Ricky Hood, chief professional officer of the Boys and Girls Clubs of East Mississippi, told the Attala County Board of Supervisors that the Oprah Winfrey Boys and Girls Club in Kosciusko is looking to build a stronger relationship with the greater community.
Hood, who served as director of the Meridian Boys and Girls Club for 31 years, thanked the Board for its financial support of the club, and provided some insight into Oprah Winfrey’s involvement.
According to Hood, Winfrey’s original commitment was to build and support the club until 2016 — 10 years after its 2006 opening, but she has continued to provide support to this day.
Hood said he envisions the club being used more as a community meeting place for all locals to enjoy.
According to Attala County Chancery Clerk Taylor Casey, the Board of Supervisors currently makes an annual donation of $10,000 to support club. The county is limited to contributing no more than the equivalent of one quarter of a mil. Currently, a mil is valued at $179,123 in Attala County, meaning the board could not donate more than $44,780.75 to the club per year.
Asked about early discussions about the possibility of the Kosciusko School District moving the Kosciusko Alternative School to the club facility, Hood was optimistic about the potential partnership.
“We haven’t agreed upon anything, but with them (Kosciusko School District) using the building, they want to help with some utility costs and things of that nature,” Hood told The Star-Herald. “That’s the biggest area that we’d need some help with, and that would take a load off of us.”
Hood said that while the facility would be shared, each program would maintain its own staff and operations.
“We staff our own program, and they would staff their alternative school. It would be a much-needed help, and we already have these partnerships in Meridian and other places. The fact that we are able to provide that space is an awesome thing,” he said.
As for potential financial terms of such an arrangement, Hood said that some help with utility costs is a potential income for the club, but that it would not be seeking monthly rent.
“We won’t charge the school district anything because they have been such a good partner. It makes sense, and we have more than enough space,” he said. “Superintendent Ellzey has been awesome in trying to work things through.”
Once a proposed agreement is reached, the boards of both organizations will likely need to endorse it officially.
“Of course, it takes board approval to buy in and make sure everything is legal. Something new takes a little bit of time, and we are hoping they get it worked out where we can really partner together and give these kids a separate space to grow,” said Hood.
Hood said the Oprah Winfrey Foundation’s new president, Shayla Tait, will be visiting the club soon to get a better sense of how the foundation might assist the club going forward.
“I don’t know if she has ever been to Mississippi, but this will be her first visit to Kosciusko. She’s coming to get a better feel of the community and the Boys and Girls Club. Her interests are really Oprah’s interests, which is to be a benefit to our community and to make sure we are doing that as well. She is also coming to identify other potential partners that could be involved to help us serve Attala County,” said Hood. “We just want her to be educated and make more informed decisions by getting a feel for who we are in this area, and that is important.”
