Boys &Girls Club of East Mississippi welcomes governor for celebration

By Staff
July 25, 2004
By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
The Boys and Girls Club of East Mississippi will welcome Gov. Haley Barbour Tuesday as its guest speaker for the club's annual Celebration of Excellence dinner.
Mississippi First Lady Marsha Barbour is also scheduled to appear with the Governor.
Tickets are still available for the event scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in the Frank Cochran Center in Highland Park. The dinner is the largest annual fund raiser for the club.
Tickets for the event are $100 per person. Tables of 10 people can be purchased at prices ranging from $1,000-$5,000.
Betty Lou Jones, celebration of excellence chairperson, said she would like to see the Frank Cochran Center filled with supporters.
Steak dinners will be served at the event by Outback Steakhouse and there will be presentations of awards for Youth of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Outstanding Boys &Girls Club Students, and recognition of the organization's supporters.
Melanie Mitchell, chief volunteer officer of the club, and Ricky Hood, chief professional officer of Boys &Girls Club of East Mississippi, said the organization is striving to expand its services.
The local Boys &Girls Club was established in Meridian in 1988 to provide a safe gathering place for at-risk youth and to alleviate the effects of gang-related activities, drugs, teenage pregnancy and an increase in school drop-out rates.