20 Armory Lane, Vergennes, Vermont 05491

(802) 870-7199

info@bgcvergennes.org

Club Hours for Members

Mon       2:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Tue        2:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Wed      2:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Thu       2:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Fri         2:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Sat        Closed

Sun       Closed

Staff members are available Monday through Friday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

                                           In Celebration of Our Beginnings

When the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Vergennes opened its doors in July of 1990, it was the culmination of a dream and passion of Sam Allo. Born in White Plains, New York in 1939, Sam graduated high school and married his high school sweetheart Frances ( Fran). The couple moved to Vergennes in 1965 and raised their family in the area. Sam worked for Simmonds Precision as a Customer Service Manager and quickly began his lifelong commitment to the youth of the area. Working with the Little League program, Sam Fishman Pool and one of the founding members of the Commodore Booster Club at VUHS, Sam also was active on the Board of the Addison County Humane Society. 

To Allo, there needed to be a place where all youth could go to be supported, surrounded with role models and to keep them safe, healthy and able to explore the future. While the community openly supported the youth, Allo felt they needed a place, a destination or a hub where the focus would always be about helping them grow and feel important. From his own experiences as a youth, Allo knew that a permanent club would not only serve all who entered, but would be transformational and a lifeline to some. 

In early 1987, Sam began reaching out to local parents, educators and coaches to bring together people of like thinking. He explored many different possible avenues and honed in on the Boys & Girls Club as the organization he wanted to be a part of the lives of generations of youth. Sam visited other clubs, attending civic meetings and got the word out about the vision of a Boys & Girls Club in Vergennes. Sam would hold conversations in the grocery store, at school, at sporting events, in the parking lot of the pool and often held his planning sessions seated on a bench at Button Bay State Park. He saw the multi-step process of creating a club as a challenge and a task he would not fail at. Hoops included applications, grants, renting locations, gaining support at the community and state level and beyond. Sam Allo was simply everywhere.

The Boys & Girls Club has been in five different locations in town since its creation with Sam involved until his passing in 2011. In addition to getting the ball rolling, Sam served as the CEO, employee and board member for its first few years. Through his outreach a board formed and the organization continued to grow and evolve. 2024 is the twenty-fifth anniversary of that opening day in 1990 and Allo would be smiling broadly to see the Boys & Girls Club having a permanent home at the Puschel Building, located at 20 Armory Lane in Vergennes. 

Whether it was playing basketball with the youth, plowing through a grant application or reaching out for community support to grow the club, or flipping burgers on a grill for youth, Sam Allo was driven by his beliefs that children were more than just our future. Sam saw each one as unique and a treasure. Proud to be a parent, a United States Maine and community member, Sam Allo brought into reality the creation of a destination where all youth were welcome, supported and helped to grow and dream.

The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Vergennes continues that vision to this day. Reaching out to some club members past and present, here are their thoughts on the club.

“ It is a place where I can be me.”

“ I came to be with friends, but I learned more than I thought possible.”

“ It was a place to do homework, to see friends and most importantly to be seen and listened to.”

“ I learned so much about myself and how to communicate with other people.”

“ The club is my safe space.”

“ I thought I was playing basketball with Sam, but now I know he was teaching me about life too.”

This is the sign in sheet for the first day of operations for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Vergennes in 1990. Small beginnings have grown to provide a permanent place for area youth to come to on a daily basis.