The safety and security of the club was something like an extended family for Stumper, who benefited greatly from it, especially when her mother was working. “Being a single mother, she needed us to be somewhere she knew we would be safe and occupied all day,” Stumper said. “Summer drops offs were 8:30 and pick ups were 6 pm, I want to say. Honestly, I never wanted to leave. Pick up time always came too soon for me.” Stumper formed many friendships during her Girls Club years—many that continue to this day. “I am most grateful to have made some life-long friends there, too. It’s funny when you see each other now and just know that is your connection, something that was so long ago.” Stumper’s involvement with the Girls Club tapered off after its merger with Clifton’s Boys Club in 1986 and the move to the combined club’s current location at Clifton and Colfax Aves. “I did go to both clubs and honestly wasn’t thrilled when I heard they were merging. I think most of us were unsure how the merger would affect what was our
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November 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com
Kim Stumper
Cindy Kowal
‘norm.’ The Girls Club was my second home. A safe place for me to be, while my Mom was working.” More changes came when Stumper’s immediate family relocated from her grandparents’ house on Union Ave., and she took a job. “When I was 13, we moved to Wilson St. It wasn’t easy getting to the club anymore. And I was starting to work part-time after school at Barry’s Tuxedos in Passaic. My mom, grandmother, and aunt all worked at Barry’s for years. Having my first job there was