Berkshire Hathaway Verani Realty donates $10K to Granite YMCA

LONDONDERRY, NH — Through its VeraniCARES initiative, Berkshire Hathaway Verani Realty (Verani) donated $10,000 to the Granite YMCA to help with expanding its free after school programs for middle and high school students in Manchester and Goffstown, according to a press release. The drop-in center offers homework help, games, computer access and outdoor activities – all designed to build friendships and awareness of social responsibility in a safe and supervised environment.

“Providing kids with a safe place to interact with positive role models is a crucial part of developing positive habits that lead to successful lives and happy futures,” said Giovanni Verani, the company’s president, who toured the Downtown Manchester Teen Center recently with YMCA President/CEO Hal Jordan. “All of us at Verani believe that by bettering the lives of others, we become a better company, and we hope this donation expands beyond that and helps better our greater community, as well.”

Through VeraniCARES, Verani sales associates, Real Estate Agents and other professionals at the organization raise funds through donations, which Verani Realty offers to match up to $10 per sales commission or donation. The effort, which launched in July of 2015, distributed more than $6,000 to local charities in 2016, including the Manchester Police Athletic League, SHARE, the Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity and the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley.

The most recent VeraniCARES recipient, the Granite YMCA, is ranked among the top three branches in the greater YMCA organization because of its character development program, which advocates, respect, honesty, responsibility and caring as core values.

“At least 60 kids come here every day to have safe place to go after school,” said Natalie Barney, teen center director at the Granite YMCA. “We are free to any teen in Manchester, are currently in a space that is 2,200 square feet and we’re hoping to expand to just over 6,000 square feet. The need is there and we can’t wait to make it happen.”

The organization needs more space to offer more programs and serve more kids. The goal is to build two new teen centers in Manchester and Goffstown over the next two years. The Teen Center is open to Y teen members and non-members ages 12-16 years old who are at least in middle school, and offers transportation from each City middle school for a fee of $1 per day.

To learn more about the Granite YMCA and its Teen Center, visit graniteymca.org or contact Natalie Barney, director of the Teen Center, at 603.232.8623. For more information about Verani, VeraniCARES, or its innovative approach to community engagement, visit verani.com or call 888.723.0306.

Caption: Hal Jordan, president/CEO of the Granite YMCA, Natalie Barney, teen center director at the Granite YMCA and Verani President Giovanni Verani.

Submitted by Dia Kalakonas.