Article by David Pierce, posted in the Union Leader
4/25/25 — MANCHESTER, NH – Jordan Singer loved sports and loved kids, and would be honored and humbled by the donation his family made this week to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Manchester, said his father, Bob.
Family, friends and the folks who work at the club gathered on Friday to celebrate the renaming of the clubhouse on the west side of Union Street. From now on, hundreds of kids will pass under a sign that reads “Jordan Singer Youth Enrichment Center” as they strive for better futures.
Whether they look up to read the sign doesn’t matter. Jordan will be watching over and a sizable donation in his name will bring even more through the doors, said Bob Singer, a longtime Manchester resident, former president of Merchants Auto and minority investor in the New Hampshire Union Leader.
“I think he’s smiling from heaven right now and proud of the fact that this organization is so great. Every day, 500 to 600 kids come here and they’re nurtured, and it’s just a great honor,” Bob Singer said.
The donation will help the club make improvements throughout the building, including its Teen Center and Performing Arts Center, as well as other programs. The amount of the donation was not released.
Diane Fitzpatrick, CEO for the Boys & Girls Club, said when she first met Bob Singer, they instantly connected when he shared videos and memories of Jordan.
“I learned about Jordan and his courageous battle, and when we talked, we decided this would be a wonderful tribute to celebrate his life,” Fitzpatrick said.
Jordan Singer died in 2017 at the age of 28 after battling a rare form of cancer for five years.
“This is one of the proudest things I’ve done from a charitable perspective,” Bob Singer said. “Jordan loved kids. He actually ran basketball clinics for girls who wanted to go on to play Division I, Division II college basketball.”
Brotherly love
Jason Singer, Jordan’s older brother, had the honor of using the oversized scissors to cut the ribbon Friday. He remembers his brother as fun and full of joy.
“Every person he met, he wanted to be their best friend. Every game he went to was the best game he ever went to,” Jason Singer said.
“I think when you walk in and see his face everywhere, that’s very emotional. I cried a little,” Jason Singer said. “You have someone in your memory but you’re not used to seeing them. That’s very difficult. I saw my mom tearing up a little. But we’re here for a very positive reason. A very beautiful reason.”
Family tradition of giving
For many years, the Singer family has helped with local charities, including donating $600,000 to help build Singer Family Park, which is now the site of Delta Dental Stadium, where the Minor League Baseball New Hampshire Fisher Cats play. The family also donated $250,000 for a pedestrian bridge over the Merrimack River and funded part of the Irving and Bernice Singer Pedestrian Bridge, which spans the Piscataquog River.
Even with that, though, Bob Singer hopes the donation is just the beginning of how he’d like to give back to his home city and the institutions he champions. For him, it’s personal. He played basketball at the Boys & Girls Club and the community has enriched his life.
“They save lives,” Bob Singer said. “They grow people. It’s a wonderful organization.”
He relishes continuing his family’s legacy and collaborating with other business and community members who invest in Manchester’s youth.
“My mother and father were great role models for me. My father used to tell us … I’m one of seven siblings … to give until it hurts,” Bob Singer said. “And we were fortunate. We were successful. I grew up here, and I want to give back to the city of Manchester in every way I possibly can, whether it’s at the hospitals or the homelessness or the arts, wherever I can help. That’s what I want to do.”
Diane Mercier, New Hampshire president of People’s United Bank, said the city owes a debt of gratitude to the Singer family.
“It was devastating to lose Jordan and for that family, it was absolutely devastating. And to see that they’ve come to a place now where there’s joy in celebrating Jordan, having to move through all that grief and now finding joyful ways to keep him part of the community, it doesn’t happen a lot,” Mercier said. “People can’t sometimes get through that to bring them life again. And now Jordan’s beautiful face will be shining on these kids.”
Photo Credit: David Lane, Union Leader
