MASSENA -- The Boys and Girls Club of Massena’s chief professional officer has been named to the Afterschool Alliance’s “Power of 3:00 Ambassador” program.

The program is a yearlong advocacy, policy, and media training program for the state’s most dedicated afterschool, summer, and expanded learning providers and supporters, said a press release from the Afterschool Alliance. This program, run by the New York State Network for Youth Success, is modeled after the alliance’s Afterschool Ambassador program, said the press release.

Donatto applied and was selected from “a large pool of applicants,” the organization said.

The program runs from the end of July through mid-April, beginning with a full-day training event in Syracuse, where ambassadors will join regional staffers for New York state elected officials, as well as advocates. During this training, ambassadors will be introduced to “successful methods for advocacy, event planning, and media relations. They will then be tasked with putting their knowledge to work,” according to the release. Throughout the year, each ambassador will work closely with the Network for Youth Success’ Policy Department to plan advocacy events in their respective parts of the state, attend and lead groups for the network’s Advocacy Day, and assist in other advocacy efforts related to the fight for afterschool funding and policy on both a state and federal level.

“Through our Power of 3:00 Ambassador Program, we say that learning doesn’t stop at 3:00, and likewise, the role of afterschool professionals doesn’t stop when their program ends,” Kelly Sturgis, executive director of the New York State Network for Youth Success, said in a prepared statement. “We are building the capacity of these individuals to tell their story to policymakers and advocate on behalf of their programs and the field. By selecting a core group of highly motivated people to get advanced training in advocacy, we’ll be furthering our policy efforts and helping to ensure the youth of New York State have continued access to high-quality afterschool, summer, and expanded learning opportunities.”

Other program ambassadors include:

Amy Huff, director of youth services, Native American Community Services (Buffalo)

Dahmein McFadden, chief program officer, Row New York (New York City)

Danette Campbell-Bell, principal consultant, Campbell-Bell Consulting, Managing Partner, Strings for Life, LLC (Rochester)

Elliott Van Pelt, senior counselor/data entry coordinator/site coordinator, SHINE Afterschool (Yonkers)

Erin Murphy, site coordinator, East Area Family YMCA School Age Care Afterschool Program (Syracuse)

Jennifer Kennedy, after school program manager, Oswego County Opportunities, Inc. (Oswego)

Jimmy Bulmer, director of operations, Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany (Albany)

June Mead, association teamlLeader, Children, Youth and Families for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County (Binghamton)

Rebecca Darugar, director of education, 826NYC (New York City)

Stephanie Fitzgerald, school age youth program office, United Way of Greater Rochester (Rochester)

Tanaya Thomas-Edwards, assistant director, Syracuse University Science and Technology Entry (STEP) Program (Syracuse)