It’s the end of an era at the Lansingburgh Boys & Girls club in Troy.
Sitting in a now nearly empty office in the hardscrabble neighborhood, with dozens of pictures, plaques, and citations in boxes strewn around his office and car, Mike Manupella is reflecting on the nine years he spent leading the club. Manupella took over as Executive Director when his father, Joe, retired in 2015.
His dad, who died shortly after retiring at the age of 87, led the club for more than 40 years. Also a county legislator, the elder Manupella was credited with securing hundreds of thousands of dollars in local, state, and federal funding for renovations. Mike says he thinks his father would be proud of the work he has done since taking over.
“It was tough,” Manupella said. “I've had friends of his for a long time that said I did a good job. But I will say it was tough. It was really emotional. You know, because I know what he did for 49 years. And I didn't have the connections he had, I had some.”
Jimmy Bulmer was tapped by the club’s board of directors as the next leader. Manupella says Bulmer, who grew up in the program, is the right choice. Bulmer, a Siena and University at Albany graduate, has served as the Chief Operations Officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Capital Area for several years and has leadership experience with Kiwanis International.
“He grew up here. He was a Latchkey. He ran one of the Albany Boys Clubs for eight years. He wanted this job since he was 9. And we knew it,” Manupella said. “And we brought him in. We did a big search, maybe 22 candidates, and he was our number one. We picked him from the choir five years ago. And he's going to do fantastic; young and energetic. That's what we need what.”
The Latchkey program supports kids whose parents are at work before and after school, providing childcare and transportation. The club’s gym and pool facilities are also open to the public for a small fee.
Manupella, now 66, is stepping away after more than 50 years of service because of some health issues and to spend more time with his family. He says, like his father, he showed up as a child and never left, except for a six-month period when he worked for the state.
“This isn't a job where you get rich, but there's just so many rewards. And when you see what happens here, these kids here from single parents and if they're not here they’re on the streets. And we give them dinner three times a week and give them snacks every day, homework club. Just things that they’re not getting at home. And a lot of them are home alone at 10-11 years old and that's a scary thought.”
As kids stream in and parents stop by the office to bid him farewell, Manupella ponders the kids who have cycled through over the decades.
Woody Edwards began attending the club when he was 4.
“You were supposed to be 5. When I was in the club at 4, they let me in, Treva was like ‘No we're gonna let him in.’”
Now 46, he calls the club a sanctuary that changed everything. Treva Ryan, the assistant executive director, retired earlier this year after several decades with the club.
“My life, there is no there is no picture of my life right now without the club. There’s no way,” Edwards said.
Edwards’ first job was through the county’s youth employment program where he was placed at the club. Here, he learned to sweep, mop, clean tables, and keep the kids in line.
Edwards went on to play basketball at both Hudson Valley Community College and SUNY New Paltz. He says without Manupella “pushing his buttons,” he wouldn’t have had the sports career he did.
After college, Edwards joined the military. Manupella would send him letters of encouragement — knowing that Edwards would have to do pushups for every letter.
“Mike wrote letters about what was happening at the club, what was happening in life. He gave me like, motivation through his words, like, ‘you think you need to come back here? Bullcrap. You know you need to do what's best for you. You’re gonna be a better man when you come back.’ He was like, his words, I could just hear him saying it to me, you know, he was no longer saying ‘you suck.’ He was saying like, ‘Dude, I applaud you. And everything you're doing is great.’ He gave me this. He gave me like, motivation to keep going.”
Edwards now lives in New Berlin, roughly two hours away from Troy. He is an ordained minister, coaches several high school sports teams and is a job coach for people with disabilities. He says he takes every chance he gets to stop by when he is in town to shoot hoops. Edwards says no matter what problems he’s facing, touching the brick wall here takes his worries away.
Mayor Carmella Mantello was part of the inaugural group when girls were permitted to join. Mantello thanks Manupella for his unwavering commitment.
“It's a passion and dedication to Troy’s kids and as someone who was mentored by Mike’s dad, Joe Manupella, to lose Mike, I’m so happy for him, that he’s retiring can spend time with his family, his kids, his grandkids, but it is a loss,” Mantello said.
In his retirement, he hopes to relax and recover.
“I'm gonna do something, take the summer off and then I got some things in the wind,” Manupella said. “Nothing full time, just to get me out of the house and I'm sure I'll be spending some time down here, too.”
Even though he is stepping away from leadership, Manupella says he won’t be gone. He wants the kids to know that they can do anything they put their minds to — and that the club will always be a safe place.
