Recently the Connecticut Bond Commission approved $6.5 million for critical renovations and expansion of the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, funding was supported by Governor Ned Lamont and the Greenwich delegation.
At the Club, critical infrastructure has not been addressed for over 50 years, including plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and security systems, which are all outdated.
The Boys & Girls Club is the largest non-profit organization in Greenwich, serving over 300 youth daily. In Greenwich 79% of youth at the Club come from families defined as low-income by HUD, 63% from Title I Schools, and 53% on free and reduced lunch.
On Friday Governor Lamont stopped by the Club for a tour and a few fierce rounds of “Are you smarter than your Governor?” with a group of middle schoolers.
“I’m game,” Lamont said.
The first question was to list the three branches of government. One child’s hand shot up faster than anyone else.
“Legislative, executive and judicial,” he said.
“Bingo,” the Governor said. “But I like the Executive branch!”
Other questions were answered quickly by children, included who enforces the law, what branch of government makes the law, and what branch of government is the Supreme Court.
Then, in a lightning round of name-the-state-capital, a child shouted out Hartford faster than anyone in the room.
“Who has ever been to Hartford,” Governor Lamont asked. “I’d like you all to come visit me in the office.”
Students knew the capital cities of every state they were asked: Albany, New York; Frankfort, Kentucky; Dover, Delaware; and Charleston, West Virginia.
Next the Governor asked the significance of July 4, 1776 and names of who were there.
“Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, James Madison, George Washington and John Adams,” one boy replied.
Lamont explained that on that day bitter rivals Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were present.
“Do you know when they died?” he asked.
A boy answered John Adams died on July 4, 1826.
“Yes, and?” Lamont asked. “They died on the exact same day and the exact same time.”
“What color was Washington’s white horse?” Lamont asked.
“Black?” one camper asked.
“It was gray. President Washington like to make a big impression when he rode into town, so he had a team buff up his gray horse and make it white, so he could ride into town on a white horse.”
State Rep Steve Meskers jumped in with a question.
“What branch of the government is the Governor’s office?” Meskers asked.
After a long silence, one boy guessed, “Legislative?”
“Executive,” a boy said.
“That’s right. In the state, the Governor is the equivalent of the President,” Meskers said to applause.
Then the Governor asked the students to name the one thing they’d like to change in Connecticut.
“No homework,” one boy said.
“Prices,” one boy said.
“You want everything to be cheaper? Okay. That would be nice. That would mean that people get paid less, but I understand.”
“No school,” a boy said.
“Boys and Girls Club all day,” someone said.
“Maybe make I95 wider,” a boy said. “Because there are crashes every day in I-95.”
Everyone laughed knowingly.
