The $240,000 bequest from the late Mable Hamrick Whisnant, left, got the teen center campaign off the ground. Whisnant is pictured with her sister, the late Mildred Keeter Davis. The new center will be called the Mable Hamrick Whisnant Teen Center in rec

In September 2012 two men had a dream. Ray Hurley, then-executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland County (BGCCC) and Board President Jack Weller wanted the club to create a teen center to serve the county's young people. That dream is now - almost - a reality.
Morrison Construction is currently in the final phase of transforming the gym and alternative gym area of the former Shelby Middle School building into a club game room, lounge, computer lab, classroom and air-conditioned gym.
The new facility is sorely needed. When the new Shelby Middle School opened almost five years ago, the demographics of the BGCCC changed as more elementary and intermediate school students began coming to the club. But as students who had participated in the BGCCC in their younger years wanted to continue being involved as they grew older, the club faced a challenge to find space to accommodate them at the current facility on West Sumter Street. The new Teen Center will solve this problem.
In March 2013, the BGCCC started a capital campaign to raise the almost $500,000 needed for the renovations. In November of that year, the BGCCC received a bequest from Mable Hamrick Whisnant, sister of long-time BGCCC Board member Mildred Keeter Davis. Whisnant's gift of $240,000 got the teen center campaign off the ground. Over the next three years, the community supported the campaign by raising an additional $200,000. In recognition of the significant gift from Whisnant, the Board of Directors dubbed the new renovation the Mable Hamrick Whisnant Teen Center.
"We plan to start slow with about 30 teens and then grow the program as we get settled into the facility," says Josh Propst, current executive director of the Boys & Girls Club. "We have to work the logistics of getting students from Shelby Middle School and High School to the club. Some of the students are active in sports teams and will need transportation later in the day rather than through a traditional bus route."
Through a partnership agreement between the Cleveland County Schools and the Boys & Girls Club, the new facility will be available to students at Turning Point Academy during the school day. In the afternoon it will be a place for teens to gather, do their homework, learn about life skills, make career decisions and be mentored by professional staff and community volunteers.
"Almost every day I go by and walk through the work site to see how close we are to being done," says Propst. "Our board, staff and kids are excited about what this facility offers us. It is a huge commitment - almost $90,000 a year to operate." Propst says the club needs the community to support the organization's fund-raising efforts so the club will be able to sustain the teen program in future years.
"We need an additional van to pick up kids from school and to take them on field trips," says Propst. "We also need volunteers to work with the teens in a variety of situations. We are talking with the folks at Gardner-Webb to see how we may match up with some of their programs, and we hope to link up with other civic-minded groups whose members can serve as role models for the teens and help them in making career choices."
For more information about the BGCCC and the new Mable Hamrick Whisnant Teen Center, visit the club's web site at
bgcclevelandcounty.org or the club's Facebook page at "Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland County," or call (704) 471- 2582.

By April Hoyle-Shauf

Special to Shelby Shopper & Info