• Mike Manupella, executive director of the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls and Boys Club, stands outside the facility on Monday, March 26, 2018, in the Lansingburgh neighborhood of Troy, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union) Photo: Will Waldron, Albany Times Union / 20043298A
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Mike Manupella, executive director of the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls and Boys Club, stands outside the facility on Monday, March 26, 2018, in the Lansingburgh neighborhood of Troy, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union) less
Mike Manupella, executive director of the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls and Boys Club, stands outside the facility on Monday, March 26, 2018, in the Lansingburgh neighborhood of Troy, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times ... more
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Inside the games room at the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls and Boys Club on Monday, March 26, 2018, in the Lansingburgh neighborhood of Troy, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Inside the games room at the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls and Boys Club on Monday, March 26, 2018, in the Lansingburgh neighborhood of Troy, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Photo: Will Waldron, Albany Times Union
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Exterior of the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls and Boys Club on Monday, March 26, 2018, in the Lansingburgh neighborhood of Troy, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Exterior of the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls and Boys Club on Monday, March 26, 2018, in the Lansingburgh neighborhood of Troy, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
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Executive director Mike Manupella on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015, at Lansingburgh Boys and Girls Club in Lansingburgh, N.Y. He succeeds his father, the late Joe Manupella. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
Executive director Mike Manupella on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015, at Lansingburgh Boys and Girls Club in Lansingburgh, N.Y. He succeeds his father, the late Joe Manupella. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
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TROY – A gift from the closed Prince of Peace Lutheran Church is helping the Lansingburgh Boys & Girls Club with an a vital repair.

The 70-year-old church at 111th Street and Third Avenue across from the east side of Powers Park closed a year ago to be converted into apartments.  The congregation, however, reached out to help the neighborhood’s boys and girls one final time.

After the church was sold, the  Boys & Girls Club received a gift of $20,000 from the congregation.  The members decided that before closing their church they would make donations to local nonprofits from their treasury of about $100,000. The church building is about three blocks from the club location at 501 Fourth Ave.

“Usually, we don’t get donations of $20,000,” said Mike Manupella, executive director of the Lansingburgh Boys & Girls Club.

With 150 children flowing through the club’s quarters, plus bingo and other activities, the bathrooms need upgrades after 40 years, Manupella explained.

The Prince of Peace legacy allowed the club to jump into repairing the girls bathroom.  The $25,000 project is expected to be completed in the near future.  “It’s huge. It’s used at every function. It’s takes a beating. This was a blessing. Without the $20,000, there’s no way we could get it done,” Manupella said. The club used $5,000 from its reserves to cover the cost.

The adjacent boys bathroom is next on the list of upgrades.  For now, the club doesn’t have the funds  for another $25,000 repair job.

The club’s board of directors recently discussed the building’s condition, and boilers and the pool filter room are also on the list for improvements, Manupella said.

The club continues to press ahead with this year's fundraising events.  On the horizon are the spaghetti dinner from 7-9 p.m. April 9 and the third annual Joseph G. Manupella Memorial Run from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. April 28.

For information about the club and donating to it, go to www.lansingburghboysandgirlsclub.com.