JACKSONVILLE — The Boys & Girls Club of Jacksonville is celebrating its 50th anniversary with its annual Empowering Bright Futures fundraising event Friday at the Jacksonville Community Center, beginning at 6 p.m.
“We are so excited,” said LaConda Watson, chief executive officer for the club. “Fifty years is definitely a huge milestone for the Boys & Girls Club of Jacksonville.
“To be able to provide a service to our children for 50 years by serving healthy meals and offering fun and a safe place for our kids to come and play — it is just an amazing accomplishment.”
Tickets for the event are $50, or $75 for VIP tickets, which include a meet-and-greet with the keynote speaker, Danyelle Musselman, the wife of Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.com or at the door. Watson said a sit-down dinner will be provided, so she encourages guests to purchase tickets in advance.
“I am honored to speak at the Boys & Girls Club of Jacksonville’s fundraising event later this month,” Danyelle Musselman said. “The Boys & Girls Club helps young people reach their full potential, and since we as a family have been involved in college athletics, I’ve realized firsthand just how important that is.
“When I was asked to be a part of this event, I was thrilled because my husband and I hope to extend our reach beyond Fayetteville into communities all around the great state of Arkansas.”
She said programs like the Boys & Girls Club support students from all walks of life and empower them to become “coachable young adults and responsible citizens.”
The event’s master of ceremonies will be KTHV-11 reporter Melissa Zygowicz. Watson said other special guests include Col. Derrick Floyd, group commander of the 19th Mission Support Group of the 19th Airlift Wing at the Little Rock Air Force Base, and Mike Wilson of the Jacksonville Education Foundation.
She said All-Star Revolution, a dance team, will make its debut at the event, and the Jacksonville High School Choir will perform, as well as the school’s jazz ensemble.
“Many of the talented youth of Jacksonville will perform, allowing people to see the talent and for them to get the experience in front of an audience,” Watson said. “We are really excited about this.”
Watson has been the CEO of the club since May 2016. She said the best part of her job is seeing the kids happy and “having a good time.”
“Knowing that we are providing a safe place for parents to bring their kids — it is rewarding,” she said. “We get to see them develop, evolve, and I have seen several of the kids come through and grow up. Seeing them mature has been awesome.”
She said the Boys & Girls Club of Jacksonville serves as an extension of the classroom.
“After-school programs are a key educational component in developing well-rounded students who turn into successful adults,” Watson said.
She said that during the club’s 50 years of service, it has served approximately 14,000 youth, providing nearly 30,000 healthy meals and snacks, and serviced an estimated 75,000 people through its outreach efforts.
“Right now, we have about 85 kids in our after-school program, and that is not including our basketball teams, which are about to start, and we have about 300 kids in the summer program. … That includes a melting pot of kids, not just from Jacksonville, but also from Lonoke, Cabot and Ward,” she said. “Kids from different communities come to our club and make new friends, learning the differences about each other and how to get along with others.
“Helping them with those skills is important.”
Watson credited the club’s longevity to the hard work that is put in by her staff and volunteers.
“Anyone who works for a nonprofit organization such as this knows that by no means is it easy,” she said. “Keeping on mission and the principles we stand for, and the fact that our children are relying on us and parents are relying on us — that is the motivation anyone needs to keep it moving.”
Mike Williams, the athletic director for the club, has been with the organization for 12 years. He was also a student at the club in 1979.
“A passion of mine is basketball, and the club is where I learned to play, but more than that, I’ve got friends that I met here at the club that I am still real close with to this day,” Williams said. “I have built long-lasting relationships.”
He said the club is a good place for the community and for the city.
“It helps parents because now most have to work longer hours, and they need to know their kids are going to be safe,” Williams said. “Now we have a computer room and a team room, a place where they can get their homework done.
“We do have a lot of fun here, but it is educational as well.”
Williams said Watson is a “real go-getter” and is always “hustling for these kids.”
“She has locked down grants for us and has made big improvements since she has been here,” he said.
The fundraising event will also feature a silent auction, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. Watson said Demetrius Harris of the Cleveland Browns football team, and a club alumni, has donated an autographed jersey and cleats. She said she also expects tickets to a Razorback basketball game.
“The Boys & Girls Club of Jacksonville taught me to value my time, develop relationship skills and increase my ability to perform in the classroom as a child,” Harris said in a statement. “Attending the Boys & Girls Club gave me a place to go after school. Now most kids do not have anywhere to go to after school, and that is tough because it leads them to different avenues that result in many different outcomes — good and bad.
“It meant a lot to me to have somewhere I could do my homework, receive tutoring, hang with friends and have a place to enhance my basketball skills, too.”
Harris said giving back is one of his favorite things to do.
“I feel like at times, the Lord put me on this Earth to give back and give more,” Harris said. “I want to galvanize the youth and stampede in their brain that they can do anything they put their minds to.
“Seeing smiles and hearing that I made people’s day strives me to work harder and harder every single day. You never know what type of impact you can make on someone, and I want to be that person to make a positive impact on as many young brothers and sisters as I can.”
Last year, the event raised $15,000, exceeding the club’s goal. This year, Watson said, she hopes to raise $50,000 in honor of the club’s 50th anniversary.
“I’ve watched kids start, all the way up till they graduated,” Williams said. “Whenever they are in town, they drop by, just to see how things are going.
“That’s how you know you’ve made an impact on their lives, and they won’t ever forget this club. So hopefully, one day, they will give back.”
For more information about the Boys & Girls Club of Jacksonville, visit www.jbgc.org.
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.