The Boys & Girls Club of Poplar Bluff celebrated 20 years of serving children in the community with their first ever "A Night Under the Big Top Gala" as the Black River Coliseum was transformed Friday evening into a circus complete with lions, tigers and bears.
Board member Kacey Proctor explained to a crowd of over 300 people how he initially thought the Boys & Girls Club was a daycare for children to hang out at until their parents got off work. He was proven wrong when he made his first visit to the organization two years ago.
Proctor explained how a young man opened the door for him during his visit, looked him in the eye, gave a firm handshake and welcomed him to the club.
"I thought that young man must have really good parents and come from a really strong family to learn social values like that," Proctor said. "When I went inside, I realized most kids there have the same social values and that really impressed me because you don't see a lot of young men and women at that age learning that type of thing."
During his second visit, Proctor stopped by Eugene Field Elementary, where he also attended school, and overheard a teacher explaining to Boys & Girls Club Director Chris Rushin she believed a student was not eating at home.
Rushin simply stated none of the children should go home and not get fed, Proctor explained.
"This really impressed me as well," he said. "I realized not only are they teaching the kids good social values and leadership skills, but they are also providing a valuable service to this community with the Boys & Girls Club."
Core programs provided by the Boys & Girls Club include character and leadership development, education and career development, the arts, health and life skills and sports, fitness and recreation.
Having been in the criminal justice system most of his career, Proctor has seen young men and women who are victims of domestic violence, addicted to drugs and alcohol and high school drop outs.
"I often wondered what would have happened if someone got a hold of them earlier in life and taught them social skills, leadership skills and provided them with a valuable education," he said.
The iconic blue doors approximately 475 students in Poplar Bluff walk through each weekday are a symbol of the Boys & Girls Club, Proctor added, but not just a gateway inside a building where they can play video games and hang out with friends.
"It's a gateway to a safe, clean environment, where they can grow, learn, develop and are taught leadership skills that can bring them back into this community and make it a safer and better place," he said.
Proctor said through his career in criminal justice, he has realized the way to make an impact on the community is to get a hold of young people and change their futures before they have the chance to head down the wrong path.
"We need more young men and women going through blue doors than going through the doors of the county jail," he said.
"A Night Under the Big Top Gala" replaced the annual Steak and Burger Dinner as a way to help fund the Boys & Girls Club of Poplar Bluff.
While the Steak and Burger Dinner received great support, Rushin said the group is always trying to keep their ear to the ground on what the public would like to see in an event that the Boys & Girls Club of Poplar Bluff could bring to the community.
"We heard so many ladies say, 'what happened to a real gala where we can get dressed up to the nines and go have a big time,'" he said, "And that's what we have done tonight."
For a first-year event, Boys & Girls Club Resource Development Director Gail Fox-Dohrman thought the evening was fantastic.
"We had a lot of obstacles against us, like Mizzou Homecoming, but all in all, I think it has been a good event for us," she said.
While totals from the event are not tallied as of yet, Rushin said every nickle raised during the fundraiser would go to help the students who attend Boys & Girls Club each and every week.
Proctor explained it takes $1,000 per student each year to be a part of the Boys & Girls Club, while 50 percent of the members can't afford the program. Those students are allowed to attend thanks to donations and fundraisers like "A Night Under the Big Top Gala."
Debby Holt, one of the many generous donors who attended the fundraiser, said "A Night Under the Big Top Gala" was such a fun way to support an organization she has seen first-hand help children in the community.
"I taught for 35 years so I know what the Boys & Girls Club does for kids," she said.
Sabrina Ridings, Bobbi Emmons and Gina Ginocchio with Mozark Realty said they and their company support the Boys & Girls Club because it allows students a place to go for something to do, as well as receive extra help with their studies.
Boys & Girls Club Board President Jeff Rolland got involved with the organization two years ago after being in law enforcement for 32 years.
"I quickly learned as a police officer that it's hard to make a difference in a young person's life," he said.
After being introduced to the Boys & Girls Club, Rolland said, he saw the true impact the organization was making.
"You watch the kids come into the club and see them light up. They are excited, they are having fun and they are learning," he said. "Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?"