If You Want to Go Far, Go Together

If you want to see the impact that the Boys and Girls Club can have in a child’s life, look no further than

j.r.Davis

Raised by his grandmother, he became a member of a local club when his small family moved from Florida to the midwest. From middle school to high school, there were a lot of changes, but Davis had the Boys and Girls Club to lean on. Now as CEO of the Northwest Georgia branch since 2011, Davis gets to live out his passion for serving others.

Eleven years prior to becoming CEO, Davis finished eight years in the Air Force and was in school getting a master’s degree and an executive MBA. During that time, a local Boys and Girls Club was hiring. “What drew me to it in the first place was that, well, I was a member,” Davis says, so he jumped for the opportunity.

Just when he was about to graduate and pursue international business, a full-time club director position was offered to him. Davis figured he’d try it out for a couple of years. Since then, he’s worked at Boys and Girls Clubs in California, Florida, and right here in Georgia.

As of today, there are four clubs all across Rome and Floyd County, and one in Polk County, that offer after-school programming for 3000 kids a year, about 400 daily. On top of that, they do special activities and events on weekends, and they’re open all day, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. during summer and school breaks.

“We’re just giving an opportunity for parents to go to work and make sure their kids are taken care of - give them a safe, structured place to be,” Davis says. “That’s our number one priority.”

caring for kids, but they also bring something incredible to the table: their passions.

“A lot of times, volunteers will call and say ‘What do you need me to do?’ and I will turn the question on them and ask, ‘What do you like to do?’” Davis says. “What I have discovered in my career is that if you have something you’re passionate about, you’re going to excite kids just because you love it. It doesn’t matter what it is, I guarantee we’ll find kids who have that same passion.”

These volunteers and more come together to encourage and support kids in three areas: academic success, healthy lifestyle choices, and good character and citizenship.

The Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Georgia has seen a 100% graduation rate for the past seven years, so their emphasis on academic

What I have discovered in my career is that if you have something you’re passionate about, you’re going to excite kids just because you love it. -J.R. Davis

success is evident. Another main priority is living a healthy lifestyle, and that is both the nutrition side and the athletics side. There are also programs that teach children to simply be a good person. The clubs offer character building, drug and alcohol prevention, and programs meant to build leadership skills.

“We provide so many different services that we can work with every child. We’re not the same for every child. Instead, we are who they need us to be,” Davis says.

No matter what their needs, every child benefits from having strong role models to guide them as they grow. J.R. Davis experienced just that in middle school. “I was talking to a volunteer about how frustrated I was about not being the quarterback on the football team anymore,” Davis says. “He asked me if I’d ever think of wrestling.”

Davis was talking to the high school wrestling coach. Wrestling was, until this point, something Davis only associated with Hulk Hogan. However, thanks to the coach’s suggestion, he tried out for the wrestling team once he got to high school. Davis excelled and eventually went on to be recruited to the Air Force Academy on a wrestling scholarship.

“That’s the impact of the Boys and Girls Club. How does a conversation with a volunteer lead to college? What are the chances? That’s why I’m so passionate about what I do,” Davis says. “It’s not a myth. I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it.”

Community members like Davis’ high school wrestling coach have shaped the Boys and Girls Club for years. “It takes all of us, our board, our staff, our volunteers and our community at large, to change the lives of thousands of kids,” Davis says.

Starting within the Boys and Girls Club itself, the 39 members of the Board of Directors cover multiple industries, from banking to real estate to politics, and some have sat on the board for up to 35 years. Their impact and influence have made it possible for kids to be exposed to all kinds of new opportunities, from seeing a plane in person for the first time to learning about financial literacy from bankers across Floyd county.

Community partners include but are not limited to Berry College, Shorter University, Georgia Highlands, Darlington School, United Way of Rome/Floyd County, the Chick-fil-A Foundation, Rome Seven Hills Rotary Club, and R.A.C.E. Rome. They have made so many experiences possible for kids who would otherwise have not had those opportunities.

“We can only provide those opportunities because of all the folks who are contributing. If there’s anything I’d like to share with anyone, it’s that the Boys and Girls Club is a community effort. It belongs to all of us, and it serves all of us as well,” Davis says.

The volunteers, staff, and community in northwest Georgia have been generous with their time, money, efforts, and resources since 1953 when the original club in West Rome opened. Since then, thousands of children’s lives have been touched. The three tenents that the Boys and Girls Club stands on has helped form incredible people that, in turn, give back to Rome and the surrounding areas, creating a cycle of service.

“There’s an old African proverb that says ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together,’” Davis says. “That has shown itself to be true here in Rome and Floyd County because we’ve accomplished wonderful, wonderful things as a community.”

(L-R) David Mullinax, Angie Beard, Andrew Williams, Kathi Watson & Bryan Shealy

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