Westfield, NJ [October 2025] The Westfield Foundation has awarded a $275,000 Bogaert Grant to Second Street Youth Center (SSYC) in Plainfield to help secure ownership of its 25,000-square-foot Early Childhood Education Center. This landmark investment ensures SSYC can continue strengthening children, families, and the broader Union County community for generations to come.
Founded in 1967, SSYC provides early childhood education, after-school enrichment, and summer programs serving families in Plainfield and neighboring towns—including Westfield. The organization’s Community Family Navigator Program recently partnered with the Westfield Memorial Library to connect residents with vital health-insurance enrollment and worker-rights resources.
“This Bogaert Grant reflects what The Westfield Foundation stands for—fostering positive change, expanding opportunity, and elevating our impact across the communities we serve,” said Katie Darcy, Executive Director of The Westfield Foundation. “Our partnership with Second Street is only six years old, yet in that short time—highlighted most recently by this grant—our shared impact is immeasurable. By investing in Second Street’s long-term stability, we’re helping families thrive and ensuring this vital community anchor endures for decades to come.”
“This moment represents far more than a real estate transaction—it’s a declaration that our roots in this community are permanent,” said Leah Dade, Executive Director of Second Street Youth Center. “This gift from The Westfield Foundation means that our children—and their children—will always have a safe, nurturing place to learn, grow, and dream. It means stability. It means ownership. It means legacy.”
As The Westfield Foundation celebrates 50 years of impactful philanthropy, this grant underscores its enduring mission: to support nonprofit organizations that foster positive change and build a stronger, more inclusive community.