Amherst Youth Board
Bachovchin retires after 33 years
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

Bachovchin

In 33 years as executive director of the Amherst Youth Board Joe Bachovchin has seen the town's Youth Department grow by leaps and bounds.

From a staff of one - himself, working at a desk in the Highway Department garage - he will leave a department with multiple functions and a staff of 17.

"I have been thinking about retiring for a while and reached the conclusion about a month or so ago," said Bachovchin, who will leave at the end of the year. "It was the right time for me to move on."

He added that with the town needing to cut spending while salvaging programs, it was time to turn the reigns of the agency over to a younger, well-qualified member of the staff.

From the way Bachovchin described the Youth Board, there is barely enough room in a newspaper, let alone an article, to list all the ways it helps children, from infancy to age 20, and their families.

"When I started we had no program sites but they have come about little by little over time," Bachovchin said.

Under his direction, the Town of Amherst offers four after-school child-care sites: Harlem Community Center, Pepsi Center, Clearfield Community Center and the Independent Health Youth and Family Center.

The program initially was an after school drop-off program in the 1980s and 1990s to give students something to do. Bachovchin said there were so many reports about the negative things students were doing, and he wanted to change that.

"That helped to turn around some of that negative publicity," he said about giving students a place to go.

He added that it became clear after awhile that the needs of families were changing, and the Youth Board decided that what was really needed in the town was after-school child care.

With a sliding scale for payment, the centers offer after school and vacation care.

"They are usually full to capacity," he said.

Life for youths has changed dramatically from when there was a great need for programming, Bachovchin said, adding that today the Amherst Youth Engaged in Service program has 400-500 volunteers.

The Youth Work$ program, in which teens help residents, usually elderly, with household jobs, has grown. The referral program sets up the youths with jobs, while teaching them the value of work.

Bachovchin said those are just a few examples of the level of service the Youth Board now provides.

The board of directors has also changed shape and started a statewide trend since Bachovchin took the position. In addition to community members the board of directors has seven voting student positions.

"We try to get at least one student from each high school and two from wherever in the community. They bring a very valuable perspective," he said. "They help provide better perspective."

Bachovchin said Amherst's decision to put students on the Youth Board led to New York State requiring that all youth boards have a voting student member.

With the board of directors the only town committee with term limits - two six-year terms - Bachovchin said he has had the opportunity to work with many residents who proposed new ideas.

From addressing drug and alcohol use, assisting disabled children and teens, and offering family counseling, the Youth Board offers help where needs exist.

Bachovchin has played a diligent role in bringing programs and facilities to the town, including the Eggertsville Community Center, which he said has been a 12-year project in the making.

He has also seen the popularity of "The Family Room," where residents gather for safe, structured interaction with others, grow to 200-300 families.

Although his job title may be changing his efforts won't.

"I will stay very active in the community and in the youth foundation. I have been involved for many years, and hope to stay involved for many more," he said.

As president of Amherst South Rotary, he said he will continue volunteering with the club, as well as through his church, Eastern Hills Wesleyan.

Bachovchin will have more time for projects that he has been putting off, visiting friends and family and volunteering. He said he has ideas for a dozen books or articles that he would like to write, some in the field of youth programming and others just for fun.

In his final weeks, Bachovchin said he wants to put an emphasis on how important it is that people know the Town of Amherst has outstanding youth programs.

"Residents should volunteer their time; we need more of that in the future," he said. "As government looks for ways to reduce costs and services, volunteering is one way that can happen."

Prior to being hired by the Town of Amherst, Bachovchin worked for the YMCA of Buffalo and Erie County for four years as an assistant to the physical director, community program director and program director for the drug abuse prevention program held in Snyder.

When he started, the Youth Board had an operating budget of $50,000. It is now $1.5 million.

His focus has been helping the residents of the town who don't yet have the right to vote. Youths can't tell the town what they need or want, Bachovchin said.

"The Youth Board became the main advocacy for what the youth needs," he said.

e-mail: jfinch@beenews.com