The Bronx One-on-One Mentoring, known as BOOM, a program for at-risk children operated by the American Latin Association of New York in University Heights, was forced to shut its doors recently due to budget cuts.

After a federal grant expired last year and was not renewed, Israel Rodriguez, the association’s president and director of the BOOM program, said he spent the summer and fall scrambling for funding, but was ultimately forced to close operations in March.

“We did such good work,” Rodriguez said. “No politicians in the area recognized it and I don’t understand why.”

Rodriguez, originally from Venezuela, started BOOM in 2006, inspired, he said, by his own experiences from his own childhood, when he felt like he had no one to look to for guidance and direction.

The program paired at-risk children — many of them foster children, children of immigrants, or children who have an incarcerated parent — with adult mentors, who worked with them for a minimum of one year. They discussed everything from academics to personal issues and tried to guide their charges to a better path.

“It was a program that was good for the area that we live in; it gave kids a place to talk,” said Wade Irby, a former mentor who volunteered with BOOM for four years.

The program operated out of three different schools, and children were referred to BOOM by social workers, members of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), and teachers. Over 50 applications were recently received from ACS, but with the budget cut, those applicants were pushed to the side.

In the face of the program’s financial struggles, Rodriguez was forced to lay off all of his paid staff last August, and then relied solely on volunteers. In search of help, he personally sent letters to United States senators and members of Congress and was told that they were not able to provide funding, but would advise the BOOM program of others who could possibly help. Councilmember Fernando Cabrera gave Rodriguez $25,000 to use for rent from July to January, but when that time was up, Rodriguez had no choice but to close the doors.

Carey Zimmerman, a former mentor, said she was unaware that the program got shut down. “The program did a good job at matching kids with adults that have similar personal interests,” she said.

Though she currently is not under BOOM contract, she has continued to visit her mentee and takes her out occasionally.

“I went to a Christmas party event with the program and saw that everyone has a close relationship,” said Zimmerman. “It’s a shame that they won’t be able to have that anymore,”

Several people outside of the BOOM program knew how beneficial it was and are extremely disappointed that it had to be shut down.
Alan Mechanic, director of facilities at Monroe College, helped provide supplies and necessities to the BOOM program. Though he was not a part of the actual program, he saw the work that was done and supported Rodriguez.

“Israel had his heart into the program,” said Mechanic. “It was something he really wanted to do.”

Rodriguez plans to open a mentoring program in the Dominican Republic. Though he says he is upset about the closing of the BOOM program in the Bronx, he feels that his knowledge will do well elsewhere.

“I’ve been to DR. They don’t have anything, the delinquency and teen pregnancy over there is high,” he said, adding that he hopes to work there while still keeping his ties to the Bronx.

“But I have no help here,” he said.

Ed. note: A version of this story appears in the April 5-18 print edition of the Norwood News.