Brightside: Boys & Girls Club, Truitt Center
WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. – After-school clubs can be beneficial, but one local group on the shore says it can be life-changing. On this week’s edition of the Brightside, brought to you in part by Choptank Electric, we head to the Boys & Girls Club to understand how they help their community.
Hope and Help
Those are two things Truitt Center Boys and Girls Club Manager Enaka Beteck, says they try to give every child who walks through those doors. “It’s just teaching them how to be human beings to be honest… From you know, things as emotional intelligence, to career development, as well as even self-development… We do a lot of science, a lot of reading, a lot of math, stuff that they’re going to need to develop as young kids.”
Enaka has worked with troubled youth before and is glad that he’s able to pour into the next generation, so he catches them before it’s too late. “I was noticing that, you know, I had a passion for working with the youth. But the kids who were coming through the juvenile center, I started to figure if I could help them make better decisions in life that don’t lead them into the juvenile center and try to catch them early or before they get to that stage, I’ll be able to make an impact, make a difference.”
“It takes a village”
As the saying goes, and a big part of their village has been the Fruitland Walmart. From Easter egg hunts, to End-of- year celebrations or just everyday needs, Walmart Manager Shannon Argy says they look out for their customers because you never know where you’ll find happiness or hardship.
“We do in-kind donations, we donate hamburgers and hot dogs to kick off the summer, and we give local grants that support the community… It makes us proud to be able to support our community and work for a company that allows us to support folks where we live and where we serve, without any question.”
Role Model
Enaka says these kids have to face anything from poverty to prison, and says they just need positivity. He takes the role of role model, seriously. “This is the area I grew up in, and I didn’t have a boys and girls club that I was a part of, and that was something that I feel that was actually necessary, that if we had, a lot of kids like me would’ve made better decisions in life and headed down the right path.”
He says he will continue to help children find the brighter side of life. The Truitt Boys & Girls Club is always looking for volunteers, and if you’re interested in making a difference click here.
