Jonathan Jackson
The Baldwin County Boys and Girls Club works to instill virtue and educate young people from the age of 6 to 16 in the community. A local couple are helping the cause, spearheaded by executive director Paul Bernard, by making a donation to the club. Bill and Kay Neely donated $1,000 to the club Friday at the offices of Wachovia Securities.
�We appreciate what they do in this community for young people,� Neely said. �We encourage everyone to go in and take a look.�
The club takes students after-school and offers homework assistance as well as a venue for enrichment and recreation. Kay Neely is the vice-president of the corporate board and volunteers with the program.
�Right now we�re learning gardening skills,� she said. �There are some planters on the property and the students are learning to tend them.�
Bernard said that in addition to the gardening enrichment sponsored by The Milledgeville Garden Club a garden installed through a partnership with the club, the Neelys and Lin and Linda McKnight has been a tool for reinforcing those lessons. The Birthflowers Garden was installed last year.
�The Boys and Girls Club is for kids from age 6 to 16,� Bernard said. �They learn lots of lessons including financial responsibility and money management.�
The Neelys have been involved in the Boys and Girls Club for the past few years. Their donation spurred Bernard to encourage others to sponsor youth.
�It costs $500 per year to sponsor one youth,� Bernard said.
The group depends on donations and fundraisers for a large part of their funding.
On Thursday, Dec. 10, the club will host a spaghetti dinner to benefit the operation of the program. From 5 until 7:30 p.m., donors can come in to Crockett�s Cafeteria at Columbia Center. Spaghetti plates are available for take-out, drive-thru and dine-in. Tickets are $5 in advance and are $6 at the door. For more information about the fundraiser, call 456-5602.
�We usually have 500-550 people come to dinner,� Bernard said. �We start preparing the meal with 300 lbs. of ground beef, so it�s not a skimpy meal.�
Bernard said donations supporting the club go to help kids, many who carry the achievement lessons from the club into the classroom.
�Sixty-two percent of the kids make A�s and B�s,� Bernard said. �We call it a home away from home and a school away from school. It is a positive place for kids and a positive place to learn.�
