Joseph H. Firth Youth Center
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About the Firth Youth Center

FYC in the News!

LEAD PHILLIPSBURG PRESS RELEASE
LEAD on Amending Parental Notification Laws
Cops 'n' Kids Reading Room Relocated to FYC!
Local Cop Runs Karate Classes at FYC
Fire Dept. Helps Cool FYC Kids in Heatwave 9/5/18
Pop-Up Farmers Market Continues at FYC 8/20/18
PBS: Free Veggie Friday at the Firth 8/18/18
WFMZ: Generosity pays for memberships 11/22/17
WFMZ: Donation Campaign 12/22/17
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Executive Director, Kelly Post-Sheedy, and Board President, Jeff Russo, pictured during a local news feature on the Adopt-A-Member Campaign.

Board of Directors
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Jeffrey Russo, President
Maija Stone, Vice President
Donna Schaare, Secretary
Michael Pintabone, Treasurer
Jack Budd
Robert Gould
Brian Hajdu
Jennifer Hillis
Deborah Hosbach

Craig Merrick

Mark Reda
Brian Tipton
Amanda Shepherd


Leadership Team
Kelly Post-Sheedy, Executive Director
Meghan Santowasso, Program Supervisor
Gabriella Razzano, Project Coordinator

History of the Joseph H. Firth Youth Center

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Elizabeth Firth-Wade
Elizabeth Firth, the only child of Joseph H. and Margaret A. (Lewis) Firth, was born on April 11, 1880, in Phillipsburg, NJ.  She was one of the most accomplished singers and actresses that appeared on the English stage. Miss Firth was known in Phillipsburg as "Jimmie" Firth, a name her father bestowed upon her at a very early age. As a schoolgirl, Elizabeth Firth stood out vividly in the memories of her peers. She graduated from Phillipsburg High School in the class of 1900. While still in school, having inherited the vocal ability with which the Firth family is so splendidly endowed, and encouraged by her mother, Miss Firth became the soprano soloist in the choir of the First Presbyterian Church in Phillipsburg and later accepted a similar position in an Easton, Pennsylvania church. At that time, she became a pupil at the New York Conservatory of Music. At a concert given in the Waldorf-Astoria her rich voice attracted the attention of a leading London musical director. Then, followed a brief engagement in a musical comedy, the young singer undertook an English concert tour in June of 1903. She completed a successful tour and was about to cross the ocean home, when London's leading dramatic producer, heard her sing, and engaged her dramatic services for a term of three years. From that time Miss Firth's successes continued. She appeared in numerous soprano roles at several London theaters. A stunning beauty in appearance, Miss Firth was tall and slender with a mass of hair, had a clear blond complexion and blue eyes. In addition to her beauty, she enjoyed the reputation of being one of the best gowned women in London. Her one regret was that her parents were not with her to enjoy her successes and the luxuriant apartments of her London home. Just to satisfy that homesickness for "dear old Phillipsburg," Miss Firth took a trip across the ocean every year, to spend a week with her mother and father at their home in Phillipsburg. Elizabeth Firth Wade organized the Elizabeth Firth Wade Foundation Endowment Fund (Santa Barbara, CA), which is still in operation. The foundation erected the Joseph H. Firth Youth Center in 1954, in Phillipsburg, NJ, in honor of her father. The Board of Directors maintains a close relationship with the Elizabeth Firth Wade Foundation and works tirelessly to honor her legacy in Phillipsburg, NJ.

The Firth Youth Center is a private 501(c)(3) charitable organization devoted to serving the youth of Phillipsburg, NJ since 1954 through a wide variety of dynamic programming and educational and athletic opportunities.  The Firth Youth Center is committed to the Town of Phillipsburg and the betterment of our children and community. ​

108 Fleming Drive (f/k/a Anderson St), Phillipsburg, NJ 08865
For GPS, please use: 420 Wilson Street, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865

Phone: (908) 454-7281
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