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U.S. Congressman Joe Barton was on hand for the groundbreaking of the new Boys and Girls Club on East Fifth Avenue Saturday. Daily Sun photo/ AJ Narasimhan
B&G Club holds groundbreaking
The message was abundantly clear — it is all about the kids.
In a warm-hearted display of both generosity and commitment to young people in Navarro County, community leaders broke ground at the brand new site for the Boys and Girls Club on the grounds of the old Jackson High School Saturday evening.
The structure itself, slated to be open by the summer of 2007, is 10,000 square feet, according to City Manager Connie Standridge. It is designed to accommodate 150 children.
For Precinct 2 Councilman Ruby Williams, the trip to the new site was also a stroll down memory lane.
“I went to school on these grounds for 12 years,” Williams said.
State Representative Byron Cook was on hand for the celebration under ominous clouds.
“If you invest in kids and their future, you can’t go wrong,” Cook said.
Many who approached the podium praised local officials and residents for what one man called “a total community supported project.”
Cook, in his speech, introduced U.S. Congressman Joe Barton as making this event possible.
Barton took the stage and said the dream had become a reality. Barton recalled coming to Corsicana three years ago and donating a check of around $45,000 to the organization. While in Corsicana, he soon discovered that a new building would greatly benefit the youth in the Navarro County area.
The total cost of the project was $1.2 million, of which the club had around $3,000 at that time.
Barton contacted members of the television station ESPN as well as Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, to try and put on a charity celebrity poker tournament with the proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Club.
The idea seemed like a good one, Barton said, until everyone backed out of the arrangement.
Barton then formed a non-profit charity as a means to assist the youth in the area in having a place to learn.
Barton raised more than $375,000 for the Boys and Girls Club project and called Cook to try and raise the remainder.
Cook immediately contacted local leaders in the area and matched the donation made by Barton.
Barton spoke of his reason behind the large donation.
“I have no idea, in the next 35 years, who will be the next mayor, congressman, state representative ... when you invest in the Boys and Girls Club, you are investing in the future,” Barton said.
Construction is slated to begin in the next month to month and a half.
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AJ Narasimhan can be reached via e-mail at ajn@corsicanadailysun.com
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