Craig Fitzgerald Courtesy photo/Boys and Girls Club of Greater Nashua

NASHUA – Craig Fitzgerald was eight years old when he walked into the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Nashua for the first time in 1985 — he would go on to become the club’s executive director 36 years later.

“It’s hard for me to think of my childhood without thinking of the club,” he said.

As a child, Fitzgerald thought the club would just be the place he went after school; however, it quickly morphed into something much more than that.

“I had a lot of caring mentors,” he said.

As Fitzgerald developed relationships with the staff and volunteers, they opened his eyes to a world of new activities and opportunities. These included hikes in the White Mountains, deep sea fishing trips, traveling to Fenway Park to watch the Boston Red Sox and, when the time came, college tours.

Following high school, Fitzgerald served in the U.S. Air Force for nine years as a pararescueman. After being discharged, he and a friend hiked the 2,200-mile-long Appalachian Mountain Trail to raise money and awareness for wounded soldiers. Fitzgerald ultimately went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree in history from Dartmouth College and his Master’s Degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.

In 2021, he was tapped by his former teen program director to lead the Boys and Girls Club on the banks of the Nashua River.

“As a former Club Kid, I can tell you firsthand the importance of the resiliency, curiosity and confidence that was instilled in me by my experiences and mentors here,” said Fitzgerald.

During the past three years, Fitzgerald has lowered the minimum age for enrollment from five years to six weeks, hired a team of mental health counselors and bolstered the club’s partnership with the Nashua School District.

“The needs of Nashua have evolved,” he said. “Now more than ever, youth development programs are needed to ensure our children succeed. As a strengths-based organization that relies on community partners to provide comprehensive services, we know we cannot do this alone. We need the community’s help.”

In addition to a STEM laboratory that is slated to open in May, Fitzgerald also created Project Succeed to assist students who have been suspended from school.

In an effort to reach even more children, the club recently launched its Power of YOUth capital campaign with the objective of raising $10 million.

The funds will be used to update the infrastructure of the 45-year-old building, increase its open-air footprint and continue to enhance the club’s mission of providing safe and affordable childcare.

“Kids often ask themselves, ‘What if I could be the first person in my family to go to college? What if I could buy my own house? What if I could do this instead?’ The children we serve aren’t naïve to their circumstances and it’s our job to help kids find where their greatest potential lies, to find their ‘what ifs’,” said Fitzgerald. “I can’t imagine how different my life would be if my parents hadn’t brought me here. Thanks to this organization and the people behind it, I don’t have to. My hope is neither will future generations of Greater Nashua kids.”

The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Nashua currently serves up to 350 children per day coming from 40 communities and 16 school districts in Southern New Hampshire.

Newsletter