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10/18/2017 08:30 AMWhen Laura D’Aiello moved into The Roby House in January this year, she knew the tasks of her new job as resident director would keep her busy. There was, however, something that took her by surprise.
“It’s a lot more fun than I thought it would be,” she says with a smile. “I’m living in a house full of kids, after all, and they tell funny stories and goof off with each other. They study very hard and work to make this opportunity they have a great success, but we also enjoy living here together.”
The Roby House on Durham Road is the home away from home for the scholars of Madison’s A Better Chance (ABC) program. Part of a national organization, the mission of Madison ABC is “to provide academically talented young people of color the opportunity to have an outstanding secondary school education in preparation for college” according to www.madisonabc.org.
This year, the Roby House is home to five ABC scholars—two freshmen and one in each other high school grade. Laura says that three of the young men are from Brooklyn, one is from the Bronx, and one is from Bridgeport.
“Generally, the scholars have come from an urban environment where they take public transport to school, and when they come here they walk from this big house to the end of the driveway to meet the yellow school bus. That’s just one of many things that are different,” Laura says.
“Our main focus is to get the boys through high school with good grades. They all know they are going to college, so we want it to be their best college. More than that, they want to be good people, good men, good leaders in the community. They want to live up to their potential, to be all they can be.”
As resident director, Laura manages the day-to-day duties of running the household. She drives the scholars to sports practices, games, and after school activities, and takes care of anyone who’s sick. She attends their academic reviews, schedules their appointments, cheers them on at their sports games and school plays, and even teaches them to load the dishwasher.
“Most of the boys play sports and they have practices and games most nights, as well as fundraising events to support the team. Every month the scholars volunteer at the Community Dining Room, setting up and chopping vegetables. They do events like Run for the Cove,” she says.
“It’s a great job and it’s so interesting to work with the kids. We eat dinner together five nights a week, just like a family, and we share stories about our day. The boys all get along really well and they are very respectful of each other and everyone who’s involved in ABC,” she says.
The Roby House is also home to Resident Assistant André Gabriel, who manages the scholar’s academic program, supervising study hours and assisting with college applications.
“We’re all different ages and backgrounds but our home is fun and comfortable. Just like raising your own children, working with young people can be challenging and it’s definitely rewarding.”
Working with young people and living with teenage boys is a whole new experience for Laura, who came to the position after 15 years as a project manager at United Technologies in Hartford. Living in Niantic, she was job searching online when she was the opening with Madison ABC.
“It was a new kind of job for me but as a professional project manager, I was confident I could be successful in the role,” she says. “We are a team of different people with different experiences performing different functions, but we are all working together with one goal. I’m proud to be the leader of the great, high-functioning team that we’re building in the house.”
Born in Pasadena, California, Laura grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from Katharine Gibbs College in Boston. Working for a training and consulting company she discovered her passion for project management and completed a business administration degree at the University of Phoenix.
“It’s a heavy load to juggle studying as well as work and have a family, but I’m proud I did it. My biggest regret was not going to college after school, and I’m excited to support the boys here so they can achieve that dream early and go on to great success in their lives.”
All ABC scholars attend Daniel Hand High School and, established in 1970, the Madison branch is one of the longest-running public school ABC programs.
“The teachers and school staff have been so supportive,” Laura says. “They all say how much they love the program and they just go above and beyond. Last year a teacher even rented tuxes for the boys to wear to the junior and senior proms.”
Laura says she’s been very impressed with the enthusiastic community support for the program.
“ABC has no state or federal funding; it’s 100 percent thanks to the support of local individuals, businesses, and partnerships. The people of Madison and the shoreline have really embraced the program and these kids with open arms. It really restores your faith in humanity, to feel the support from so many kind, generous people,” she says.
“It’s said that it takes a village to raise a child, well ABC really gives these kids a village. They have their family at home, their host family, the team at Roby House, the ABC Board of Directors, and their teachers and coaches. We are all different people with one common goal: to do whatever we can to support each scholar to do well, to prepare them for a good college and beyond that to serve as leaders in the community.”
Each ABC scholar is matched with a host family and, over the last 45 years, more than 60 Madison families have signed up for the four-year program.
“Every child has a host family who has welcomed them into their home as if they were their own child. They go to sports games, movies, celebrate family events, go to the grocery stores—whatever the host family does on the weekend, they do with their scholar,” she says. “It’s one of the most powerful relationships they have during their time at ABC.”
A valuable source of funding for Madison ABC is the ACT II Thrift Shop at 170 Boston Post Road, Madison, and Laura enjoys volunteering at the store every Thursday.
“It’s all volunteers are ACT II and it’s a great place. Everything we sell has been donated and 50 percent of the money raised goes to the annual operating budget of ABC and the rest goes to children’s charities.”
Laura believes the work of the Madison ABC team reaches far beyond the lives of the scholars.
“ABC gives a unique opportunity to the individual scholars they would not otherwise have, but more than that, it’s important to think about what we get back as a society,” she says.
“Every day, the future of our cities, our states, and our communities get off school buses at high schools across the country, and there are so many young people out there with untapped talent who could be our future leaders. ABC takes a group of people who have the intelligence, drive, and commitment to do all these great things and supports them so they can make a positive contribution to the world.”