Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced the expansion of the recently launched “Saturday Night Lights” (SNL) program with 23 additional sites added in the Bronx, joining the two that opened in 2019.

 

On July 9, the NYPD, the Department of Youth and Community Development (NYCD), the city’s five district attorneys’ offices and several city agency partners, community-based organizations (CBOs) and foundations announced the opening of 100 gyms across the city for free, high-quality sports programs for kids on Saturday nights.

 

An earlier expansion of the SNL program, announced on July 9, was supported by a commitment of $5 million in funding which Mayor Bill de Blasio included in the fiscal year 2022 “recovery budget.” It ensured that no indoor gyms would be closed on Saturday nights – the time when they are needed most by kids in city communities.

 

In reference to the most recent additional program venues added across The Bronx, Clark said, “I am thrilled that the Saturday Night Lights program is expanding across the City, with the Bronx getting 23 of the 100 new locations. These gyms are exactly what we need in our communities.”

 

She added, “It gives our youth a free, safe, indoor place on Saturday nights where they can shoot some hoops or play soccer. Programs like SNL instill teamwork, leadership, and strengthens the relationship between law enforcement and residents through sports and social activity. They are what we need to prevent crime and give kids opportunities. Eighteen of the Bronx’s 25 sites are operating now in neighborhoods throughout the Bronx, so I hope our young people will participate.”

 

Children aged 11 to 18 can show up to the sites during program hours, which are between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. every Saturday, without the need to register, and can participate in the free program. SNL offers several indoor sports, including basketball, soccer and volleyball, as well as dance, martial arts, and other activities.

 

Listed below are the sites that are currently operating in The Bronx under the Saturday Night Lights program:

• P.S. 224, 345 Brook Avenue
• Millbrook Community Center, 201 St. Ann’s Avenue
• Hostos Lincoln Academy, 600 St. Ann’s Avenue (since 2019)
• Bronx River Community Center, 1619 East 174^th Street
• Soundview Cornerstone, 1680 Seward Avenue
• Highbridge Community Center, 1155 University Avenue
• Mullaly Park, 40 East 164^th Street
• PAL Webster Center, 2255 Webster Avenue (since 2019)
• Edenwald Cornerstone, 1150 East 229^th Street
• Monterey Cornerstone, 2100 Monterey Avenue
• MMCC Pelham Cornerstone, 785 Pelham Parkway North
• Eastchester Community Center, 3016 Yates Avenue
• Melrose Community Center, 286 East 156^th Street
• NYCHA Betances Community Center 465 St. Ann’s Avenue
• Boston Secor, 3540 Bivona Street
• P.S. 11, 1257 Ogden Avenue
• Urban Institute of Mathematics, 650 Hollywood Avenue
• New South Bronx, 991 Longwood Avenue

 

Another seven sites will be coming soon.

 

Announcing the initial expansion of the program to the Boys Club of New York at 321 E. 111^th Street, in East Harlem on July 9, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said, “This program, centered on enhancing youth development, is an exciting step forward for the NYPD and our partners in continuing to build trust and create opportunities for kids in neighborhoods throughout New York City.” He added, “This has always been important – but it has never been more important than at this moment.”

 

The Saturday Night Lights program continues all year long. Organizers say a key component of the program is bringing cops and kids together. Teams of Youth Coordination Officers from NYPD precincts will be at each of the 100 gymnasiums every Saturday night, helping to coach and participating with members of various community-based organizations (CBOs) to interact with young people and help make what they hope will be a lasting and positive impact in their lives.

 

According to the NYPD, Saturday Night Lights is a central component of “NYPD Kids First,” a recently announced philosophy that organizers say builds on the police commissioner’s mission to take neighborhood policing to the next level through initiatives to protect and serve all New York City kids, prevent violence, and connect with kids before any potential entanglements with the criminal justice system can occur or take root.

 

Organizers say the Saturday Night Lights expansion activates underutilized spaces by bringing exceptional athletic programs and activities, free of charge, to more neighborhoods where kids live, and by connecting them with high quality coaches and mentors.

 

The expansion of the program builds on an initiative begun a decade ago by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr., involving one gym in one neighborhood in Upper Manhattan. Organizers say under Vance’s leadership, Saturday Night Lights grew to 20 gyms – 12 of them in Manhattan and eight spread throughout the city. Now, they say due to the expanding partnership behind this new initiative, it has blossomed to 100 gyms citywide.

 

The expanded program is being administered by the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) and operated by various CBOs. In addition to the DYCD, the NYPD and the five district attorneys’ offices, organizers say Saturday Night Lights also involves key agency partners including the city’s Department of Education, the Parks Department, the New York City Housing Authority, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the NY/NJ HIDTA as well as foundation partners including the New York City Police Foundation, the First Responders Children’s Foundation, the Mandela Foundation, Toys for Tots, Good 360, and Franklin Toys.