HOLYOKE — All children deserve the best and nothing less.

That’s the message LaTasha Monroe, a hip-hop artist from Springfield who performs under the name Mz. Tash, celebrates in the theme song she wrote for Parent Villages, a Springfield grassroots organization that addresses gaps in opportunities in education and quality of life for both children and parents.

On Wednesday, Mz. Tash had state and local politicians including Gov. Maura Healey, caregivers and children clapping along to the beat during a performance at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke while she recognized the life-changing impact that groups like the club and Parent Villages have on their respective communities when backed by state-funded programs.

One such program is call like Summer Nights, a Department of Recreation and Conservation initiative that provides free activities for youth in urban neighborhoods. The launch of the 10th anniversary of the program coincided with Wednesday’s celebration at the Boys and Girls Club.

“So for the last 10 years we’ve been doing Summer Nights and it really is special because it’s really about the special partnerships that are created here in each of our communities across the state,” Healey said to the crowd. “The local partners, folks on the ground, who are in community, who are doing this work and also know how to best use the assets, the resources that we give to communities.”

Summer Nights partners with 100 organizations in 28 communities across the commonwealth. In addition to Holyoke, the annual initiative this year has added sites in Easthampton through the Easthampton Theater Company, Westfield, Pittsfield and Chicopee. The program operates in South Hadley at the Gorse Children’s Center on the Mount Holyoke College campus.

“One of our top priorities at DCR is really making sure that we’re providing inclusive, fun, recreational programming and engaging programming for our families all throughout the commonwealth, and that’s what summer nights does,” DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo said. “What’s incredible is bringing young people together in safe spaces, like the Boys and Girls Club, and providing them with an opportunity to learn from each other to learn and develop leadership skills and provide great fun activities.”

Parent Villages uses Summer Nights funds to provide educational and recreational programs like Youth Village Builders Workshops, seminars on various topics that aim to develop communication and social skills. The Boys and Girls Club organizes volleyball, basketball and lawn sports to attract teenagers to the facility, but they also have access to the game rooms, tech center and arts areas that the club offers.

Eileen Cavanaugh, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club, said when the organization joined Summer Nights three years ago, it barely attracted 20 to 25, but now the evening events average 80 to 85 people. Cavanaugh attests this growth to the lack of appropriate activities for young people offered in Holyoke, which is why the club focuses their programming on middle and high school students.

“Opportunities plus resources equals activities, and that is a formula that works for us and Boys and Girls Club,” she said. “It’s about finding resources and funding that supports the work that we do to create and enable young people to become productive, caring, considerate citizens of their communities.”

Each of the politicians remarked on how recreational programs enriched their own childhood or their children’s lives. Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia noted his own involvement with the Boys and Girls Club, from participating in youth activities to working at the facility throughout high school.

Energy & Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper remarked on the difficulty of enriching her twin boys during summer when money, time and program space hinder activities. Healey said her mother put her four siblings and her in sports to focus their endless energy and learn how to cooperative, collaborate and navigate disagreements.

“I think, kids, you’re picking up all those skills, and parents and families understand that. And that’s why we’re here as a state to stand behind you and with you,” Healey said.

Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com.