Boys & Girls Club Director Empowers Students to Leave Community Better Than They Found It

By Lauren Davis and Grace Sudderth
Hottytoddy.com interns
lcdavis1@go.olemiss.edu; gesudder@go.olemiss.edu

After three years of service as the Director of the Boys & Girls Club, Kenorus Wilson had no idea the impact he could create from a 2:30 p.m. bus pickup.

Kenorous Wilson. Photo provided.

Located at 413 Washington Ave. in Oxford, the Boys & Girls Club of North Mississippi serves as an after school program that focuses on academic success, character and leadership, and a healthy lifestyle for children ages 6 to 18. It has around 15 eager volunteers who aid the students with after school activities, one of them being Wilson.

He fell in love with the organization in March of 2013 after a good friend asked him to volunteer. With the Boys & Girls Clubs standing as a home away from home, he strives to serve as a father figure to the students by picking them up in the big yellow bus after school, assisting in homework, attending sporting events, and making surprise visits to school. While at the Boys & Girls Club, Wilson strives to create a home and family-oriented atmosphere.

“I will attend their sporting events and check in on them at the school periodically. To see the smiles on their faces is priceless,” Wilson said.

Since Wilson became director, he feels as if the Boys & Girls Club has become a beacon of hope for some area children. He not only constantly looks for more ways to give back to the community, but also tries to instill these ideals into the students.

“I always use the phrase with the students, ‘be seen and not heard,’” he said.

Although the Boys & Girls Club’s main focus is on education and taking a load off of families that may not understand the new teaching methods, Wilson strives to give the students opportunities to teach them life skills that they will take far beyond their schooling. In the midst of orchestrating the chaos of 200 students, he still aspires to create structure in each individual life that walks through the double doors of the organization. To do this, they focus on education as well as recreation.

The entrance to Oxford’s Boys and Girls Club. Photo by Lauren Davis.

Frequent Volunteer Lilli Gordon says the impact that Wilson and the others make on the students is evident to her. She can see how the children take what they say to heart and apply to their lives outside of the Boys & Girls Club.

“They have made it their mission to help these children, to raise them right, to teach them good manners, and you can really see it,” she said.

Wilson describes his willingness to serve not only the community but also the children within this organization as his ultimate mission. From kicking off new educational programs such as Smart Moves and multiple ACT Workshops to partnering with different groups and organizations both on and off the Ole Miss campus, he has done it all graciously. With his passion for his position, he mentions how he wants to leave the LOU community better than he found it.

“I always say that you aren’t here to make a lot of money. You are here to make a lot of differences in a lot of lives. You can’t put a price tag on it,” Wilson said.

The Boys & Girls Club will start hosting several events that are open to the public called “Lights On After School” where different speakers will come and speak to children about different topics. The first event was held Nov. 17 at the Boys & Girls Club gymnasium. Ole Miss Baseball Coach Mike Bianco spoke to students. These events are described to be a positive way to give children the opportunity to experience different conversations.