Billy Redd presents a thank you plaque to the members of Leadership Madison who made renovations possible in the teen center at the Boys and Girls Club of Canton. The team members are Brant Ryan, Lise Foy, Mary Jackson, Tashmia Prowell and Bary Prather (not pictured). (Bill Barksdale | Special to The Herald)

Teenage members of the Canton Unit of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi have new digs.

The Teen Center was in desperate need of improvement. The organization expressed that need to one team of Leadership Madison County, which took on a rehabilitation project to improve that area of the Community Center.

Team “Mission Improvement” consists of Brant Ryan with Adams and Reese LLP, Tashmia Prowell-Turner with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Mary Jackson with Comcast, Barry Prather with Community Bank and Lise Foy with the Canton Chamber Main Street Association.

The group worked for several months, gathering donations and supplies to transform the space designated for teens into a positive learning environment.

At the grand re-opening ceremony last week, Billy Redd addressed many community members and supporters of the club.

“The team has fully bought into the idea that they are helping us make life changing investments in the lives of teens in Canton,” said Redd, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi.

“By making the teen center a more inviting atmosphere, more teens will want to be a part of the club.”

Teens have new books, tables and chairs, computers and electronics and a game room. The rooms are bright and sharp with ceiling and floor improvements. Curtains are coming soon.

All of Madison County was involved with donating about 95 percent of the renovations. The group raised $4,000 in cash donations as well as in-kind services from local contractor, Steve Gaddis with Riverdale Construction and T&J Janitorial Services who assisted with painting and cleaning.

Construction supplies were donated by Home Depot of Madison. Furniture and room decor was donated by Adams and Reese, BankPlus and Tate’s Furniture.

Books were donated by local individuals, Union Street Books in Canton, Barnes & Noble in Madison and the city of Madison Public Library.

The Canton unit is one of six Jackson-area clubs that serve more than 3,200 youth in the areas of character and leadership, education and career development, health and life skills, arts education and fitness and recreation.

Ninety-two percent of Boys & Girls Club members graduate from high school, compared to the state average of 70 percent.

“I think that (Boys & Girls Clubs) is a service that this community needs desperately,” she said.

By Terricha Bradley • tbradley@mcherald.com • April 17, 2012

click here for more information about the Jackson Young Lawyers Association

The Jackson Young Lawyers Association hosted a bowling and golf tournament with the proceeds to benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi

JYL present check for $9,379.54

Sidney Allen, President, Phoenix Club of Jackson presents check to Billy Redd, President/CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi

Click here to learn more about the Phoenix Club of Jackson

Phoenix Club of Jackson

Click here to learn more about United Healthcare

Click here to learn more about YSA - Youth Service America

Youth-Led Project Addresses Childhood Obesity, Encourages Healthy Lifestyle in Canton, MS as Part of Global Youth Service Day –
1/11/2011 – The Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi (BGCCM) in Canton, MS, was awarded a $1,000 UnitedHealth HEROES Grant from YSA (Youth Service America) and UnitedHealth Group. UnitedHealth HEROES grants support youth-led servicelearning initiatives addressing childhood obesity and healthy lifestyles.

One of 282 grants awarded nationwide, BGCCM – Canton Unit’s “Healthy Habits, Healthy Kids” project is a Service-Learning initiative coordinated by the Club’s teen members (ages 13-18) addressing the childhood obesity epidemic. The semester-long initiative culminates in April with Global Youth Service Day, the world’s largest and longest-running youth-led service campaign.

“These grants were extremely competitive, and “Healthy Habits, Healthy Kids” exemplifies service-learning and the UnitedHealth HEROES program,” said Steve Culbertson, President and CEO of YSA. “Young people in Canton, Mississippi want to make a difference, and UnitedHealth Group, in conjunction with YSA, offers them resources to make a positive, measurable impact on their community.”

In its 24th year, Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) engages millions of young people via partnerships with schools and community and faith-based organizations. Projects and events will occur in more than 100 countries and all 50 states, and will address the most challenging local, national and global issues facing the world including health, literacy, childhood hunger and the environment.

“We believe that children are uniquely positioned to come up with creative ideas to help their peers in the fight against obesity and to encourage healthier living,” said Kate Rubin, UnitedHealth Group vice president of Social Responsibility. “With UnitedHealth HEROES, we are helping young people take action to improve their overall health and quality of life in a way that’s not only educational, but beneficial for their entire community.”

“UnitedHealth HEROES is part of UnitedHealth Group’s overall commitment to help stem the rising tide of obesity, and related chronic health conditions like diabetes,” said Rubin.

For more information about Youth Service America and Global Youth Service Day, visit www.YSA.org

 YSA (Youth Service America) improves communities worldwide by increasing the number and the diversity of young people, ages 5-25, serving in substantive roles. Founded in 1986, YSA supports a global culture of engaged youth committed to a lifetime of service, learning, leadership, and achievement. The impact of YSA’s work through service and service-learning is measured in student achievement, workplace readiness, and healthy communities. For more information, visit www.YSA.org

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 650,000 physicians and care professionals and 5,000 hospitals nationwide. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 38 million people and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.

University

JACKSON, MS, January 2, 2012 – One in three kids in the United States fails to graduate each year. Additionally, one in two African American and Hispanic children fall short of high school graduation. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi is working hard to combat these unsettling statistics through implementation of the BE GREAT: Graduate program, funded by University of Phoenix Foundation. As part of the program, Jackson youth will be set on the right track to high school graduation. 

The BE GREAT: Graduate program is part of a national partnership between University of Phoenix Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. BE GREAT: Graduate helps young people who are the most vulnerable for dropping out of school to develop the academic, behavioral and social skills needed to be successful. 

“By providing our members with the resources and positive environment they need to progress through each grade to graduation, we are hoping to close the gap for young people in our community that fail to graduate each year,” said Billy Redd, President/CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi. “Thanks to the generous support of University of Phoenix Foundation, we can impact youth today for a brighter future tomorrow.”

Targeting youth who show warning signs for potentially dropping out of school, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi will monitor 50 youth over the next three years and look for the early warning signs of dropping out – also known as the ABC’s – attendance, behavior and course failure. The program allows each participant to receive a graduation mentor to provide coaching and tutoring for academic success. 

“Our University of Phoenix campuses are proud to partner with the Club on this exciting new initiative to improve the graduation rates of our community’s youth,” said Pat Gottfried, executive director, University of Phoenix Foundation.

“At University of Phoenix we believe the path to higher education starts in childhood. This innovative program will help us all learn how we can help our at-risk youth overcome obstacles and reach new academic heights.” 

For more information on the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi and programs for Jackson youth, including BE GREAT: Graduate, visit www.bgccm.org.

About University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix is constantly innovating to help students balance education and life in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, challenging courses and interactive learning help students pursue personal and career aspirations without putting their lives on hold.  As the flagship university of  Apollo Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: APOL), University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population, offering associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs from campuses and learning centers across the U.S. as well as online throughout the world. For more information, visit phoenix.edu.

Click here to learn more about the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation

Badges for Baseball is a juvenile crime prevention program created by the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice. It’s a simple concept: pair police and kids together to play and learn. The program reshapes the relationship between law enforcement and children living in underserved communities across the country.

In Mississippi, the program focuses on issues such as teen pregnancy, drug abuse and other behaviors that negatively impact the futures of participating youth. Since 2008, more than 12,700 youth have been impacted by the Badges for Baseball program in Mississippi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g638pfcxBSA

To see this great story by Howard Ballou, visit http://www.wlbt.com/story/16977672/2012/02/20/taking-back-our-neighborhoods-boys-and-girls-club?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6764403

Read the full article at WJTV.com