Attendees of the 10th-Annual Mayors Jeans & Jackets Ball on Thursday, April 30, enjoyed an elegant evening of music and fine dining to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Lee County.
The evening at the event center in downtown Opelika kicked off with a cocktail hour, during which the Atlanta-based jazz band 1st Generation performed, and guests could mingle and bid on various items in a silent auction. Some of the items up for grabs were vacation packages, tickets to big sporting events, autographed items and gift certificates.
The silent auction also included several pieces of artwork done by children in the Boys & Girls Clubs.
Guests also had the opportunity to enter a raffle for a television, and winner Kyle Sandler decided to donate it back to the Boys & Girls Clubs.
"I told my partner that if we won we were going to donate it back," Sandler said. "The Boys & Girls Club needs stuff like that more than we do."
While guests enjoyed their dinner, William Neloms, parent of a child in the Auburn unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs, bore his testimony of how the program has helped his 9-year-old son.
"He did not speak until after his third birthday,” Neloms said. “He was way behind in speech and language. The Auburn City Schools system stepped up, but in the summer we would lose all that (progress).”
Neloms said it was his wife that found out about the Boys & Girls Club, which would provide a way for their son to stay in a safe place after school and during the summer days while also receiving help with his education.
“He was having a great time, he was safe, we weren’t worried,” Neloms said. “But there was still a problem with school — report cards were coming up.”
Neloms said that the day report cards came out, his son excitedly showed him his grades, and the progress he had made through the help he received from the after-school program had showed; there was not a single “C” on the report card. After continued help from the program, his son was able to maintain the progress he had made during the summer.
“It’s important for our children to know that someone cares,” said Wanda Lewis, president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Lee County. “It’s also important to keep good relationships with our children, but also with the whole family — with our parents. We are thankful for them for entrusting the care of their children to us every afternoon.”
Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller and Auburn Mayor Bill Ham gave closing remarks, thanking sponsors and guests for their contributions to the Boys & Girls Clubs.
Mayor Bill Ham said it was one of the largest crowds the Ball has seen in its 10 years, and there was good representation from both cities.
”It’s a tribute to the youth of our community,” Ham said to the guests. “All of us and all of you could have been doing something else tonight, but you’re here in support of a great cause for a great reason.”
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