The Boys and Girls of Paterson and Passaic will honor New York Giants wide receiver and city native Victor Cruz at its 6th Annual Gala of Dreams at the Terrace in Paramus at the end of May. Cruz’s wife Elaina Watley will also be honored at the event.

Cruz and Watley attended the club in their youth and are raising funds for the organization as cho-chairs of the club’s Campaign for Kids. The club intends to raise $5 million to renovate two clubhouses and create academic programs to serve children of the two cities.

“It’s amazing to come back to my hometown, a place where I grew up in the Boys & Girls Club,” Cruz said. “To be able to give back in such a monumental way to these kids and this city, gives me a great deal of pleasure.”

The club will also honor Benjamin Moore and locally-owned Ricciardi Brothers for donating supplies to renovate the Fine and Performing Arts Center at the Paterson clubhouse which is serving housing the dance, art, and multi-media rooms.

“Enriching the lives of the communities where our retailers operate is core to who we are,” Kimberlee Bradshaw, Managing Director of Benjamin Moore’s Giving Moore Foundation, said. “Without the partnership of incredible paint stores like Ricciardi Brothers Paints, Benjamin Moore wouldn’t be able to make such a lasting impact at the Boys & Girls Club of Paterson and Passaic so we are thrilled to be recognized amongst good company by such a deserving organization.”

Wendy Worden, Chief Development and Marketing Officer for the Club, said contribution from the Benjamin Moore and the Ricciardi Brothers has allowed the club to provide kids a space and a launching pad for the future artists, web designers, and dancers. “The support of Benjamin Moore and Ricciardi Brothers has made it possible for us to provide our Club Kids with dynamic space for them to express their creativity,” Worden said.

The club serves 1,000 children between the age of 5-18 daily with academic, athletic, and artistic programming at two of its clubhouses and 10 satellite locations.

Sponsorships, journal ads, and tickets for the Gala of Dreams can be purchased online at galaofdreams.eventbrite.com. For more information contact contact Wendy Worden at 973-279-3055 x250 or wworden[@]bgcppnj.org.