Categories: YouthPublished On: June 18th, 2018

I remember the Boys and Girls Club at its old location. It was a former grocery store made up of small rooms, and you couldn’t see into them from one room to the next. I don’t remember any natural light, but I do remember a lot of basketball being played and a lot of fun being had.

When I think about what is possible now with the new facility, just across the street from the old location, it seems like we have let in the light to a more expansive world for these kids and the adults who work with them. Literally, there’s light everywhere because of all the windows! There’s so much more than basketball, but there’s still a lot that too. Thank goodness!

The JF Maddox Foundation worked with the local Boys and Girls Club staff and board to explore possibilities. Together, we visited other clubs across the country.  We wanted to see the best of the best, so we could bring the best ideas back home to Lea County.

The opportunities are endless when you expand the vision of what is possible for our community. In the new building, I’ve personally taken a cooking class that was taught by a chef from Santa Fe and led by the kids from the Hobbs Club. I’ve gone to community events and meetings at the new facility, something that could never have happened in the old space. I purposely have changed the route I drive to pass by the Boys and Girls Club, day and night. I’ve seen even more smiling faces and joy from the kids and the adults, and think I will for many years to come.

The JF Maddox Foundation believes in the people of Lea County. We think big, dig deep and connect our community so that together we can cultivate big-picture possibilities. We help bring about the changes that help people here thrive for generations.

Ann Maddox Utterback
Board Chair
JF Maddox Foundation