Community Organizations

Local community organizations serve as the bedrock of any community, and there are plenty nearby. Local organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of Newark, P.A.C.O. (Puertorriquenos Asociados For Community Organization), Project Pride and little leagues like the Roberto Clemente Little League and Rick Cerone Little League, have all played a major role in organizing sports events and youth play throughout New Jersey. To this day, they remain an essential part of the fabric of communities, continuing to empower Latino youth through sports.

Jose “Chegui” Torres (left) aside Roberto Clemente (right)

Besides being prominent Puerto Rican athletes who inspire today's generation, Chegui Torres and Roberto Clemente were also contemporaries; both reaching the heights of their careers in the 1960’s. While Clemente tragically lost his life in 1972, Torres continued to serve as a community leader for NYC/NJ Puerto Ricans beyond the end of his professional career in 1969.

Roberto Clemente Little League (RCLL) and Project Pride hold an event

Project Pride, founded in 1978, was a volunteer group heavily involved with the Latino and underprivileged communities of Newark. They sponsored numerous after school activities for Newark students, including athletics programs. The organization regularly raised money through community events.

Pictured is an event they hosted alongside the RCLL. Their impact extended beyond sports, as they’ve awarded over a thousand scholarships for academically gifted students.

Puertorriquenos Asociados For Community Organization (P.A.C.O) Youth Baseball Team

P.A.C.O. is a Jersey City based non-profit organization that provides social services for Latinos throughout the Hudson County area. Formed in 1970 as “Puerto Rican Power”, P.A.C.O. has more than 50 years of community involvement, and sports is no exception. Pictured is one such little league team they sponsored, sporting P.A.C.O. uniforms.

Alex Rodriguez

Rodriguez, who is Dominican-American, played most of his professional career with the New York Yankees. Now in Florida, he is an active supporter of the Miami-Dade Miami Boys and Girls Club; he understands the importance of such organizations for Latino youth.

Victor Cruz

Cruz, who is Puerto Rican, was wide receiver for the NY Giants from 2010 to 2016. Of Super Bowl XLVI fame, he was born and raised in Paterson, NJ, where Cruz remains a local hero. He’s donated extensively to the Paterson Boys and Girls Club and his foundation, the Victor Cruz Foundation, provides funding for STEM programs directed at the underprivileged throughout the Northeast.

BGCN Boxing Event Newspaper Article

In 1982, The Boys and Girls Club of Newark hosted an amateur boxing tournament, the profits of which went towards improving the local gym. Jose “Chegui” Torres, emblematic of his continued role in the community after retirement, was invited to serve as guest of honor for the event. The Boys and Girls Club of Newark still exists as a local organization today, continuing to promote the wellbeing of Newark’s youth through various programs, including sports.

(translation)

This Friday the 17th in the Boy’s Club of Newark Boxing Card:

The Broadway unit of the Boys and Girls Club of Newark (Boys & Girls Club) will hold a boxing card tomorrow, friday, december 17 at 7:30 p.m, in the local gym at 422 Broadway, Newark.

Former light heavyweight world champion Jose “Chegui” Torres will be the Guest of Honor

The price of admission is $4 for entry and $10 for the reservation of a “ringside” seat.

Angel Dominguez, director of the event, announced that the funds raised by the event will be used to improve the gym facilities and promote amateur boxing in the city of Newark.

Various organizations throughout the state of New Jersey will be represented in this boxing card of this exhibition.