Jorge Santiago Makes a Difference in Milford

Jorge Santiago says he is extremely proud to be involved in creating the almost from scratch.

"To me, it’s great when I’m approached by a parent and he says he can see his child coming out of his shell since he’s been a member of the Boys & Girls Club," Santiago says.

"When parents begin to see changes in the behavior of their kids, I know we’re impacting those kids’ lives," he adds.

Santiago, a senior vice president at , is the president of the Milford Boys & Girls Club’s 22-member Board of Directors. On Jan. 25, he will receive the 2011 "Human Service" Award at the Chamber’s 57th Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon at the Grassy Hill Country Club.

Independent Operation

The club was originally part of the Boys & Girls Club of Lower Naugatuck Valley, but it was always intended to become an independent club eventually, Santiago says.

But because of the economic recession, the Lower Naugatuck Valley club no longer had the money to keep the Milford club open, so it spun off on its own in 2009. That’s when Santiago joined the Board of Directors, and he became its president a year later.

The club officially became independent last fall. "We were officially presented our certificate in October during our Pumpkin festival," he recalls.

The club operates Monday through Friday in the West Shore Rec Center at 14 Benham Avenue in Milford, near .

Service Built on Experience

The Chamber cited Santiago for successfully initiating many new events for the club, including the inaugural , the Back-a-Kid Fundraising Campaign, the Annual Youth Awards Dinner and a joint program with the to teach children to swim.

Santiago says the club also runs a homework help program that is aided by five teachers from who provide two hours of instruction at the club twice a week. The program also includes and a nutritional component that teaches children to make healthier food choices and shows them how to prepare some basic snacks and meals for themselves, such as pasta, sandwiches and salads.

Santiago was a member of the Boys & Girls Club while growing up in Bridgeport, which, he says, gave him an appreciation of how beneficial they are to young people.

After graduating high school, he attended Bowdoin College in Maine and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and economics in 1994. He worked for for 13 years, and the last six years for The Milford Bank.

Helping Milford's Families

Santiago lives in Milford, and his two children attend Milford Public Schools.

He says 70 percent of the children at the Milford Boys & Girls Club are from single-parent households, and half are from families that are at or below the poverty line. "It’s a population that needs a little bit of help," he says.

The club's board is currently working with Milford’s Promise organization to create a mentoring program at the Boys & Girls Club. Milford’s Promise will provide training, the Boys & Girls Club will provide the facilities and both will recruit the mentors. The program is scheduled to start in March.

"It was identified by Milford’s Promise as something the community had a need for," Santiago says.

Another big project Santiago is involved in is fundraising to start a summer camp program for 2012, something the club hasn’t had yet. "That’s one of our big goals this year," he says.

Santiago said anyone who wants to make a donation may contact him at 203-783-5784 or jsantiago@milfordbank.com.