Published: April 08, 2008 10:40 pm      

Community leaders going behind bars

Next week, a group of nearly 40 community leaders will be put behind bars, and only the donations for the youth of the community will set them free.

The Boys and Girls Club of Walker County will kick off its Bounty Hunt — an annual fundraiser which enlists the help of willing “detainees” — to raise money for area youth.

“The Bounty Hunt is one of our fundraisers out of the year, and it’s our second year to do it,” said Michelle McKenzie, executive director. “We’re getting people in the community who have done some really great things with children to go out and raise money on our behalf.

“An example is Gene Pipes, the current interim city manager, but we have pastors, Sam Houston State University representatives and other community leaders.”

During the fundraiser, the approximately 36 detainees will be asked to spread the word about the Boys and Girls Club mission and to raise money on behalf of the organization.

“Basically, they’re going to be going out and letting people know that our main goal is to provide a safe place for kids to go and have fun,” McKenzie said. “Last year, we raised about $20,000 during this fundraiser, and we’re hoping with the increased awareness of what we do for community youth, we’ll be able to match that this year.”

As part of the campaign, the participants’ pictures will appear in special advertisements in The Huntsville Item.

“We’re going to have pictures of some of the detainees in the Item behind faux bars,” McKenzie said. “For example, Huntsville’s Promise executive director Scott Atnip might be detained for ‘promising to keep Huntsville youth safe,’ and he’ll have to raise money to be freed.

“All of the community leaders will be detained for something wacky but great.”

The campaign will end on April 17 with an open house at the Boys and Girls Club building, located at 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

“To close out the campaign, we’re inviting everyone to come out and have a day at the club,” McKenzie said. “We’ll have our tutoring going on in addition to crafts, games and outside sports including baseball and soccer.

“We just want the community to be aware of what we do. We’re not a holding tank or a daycare. We are a safe place for kids to go where they can be around caring, responsible adults.”

In addition to the Bounty Hunt fundraiser, the Boys and Girls Club of America also just started its “It Just Takes One” fundraising campaign.

McKenzie said the Walker County chapter will also be participating in that fundraiser, and all funds raised will remain in the county.

“This campaign increases individual giving,” she said. “The money raised will go straight into our programming, so it will only be used in Walker County and will only impact the students of Huntsville.”

In the near future, summer enrollment will also begin for events and programming to be held at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Recreational Center.

Activities will be held this summer from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday.

For more information on fundraisers or summer enrollment, call the Boys and Girls Club of Walker County at (936) 291-6054.