 The Boys & Girls Clubs of Pitt County broke ground on the new facility for Ayden on Monday. The new Club will be located at on the rear of the Ayden Elementary School campus at 1304 West Third St. The new facility, when completed, will face Second Street and house 200 youth. It currently serves about 75 youth.
The 1 p.m. event, held at the site under a tent, was standing room only.
Corporate Board President Billy Parker set the tone of the groundbreaking by pointing out that the Boys & Girls Clubs creates generational change and impacts lives. "We are in the business of changing lives," Parker said to the assembled group. He went on to say that by building a building it will build character and hope in young boys and girls.
Jay Faron, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Pitt County, introduced many of the afternoon speakers.
Major Gifts Chairman, Steve Stephenson said the Ayden facility is the culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people. He said the most important thing is that by building the facility in Ayden a promise has been delivered. The capital campaign has raised $5.25 million. He said Ayden was supposed to get the first club but because of some circumstances, the first club was built north of the river where there had not been a club before.
Stephenson asked, "Why do we do this?" He cited it is done because there are generations of children who don't have the opportunities many in society have. "We want to give them those opportunities," he said. He said Boys & Girls Clubs builds character and provides role models. He said youth are given an opportunity to involve themselves with computers, something they would not have otherwise.
Stephenson praised both B.J. and Ned Craft for reminding him that fundraising had to be accomplished for the Ayden club.
He reported that Dr. Ledyard Elree Ross recently pledged $250,000 to the Ayden club, and that the facility will be known in perpetuity as the Dr. Ledyard Elree Ross Boys & Girls Club in Ayden. He said Dr. Ross actually started a dental practice in Ayden during the Korean War. He said Dr. Ross visited the current facility and then decided to make a pledge toward a new facility.
Steve Tripp, Ayden mayor, thanked all those who had brought the new facility to the community. After a brief talk about the values of the Boys and Girls Club he pointed out that Boys and Girls Clubs started in Pitt County in 1969. He said the first club in Ayden started in 1993 and that the town agreed to provide the current building for that purpose.
He then asked Commissioners Donald Skinner, Louise Pritchard, and Mary Alice Davenport to come forward along with Town Manager Adam Mitchell. At that time a facsimile of a check for $50,000 - the town's commitment to the new facility - was presented.
County Commission Chairman Melvin McLawhorn introduced Commissioners Kenneth Ross, Jimmie Garris and Tom Johnson as well as County Manager Scott Elliott. He lauded the effort to mold young minds and pointed out that the county is contributing $150,000 to the effort over three years.
Pitt County Board of Education Chairman Mary Grace Bright said the school board is delighted to e a part of the Boys & Girls Club. "You do a tremendous job for the children of Pitt County," she said. She also introduced Superintendent, Dr. Beverly Reep.
Boys & Girls Clubs Ayden Advisory Board President Jerry Cox expressed his thanks to all those coming to Ayden for the occasion. He especially thanked Ric Miller who is doing the construction and the Town of Ayden for their gift. "We're so excited this is happening," Cox said. It was noted that Miller is donated his services.
Faron talked about Kurt Dominic who attended a Boys & Girls Club as a youth and once served as Executive Director the Pitt County united. He said Dominic is now second in the line of leadership of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. He read a letter from Dominic that described Boys & Girls Clubs as a "safe haven and a positive learning environment".
Alge Crumpler, the Honorary Chairman, talked about how his life was positively impacted by the South Greenville Boys & Girls Club. He said Kurt Dominic, in particular, was important to him. "He was the guy I looked up to," Crumpler said.
Crumpler said it is great to give back. Looking toward the youth that were present at the event, Crumpler said, "Keep watering those seed and they will continue to make Ayden a beautiful place."
He said his experiences at the Boys & Girls Club in Pitt County shaped him as a person. Crumpler is an NFL football player with the Tennessee Titans. He has played professionally for nine years and has been to the Pro Bowl.
But, his story Monday wasn't about his football career, but instead about how the Boys & Girls Club was important in his life. His mother, Gertha, and his father, Carlester, also spoke at the event.
A traditional groundbreaking was held at the site.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Pitt County includes units in Ayden and Farmville and three units in Greenville: Jack Minges, Grady-White Boats / E.R. Lewis Family and Jarvis units, which serve more than 1,700 young people annually. Boys & Girls Clubs programs and services promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence at The Positive Place for Kids.
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