Kendal O’Neill squeezes ketchup on chicken nuggets at the 26th Annual Steak & Burger Dinner at the Boys & Girls Club of Lynn. Beside her is Michael Anaya, a staff member of the Boys & Girls Club. Photo by Paula Muller
By Bridget Turcotte
LYNN — The annual Boys & Girls Club Steak and Burger Dinner honored four locals but served a much greater purpose.
Frank DeIulis and Robert Ferrari were honored as the two newest members of the Hall of Fame. Ferrari, a graduate of St. Mary’s High School, has worked for the Lynn Police Department for 31 years.
Helen Mihos and John Hoffman were the recipients of the annual Commitment to Youth Award.
Mihos is the former Lincoln Thomson Elementary School principal. She began her career as a teacher in Lynn in 1979. Hoffman has broadcast thousands of youth sporting events on a weekly sports show for 30 years.
The Robert Kennedy Helping Hands Award was presented to the Ninety Nine Restaurant & Pub for their commitment and dedication to the club. For several years, the restaurant has dedicated the month of October to fundraising for the organization, reaching more than $2 million in donations.
The honorees chowed down on cheeseburgers and chicken fingers with the children of the Boys & Girls Club. While the act may be seemingly insignificant, Robert “Obie” Barker, executive director of the program, called it the most meaningful portion of the evening.
When he first joined the Lynn community 19 years ago, he immediately recognized the children’s willingness and desire to learn and be heard, he said.
Before the dinner, Elizabeth Garang, a 14-year-old Lynn English High School student, said she was excited to sit down and talk to a table of adults.
“I’m excited to meet new people,” Garang said. “The Boys & Girls Club actually changed my life. I used to be a quiet person who didn’t want to talk to anyone. Speaking to these little kids every day, now I want to talk.”
Program staff taught Garang how to play basketball, she said. This year, she’s trying out for the basketball team at Lynn English.
Four years ago, when Luis Diaz, 16, started coming to the program, he was introduced to several sports and encouraged to try new things.
“I’m a large kid,” he said. “The staff, they have pushed me forward to get the best out of athletics and get me to talk to people.”
Diaz plays football, baseball and basketball and said he enjoys each one.
At 12 years old, he was a recent immigrant from the Dominican Republic. He didn’t speak English fluently and struggled with finding his place in the world, he said. The staff he spends time with each day have been mentors to him. He said he received a more valuable education at the Boys & Girls Club than he could get just from going to school.
“The people we get to meet here, they’re nice and they’re trustworthy,” he said. “The relationship that happens, happens much sooner than somewhere else.”
Mohamed Sow, a student at Tracy Elementary School, had a smile from ear to ear as he ate his chicken nuggets with a fork and knife.
“This is great,” he said. “I hope to learn about anything I have to learn in life.”
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.