Deborah Kneeland Keegan and for Kids Only

The name “Kneeland” is a magical one athletically in Winthrop, where Bobby Kneeland, Briana Kneeland, and Nikki Kneeland distinguished themselves on the field and in the classroom. Bobby was an amazing running back for coach Tony Fucillo and a superb hockey player, while Briana Kneeland went on to become an outstanding softball player at Bentley University.

But their mother, Deborah Kneeland Keegan, has also achieved great things as the founder and director of the For Kids Only after school program that has been so successful. Deborah was a visionary years ago in recognizing that children needed a place to go where they could participate in worthwhile and productive educational activities in the immediate hours after school and before dinnertime. The program was launched and expanded to other communities, whose leaders realized the success Deborah had achieved here and sought to emulate her model of after-school programs for youngsters.

This past Friday Deborah opened a beautiful new “Youth in Motion” facility on Broadway in Revere, with Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Senator-elect Joseph Boncore joining Revere city and school officials at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

We congratulate Deborah Kneeland Keegan on her vision and thank her for bringing so much joy to the lives of the children and parents who have been so well-served by her outstanding work for decades.