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More photos are below the article.
By Editor Becky Watts
CONCORD - Boys & Girls Clubs of West Georgia gave notice on September 11, 2013 that the Pike County Unit would close its operation on September 30, 2013 after five years of service to the Pike County community. The closing was attributed to $50,000 in funding cuts to the club as a whole even though the Concord location had served 74 members during the past year. September 30th was a time of celebration for an ending of an era and October 1st the beginning of an era under a new name.
The kids wrote tributes and read them before the group on their final day as the Boys & Girls Club. There was a also a slideshow of the past five years in photos. Click here to see pictures from the past several years from Pike County Times.
Reverend Travis Ferguson, pastor of Old Mount Calvary Church, and Harvey Booker, president of the past Boys & Girls Club, met with Pike County Times on the first week of the month to show the changes that are being made in the program as volunteers and a church stepped up to fill in the gap that would be left by the closing of the Boys & Girls Club. Rev. Ferguson said that there was a small amount of time to get things line, but the only thing changing to this club is the name. The facility will be called the Old Mount Calvary Baptist Church After School Program.
There are currently about 15 volunteers who have stepped forward to help and there is an open invitation for more to join in this community effort. The club will be open from 2 to 6 p.m. during the week and was open during Fall Break last week. Rev. Ferguson praised volunteers who have volunteered to help out and said that this is indicative of the kind of people that we have in Pike County. "I am so grateful to the parents and volunteers because it was imperative to start today so there was no gap between ending yesterday and today," he said.
Kids are even being picked up in the Old Mount Calvary Baptist Church van for the after school program so things continue much as they did before. It is important for the kids to have somewhere to go where they can find peace, humility, and no distraction, he said. “People were upset when they found out the Boys and Girls Club was closing. The kids were scared because they didn’t know what was going to happen," he said. "Our hearts went out to them. It was key that there was no gap between the end of the club and the beginning of Old Mount Calvary’s after school program. One person can’t pull this off. We’re going to need a team of people. My objective is to tap into church, civic and social groups in Pike and get them involved. God’s hand is in this. It’s great to see God show his goodness and blessings.”
Approximately 25 kids went through introductions and split off into grade levels so they could study for their homework on that first day. The kids were happy to tell volunteers what subjects they excelled in so they could volunteer to help and encourage other students in the group. The program is for children in the 2nd through 12th grades. It features afternoon snacks for the kids and breakfast and lunch during times that school is not in session.
770-884-5500 is the number for the facility and donations can be sent to Old Mount Calvary Baptist Church, PO Box 68, Concord, GA 30206 with a notation on the memo line that funds are to be used for the After School Program. Rev. Ferguson invites community members to come out and volunteer as well as coming out to visit the facility to see that their donations are being well spent. For more information, contact Rev. Ferguson at revtlferuson@yahoo.com.
And below is a future project -- the old school gymnasium. There is a new roof on the facility. Rev. Ferguson and Harvey Booker stand at the front of the facility is this picture.
