Courtesy Matt Congdon Wellness Center
By Rod Bacon
The significant expansion of a local social services agency is currently underway.
Ground was broken October 18 for a 3,000-square-foot addition to the Glens Falls Area Youth Center. Named the Matt Congdon Wellness Center in honor of its longest serving executive director, the facility will allow the center to vastly expand and improve its offerings to the area’s at-risk youth.
Following his 1982 graduation from Springfield College with a degree in physical education/health and fitness, Matt Congdon took on the role of executive director on an interim basis while the original director was on maternity leave. After she had her baby she decided to be a stay-at-home mother and the directorship became Congdon’s, a position he filled for 36 years.
Molly Congdon-Hunsdon, the center’s current executive director, said, “When I took over as executive director it was my vision to expand our facility. It’s so exciting to have this happening and I think it’s going to mean the world to our kids. We’re going to be able to grow our programs and offer them so much more while continuing our mission for the next fifty-seven years.”
The center was founded in 1968 to serve children in Warren, Washington, and Saratoga counties. For several years it was housed in “less than desirable” locations until Congdon raised $1 million in eight months to build the current facility.
“My dad felt our kids deserved so much more and it was his goal to create a permanent home for them,” said Congdon-Hunsdon. “He was fortunate to have Dr. Jim Morrissey and his wife, Kay, offer to match any money he could raise so there were a lot of public speaking ventures. He was relentless and I was very proud of him when he made that happen.”
Queensbury-based Cifone Construction Co., Inc. was the general contractor for the current building.
With the exception of the large gymnasium, the center is 3,000 square feet so the addition will double that. It will house a variety of new weightlifting and fitness equipment, most of which will be from Nautilus or Hoist Fitness Systems. The existing equipment will be moved into the addition.
Congdon-Hunsdon said the new equipment will include an assisted pull-up and dip machine as well as a machine that simulates being on a snowboard. As a certified personal trainer, she is especially excited about having more space for the daily workout sessions she hosts.
“We’re always trying to find new and exciting ways for kids to move their bodies and have fun with it rather than having them feel it’s a chore,” she said.
The relocation of the fitness equipment will open up space in the main room for a new STEAM center, more seating in the kitchen and dining area, and storage space for clothing items that are donated by Bombas, South Glens Falls-based nePROMO, and the local Knights of Columbus lodge.
The hallway connecting the main building and the addition will provide space for a pantry area.
“A big thing for us is providing food security for the kids we serve, ninety percent of whom fall below the poverty line,” Congdon-Hunsdon said. “We’ve always provided dinner and after-school snacks, but since the pandemic we have provided breakfast for kids who need it. And we always have food available for kids to take home, whether it’s for themselves or a sibling who isn’t old enough to come to the center yet.”
Congdon-Hunsdon worked with Tony Dadamo of Cohoes-based Capital Architecture on the addition’s design and Paul Young of Prime Construction Saratoga on it’s construction plans. Projections are for the addition to be ready for occupancy in May 2026. The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce with host a ribbon cutting.
Funds to cover the $900,000 price tag for the addition, exercise machines, and items like shelving and tables for the dining area were raised exclusively from grants. Congdon-Hunsdon said the center has an annual fundraiser but 95 percent of the operating expenses come through grants. With a Bachelor of Arts in English with a History minor from Union College and a Master’s in Journalism from New York University she is uniquely qualified to write grants.
Many people who support the center financially wish to remain anonymous but significant contributors include the Hudson River Community Credit Union, the Charles R. Wood Foundation, and Arrow Bank. In addition to its annual support, Arrow Bank gifted the land on which the current center is sited.
Congdon-Hunsdon is joined by three staffers to administer the center’s programs: Assistant Director Carly LaMay, Program Supervisor Anthony Rivera, and Program Coordinator Nate Mattison. They will soon be joined by Hammad Awan, a former youth center member and current student at The University at Albany, who will be another program coordinator. As a matter of fact, both Congdon-Hunsdon and Rivera are what she calls “youth center kids.” The entire staff is certified through the Youth Intervention Programs Association (YIPA) in The Art and Science of Youth Workers.
A goal for 2026 is to arrange transportation to and from the center for kids in outlying areas.
“Right now the kids are responsible for their own transportation and since we serve three counties that is difficult for may of them,” said Congdon-Hunsdon.
Further in the future she would like to establish a second youth center in the region.
The Glens Falls Area Youth Center is located at 60 Montcalm Street in Glens Falls. It is open Monday-Friday from 3 p.m.-7 p.m. during the winter and 1 p.m.-5 p.m. in the summer.
For further information about the center’s programs and ways to support it go to gfyouthcenter.org.