Crowe, Holsclaw visit local Boys & Girls Club

Published 7:06 am Thursday, December 8, 2016

Star Photo/Curtis Carden                           The Elizabethton/Carter County Boys and Girls Club was on full display Wednesday as Rep. John Holsclaw, Jr., and Sen. Rusty Crowe stopped by to visit the facility and presented a check for $500. Pictured, from left, Junior Stanley, Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Ginny Wright, Danny Smith, Rep. Holsclaw, Jr., Sen. Crowe, Elizabeth Williams and Deacon Bowers.

Star Photo/Curtis Carden
The Elizabethton/Carter County Boys and Girls Club was on full display Wednesday as Rep. John Holsclaw, Jr., and Sen. Rusty Crowe stopped by to visit the facility and presented a check for $500. Pictured, from left, Junior Stanley, Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Ginny Wright, Danny Smith, Rep. Holsclaw, Jr., Sen. Crowe, Elizabeth Williams and Deacon Bowers.

The Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County welcomed in some special guests this week.
State Sen. Rusty Crowe and Rep. John Holsclaw, Jr., visited the facility on Wednesday, Dec. 7, along with a host of individuals for a tour to view the progress the Boys & Girls Club has made within the community.
“One of my favorite things they do here are the after-school programs,” Crowe said. “Most of the families are working so the children are able to come here. They get tutoring, mentoring, help with homework … all those things. I don’t think people realize the number of programs that the Boys and Girls Club has for kids. This builds character, work ethic and they get competition here. Even playing games here, they learn sportsmanship, when to take their turns. It is such an incredible tool to have in the community.”
The elected officials, along with Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County Executive Ginny Wright, Elizabeth Williams, Danny Smith, Deacon Bowers and Junior Stanley conversed and took time out to see the what the facility has to offer.
Along with the tour and conversation, Sen. Crowe and Rep. Holsclaw provided a check totaling $500 to benefit the organization.
“We wanted to give that donation to help with some of the needs they have here, especially with Christmas coming up,” Crowe said.
The Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County saw a significant impact be made within the county during 2015. With only one site in the county, the facility has 16 adult staff and over 140 volunteers that were able to service 1,060 youth last year. 702 were registered members while 358 were reached thanks to community outreach. 74 percent of the children are 12 years old or younger while 83 percent qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and 50 percent live in single-parent households, according to information provided by the organization.
“I was part of this growing up,” Holsclaw said. “There are a lot of kids out there that don’t have a lot of activity. This organization takes them in and gives them structures and entertainment so they can play and have fun. It is really critical at that youth age to keep children out of the other issues they could get into. We value this organization so much and I’ll do anything I can to promote and help it.”
The amount of volunteers was an item that caught the eye of Sen. Crowe.
“What’s really interesting to me is the number of volunteers here,” he added. “When you have 100-plus volunteers here like Danny (Smith), it’s great. We’re really proud to come be part of it and see the success it has experienced this year.”
The organization offers a variety of programs geared to the youth of the community based on academic, good character/citizenship and promoting healthy lifestyles.
And one key component of support comes from current Dallas Cowboys tight end and Elizabethton native Jason Witten, who has made contributions to the facility. Proving to be a blocking and receiving threat to opposing teams, the former Cyclone is busy promoting positive programs for children with his SCORE Foundation.
“Jason Witten has done a great job helping out here too,” Crowe said. “I think the kids have seen that if they have dreams to be great someday in whatever area they want to be, they can do that just like Jason Witten did.”
The officials also encouraged residents to continue their support of the Boys & Girls Club.
“We definitely like to ask people if they could donate their time and dollars if they can,” Sen. Crowe said. “The youth are our future and these Boys & Girls Clubs really help mold the children and send them in the right direction. They learn everything from good character, how to be courteous, and treat people how they want to be treated.”
If any individual has questions about the Boys & Girls Club, wants to provide a donation or possibly volunteer, contact Wright at (423) 543-2946.

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