By Betsy Finklea
The Dillon County Council gave the Dillon County Boys and Girls Youth Center a $5,000 contribution at their February 22nd meeting.
Kenny Smith, president of the Dillon County Boys and Girls Youth Center, appeared before council and asked if there had been an oversight on their request for funds.
=He said in April 2016 the Dillon County Boys and Girls Youth Center requested a $25,000 investment pledge payable at a rate of $5,000 per year for five years. Smith said these funds would assist in meeting their goals for the programs for the year.
=One of their programs is the Ruby and Rose Literacy Program where they provide books to 4K students at Stewart Heights Elementary, South Elementary, and East Elementary. They visit these schools, read the book to the students and discuss it. The book is then given to the students to take home. Budgetary restraints will not allow them to expand the book program to Latta and Lake View at this time.
=The Boys and Girls Youth Center also sponsors a Young Women’s and a Young Men’s Empowerment Summit where they hear from motivational speakers and discuss an array of topics. They also sponsor a “Let’s Talk” platform where young men and young women can talk with their parents in a public forum about love, sex, relationships, and putting pregnancy on pause.
Smith said that they have seen council take up an array of issues where they gave thousands of dollars to a softball league, and there is nothing wrong with that. They have seen the council give money to clubs and organizations, and there is nothing wrong with that either.
Smith said after only a few minutes of discussion, a motion was made and $16,000 was given to enlarge the housing area for cats and dogs. He said he knows there are a lot of animal lovers here in Dillon County and again there is nothing wrong with that. He acknowledged that the council did provide other funds for Dillon County Boys and Girls Youth Center when requested.
He said however that over $16,000 to make cats and dogs comfortable versus a few thousand for children, but that he didn’t think that there was anything more precious than the children. He said if he was an outsider looking he would think that we think more of dogs and cats than we do some of the youth in Dillon County. He said it had been over a year since the organization had requested representation in the budget, but they have yet had the opportunity to find out what council can or cannot do or will or will not do for the children of Dillon and the Dillon County Boys and Girls Youth Center. He said they were only asking for fair representation in the budget just as representation was given to other entities. He left them with the question: “Have we really done all that we can do on a long-term basis for the youth in Dillon County?” He said they are not looking for a handout. We are looking for a long-term investment in the youth of Dillon County, Smith said.
Chairman Archie Scott said there are certain services the county has to provide, such as animal shelters, etc. He said they get his point. He said Dillon County faces a hard budget year as well and many request. He said he didn’t think they could do a $5,000 per year commitment, but they could help somewhat. He said he would entertain a motion at this time.
Councilman James “Hoghead” Campbell made a motion to give the Dillon County Boys and Girls Youth Center $5,000 for the first year and look at it from that point on. The motion was seconded by Councilman Robbie Coward. All voted in favor.
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Editor’s Note: To view this meeting, visit The Dillon Herald’s channel on YouTube (searchable under Johnnie Daniels/look for The Dillon Herald sign); go to www.thedillonherald.com; or go to the direct link at www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_cZzFllVsK. It is the Dillon County Council Feb. 22, 2017 meeting.
