The Boys & Girls Club of North Central North Carolina has its main club site for Vance County at 212 N. Clark St. in Henderson, but with some financial support from a 21st Century Grant, two satellite clubs are up and running at two elementary schools in the county.
Ronald Bennett serves on the group’s corporate board. He said Wednesday’s Be Great Breakfast fundraiser was a big success, thanks to caring people in the community. “It was a good turnout for a great cause,” he said.
The new program sites are at Carver Elementary and New Hope Elementary. “We are excited that we were able to open the two rural sites,” Bennett told Trey Snide on Thursday’s The Local Skinny! segment. He said folks in the communities around the schools are happy that there is club programming available to students who live out in the county.
The breakfast netted about $15,000.
“It just shows that there are committed people right here in the community that pitch in and make a difference,” Bennett said. Donors got to show their support via their pocketbook and they got a good breakfast, to boot. The breakfast was held at Henderson Country Club.
CEO Donyell “DJ” Jones was the keynote speaker for the morning’s event. Jones came on board about a week before the pandemic shut everything down, and although things had to look a little different, the clubs across the five counties served by BGCNCNC found ways to provide services.
Vance’s Youth of the Year Keyon Tunstall also shared his story at the breakfast. He started coming to the club at age 5, Bennett said, and now has a leadership role there. As Youth of the Year, he received a $1,000 scholarship that he can use at the school of his choosing.
Bennett said he got to know Tunstall last year when they were both working at the club to distribute hot meals. “He is a great young man with a very bright future,” Bennett said.
