how to interact in person. Working on social and emotional skills is a lot of what we do,” Carly said. “Having the kids do things together teaches them to be good sports, which is very important.”

Molly and Carly use the kids’ interests to facilitate their education: “Recreation is what draws the kids in, and then once once they are here, they are able to experience everything else that we have to offer,” Molly said. “We have Chromebooks, headsets, and kids are learning in a fun and engaging way… Our version of education is active. The kids have been in school all day, and we want them to be active and learn.”

Learning takes place all year round at the Youth Center. The Youth Center has a Summer Reading Program where they are taught reading, writing, and STEAM… This program helps to ease the transition into middle school, while reducing summer learning loss. They will even help with locker combinations, which can be challenging for the kids: “That program is just for the fifth graders,” Molly said. “So that gives us an opportunity to really work with the kids who are transitioning to middle school.”

A retired math teacher comes in to help all grade levels with the subject that so many kids dread: “Bob Cote comes in once or twice a week to help all grade levels to prepare for quizzes,” Carly said. “He helps with math and will talk to teachers on behalf of the kids. He helps kids that are struggling or just need a little extra help.”

The Youth Center is launching a new program that focuses on media literacy to prepare the kids for the workforce… They now have a TikTok! The videos are all produced by kids, and focus on subjects like marketing, PR, how to stay on brand, and what’s trending on social media. The kids come up with all the ideas… This program helps to create a dialog about social media and its uses in the workplace: “We see the downside of social media, how these kids have constant access to each other,” Carly said. “It’s nice to highlight the benefits of social media, and how it can be used in a safe and constructive way.”

The Glens Falls Area Youth Center is mainly supported through grant writing done by Molly and Carly, but they also have fundraisers… On June 23rd at the Holiday Inn at Lake George, the GFAYC held their first fundraiser since before the pandemic! The “Back to the 80’s” theme is something that everyone was looking forward to. This event also marked 55 years of operation for the organization, and will be in honor of Matt Congdon.

The Glens Falls Area Youth Center is open from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Friday. For more information, please visit gfyouthcenter.org.