Boys & Girls Club Alumni

Bart was a member of the Lancaster Club from 1980-1990. After he graduated from Lancaster High School he still managed to frequently visit the staff and volunteer his services. He also was employed by the Lancaster Club from 1995-1998.

During his years at the club, his favorite activities to be involved in focused around the gym activities. He enjoyed all the sports including football, basketball, and floor hockey. He remembers the wood shop in the basement of the club where he would make baseball bats and other wood working items. His fondest memories include hanging out at the club on Friday nights and looking forward to coming back at 1pm on Saturday to do the same.

When asked what the club has meant to him, Bart responded “It is a common theme amongst us who have grown up at the Club, I would not be there person I am today if it were not for the Club, both personally and professionally. My time at the Club has made me a better Husband, Father, and Friend. can honestly say I would not be the person I am today if I had not grown up at the Club.”

If he could sit with club members now and give them advice about being a club member, he would say, “Never, never forget…. Never forget the memories and the experiences you had while growing up at the Club. You are making friends now that you will have for the rest of your life. Be sure to pass that experience on to our children as I am to mine. There is nothing better than knowing you have some place safe to go to, simply hang out or play sports. I am 41 years old and my friends and brothers still to this day talk about those Friday and Saturday’s at the Club.

Bart is currently an Operations Manager at Patterson Dental. He lives in Cheektowaga with his wife Melissa, two sons Mason and Jameson. Bart and Melissa are expecting their third child in August of 2014.

Jeremy attended the Depew Club from 1989-2001. During his club years he was a “regular” who participated in all of the clubs activities. He especially excelled on the basketball court with the traveling league and was part of the playoff championship team his 8th grade year. After graduating high school he pursued a business degree from Buffalo State College where he played basketball for 4 years. His passion for the club never left him as he frequently returned to volunteer as a coach and referee as well as working every club fundraiser that we hold. He was employed by the Depew Club during his college years and was an outstanding staff member and role model to the kids that were involved in the programs that he was a part of during his tenure.

Jeremy says that his favorite activity was playing basketball and representing the Club throughout the years against other clubs in the area. When asked what the club meant to him, Jeremy responded, “The Depew Boys and Girls Club was a second home for me while growing up. As a kid, I looked forward to the school day ending and walking with my group of club member friends to the Club. I always looked forward to competing against the older club members. The countless experiences at the Club have shaped me to what I am today. When I recall my childhood memories, many of my most cherished times were inside those gym doors on the basketball court of the Depew Boys and Girls Club”.

He adds that the Club is the best place to go after school, a safe place to grow as an individual, become involved in all sorts of activities, make new friends, socialize, do your homework, and always be willing learn new things.

If there was one thing that Jeremy would tell our younger members today it would be that once you sign up to become a Club Member at the Depew Boys and Girls Club, you become a part of a special place that is only as good as the people who are in it. No matter what your situation is at home or school, the Club is your escape for a couple hours every day. You will have opportunities to meet new people, create new friendships, participate in new things, and trust that the Club staff has your best interest in mind while always being there for you through the ups and downs in your childhood years.

He is currently the Athletic Director of the Elma Boys & Girls Club. He resides in Williamsville with his wife Lindsey.

Justin attended the Depew Club from 1989-2001. After graduating from high school he pursued a business degree from Buffalo State College where he played basketball for 4 years. He attributes the skills that he learned in the classroom and on the basketball court to his years spent at the Depew Club.

His favorite activities include not only the gym where he was a standout athlete in traveling basketball and all other intramural sports, but also the game room where he honed his skills in pool, ping pong, foosball and bumper pool. He fondly remembers gameroom showdowns against the staff members when he was young. He also enjoyed the Club run Day Camp at Evangola State Park as well as the thousand island camping trips to Wellesley Island.

When asked what the club meant to him, Justin responded “- A great place to go after school and be able to play and hang out with friends while meeting other kids. I was fortunate enough to have made lifelong friends and relationships through my participation at the Club. Many great memories of the Club I will cherish for a lifetime”.

Justin loves that he is part of a proud organization and appreciates all the staff that are influential and make the Club a great place to be. He would like to tell current club members that the club was such an important part of my youth and helped me be the person I am today. I learned many skills at the club that have helped prepare me for my future. The staff (Dave Hoch, Lisa Konst, Jeff Kupka, Dave Lewandowski & Ken Pepke) cared so much about the Club kids and will help you anyway they can.

Justin is currently an Account Executive with Group Benefits at M&T Bank. He resides in Williamsville with his wife Melissa, son Brady and daughter Emme

Dan Amatura became a member of the Lancaster Club in 1958. While attending the club as a youth, his favorite activity was going to Como Park with the club staff and playing basketball and dodgeball. It was common in those days to take trips to the park on nice days. He also enjoyed being with all of his friends at the club on Saturday mornings and nights during the week.

After high school Dan worked in road construction and construction management. He also owned Magruders which was and still is a very successful restaurant on Broadway in Depew.

Dan has found a way to give back to the Lancaster and Depew communities in many ways. Through his business, he is able to support the Depew-Lancaster Boys & Girls Club and the Chris Wanat foundation. He has also served on the Lancaster Town Board as a Councilman and is currently the Town of Lancaster Highway Supervisor.

Dan believes some of the values that he learned at the club at a young age, have paved the way for him to be a successful businessman. He believes growing up as a member of the club helps young kids learn to be in activities with others, which is essential in any business endeavor.

Dan currently owns Lancaster’s premier Grille. Frank’s Grille, located on Broadway in the Town of Lancaster boasts Hometown American Comfort food at its best. He currently resides in Lancaster and has two girls- Campbell and Francesca.

Nick Aquino, MD was a member of the Depew Club from 1963-1970. He participated in all of the activities the club offered at that time, but his passion was basketball. He remembers playing in the “old” gym which ironically recently housed the gameroom until the devastating fire on January 1, 2013.

Nick was a member of the Depew Club from 1963-1970. He participated in all of the activities the club offered at that time, but his passion was basketball. He remembers playing in the “old” gym which ironically recently housed the gameroom until the devastating fire on January 1, 2013.

In light of the New Year’s Day fire and the set back that it caused, Nick tells about how the institution of the Club needs to be continued because it gives leadership skills to many kids who have none in their life. The Aquino family has been instrumental in giving back to the club. Nick along with his brothers, Joe, Mike and Mark, and sister Luanne Brown began a scholarship fund in honor of their parents, Joe and Rose Aquino. Each year, our Youth of the Year receives $1500 from the scholarship. The money is to be used towards their college education; something that, along with attending the Depew Boys & Girls Club, the Aquino family firmly believes helped each of them become successful in life.

Nick Aquino resides in Lancaster with his wife, Pam and daughters Katie, Emily and Julie.

Dan Gill became a member of the Lancaster Club in 1990. He is currently the Assistant Athletic Director at the University School in Florida. After graduating from The Ohio State University, Gill took on the Athletic Director’s duties at St. Mary’s High School in his hometown of Lancaster. During his tenure, he also coached the basketball team to two Catholic State Championships. He says he misses his days in Lancaster but just couldn’t pass up the opportunity that his new job presents for him.

Gill’s proudest club accomplishment was having the opportunity to represent the Lancaster/Depew Boys & Girls Club in the State Youth of the Year competition in Albany, New York in 2001. “The club was enormous part of my youth and was extremely influential in shaping me as adult. I have truly valued my time spent at the club and am proud to have been part of such a prestigious organization growing up”, he says. “I can sincerely say that I am a better husband, coach, father, and administrator due to my time spent there”, he added. Dan realizes that our youth need a place like the club, now more than ever. His passion for the club continues as he actively served as a board member while he lived in town and still has gets involved even from a distance. I am extremely honored to be a part of such a proud fraternity. It is such an important part of the fabric of our community,” he recently said in an online interview. Dan resides in Florida with his wife Megan, and son Brandon.

Adin Bradley attended the Depew Club from 1978-1989. He moved to Canada from 1991-1998 to attend college. During these years he also trained thoroughbred race horses in Fort Erie and Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario. He moved back to the area in 1998 and recently became involved with the Board of Directors for our organization.

“I joined the Board of Directors so that I could give back to an organization that has given me so much. There is no way I would be enjoying the success and accomplishments I have in my life without many of the social skills I learned at the club”, said Bradley in a recent conversation.

Adin’s favorite memory of the club is Saturday afternoons in the gym during his teenage years. It seemed everyone from Depew, Lancaster, and St. Mary’s High School filled the gym for afternoon pickup basketball games. “It was packed and we had a great time,” he recalls. Some awesome athletes honed their skills in those games. “The Club was a very important part of my life”, says Adin. “To belong to the Club meant you were part of a life-long brotherhood with dozens of other kids from the area. My brother and I were raised by a single mother who worked full time. The club gave us a safe place to play and learn many of the life lessons I have held with me my whole life. To this day, I continue to see and spend some fun times with many of the gang and their families”.

Adin and his wife Karen reside in Lancaster with their children, Ava , and Alexander.

Pete Jerebko was a member of the Depew Club from 1972-1984. While attending the Club, his favorite activity was to play basketball. He also enjoyed all of the other Club’s programs like ceramics, woodworking and playing in the gameroom, or just “hanging out with his friends. He loved competition from an early age at the club. Whether it was a basketball game, ping-pong match or a simple game of pig, Pete did not want to lose. It was no surprise, when asked what is favorite club memory was his answer was “every win or loss” that he experienced. He is also fond of every relationship he experienced with other club members and especially the Club Staff. “It’s funny, you don’t think much about this stuff when you’re 12 years old, but you do when you’re 45”, he said.

After graduating from Depew High School, as a standout hoopster, Pete attended Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY. He played four years of NCAA Division II basketball there under current University of Michigan coach, John Beilein. After graduating from Le Moyne he took an assistant basketball coaching job there under Beilein from 1990-1993. In 1993, Pete served as Assistant basketball coach at Gannon University in Erie, PA. In 1996, he was named Director of Athletics and Head Basketball coach at NCAA Division III Pittsburgh-Titusville. Pete returned to the Buffalo area in 1999 after accepting the Director of Athletics position at Medaille College, where he also coached the women’s basketball team. Currently, Pete is the Director of Athletics at Erie Community College, a position he’s held since 2006.

When asked what the club meant to him Pete said, “The Depew Boys Club was truly a second home for me while growing up. After school I would go to the club to play all kinds of sports, create crafts or hang out with my friends in the gameroom. While I was in high school, I was always in the gym to practice and play games against other club members. The Club, and the outstanding people who worked there, really allowed me to learn by experience and provided me with some advice that enabled me to succeed in future team settings. I was able to be part of something special each and every day that I attended the Club.”

Pete resides in Lancaster, NY with his wife Lisa, and two sons, Jakob and Jackson. Lisa is also the Club’s current President of the Board of Directors.