Area youth involved with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Golden Triangle will get an opportunity to hear from one of their own — Coach Ben Howland, Mississippi State University’s head men’s basketball coach.
Also known as a “Club” kid, Howland will be the featured speaker for this year’s Sports Talk Charity Fundraiser set for Wednesday, Jan. 13 at The Mill in Starkville. The silent auction starts at 6 p.m. with dinner following at 7 p.m.
Considered to be one of the club’s largest fundraisers, Nadia D. Colom, chief professional officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Golden Triangle, said they are looking forward to the event.
“This is really the most exciting Sports Talk yet in my opinion. We’re in a new venue which we’re looking forward to, and we’ve got great auction items this year. And with Coach Howland having such rich ties to the Boys & Girls Club, he can speak directly to the impact that this organization has on its membership.”
Coach Howland was a regular at the Goleta Boys & Girls Club in Santa Barbara, California, where he first found his calling.
As a youth, Howland spent days at the club and honed his skills as a basketball player, which eventually led to his ultimate dream — being named head basketball coach of the UCLA Bruins in 2003.
Today, Howland is listed in the Alumni Hall of Fame of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and in May of 2015, the Goleta Boys & Girls Club named a court after Howland.
At the clubs
In an average year, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Golden Triangle, which includes both Columbus and Starkville, serves more than 785 youth with a staff of only 17 and about 100 volunteer tutors, mentors, special project volunteers, AmeriCorps and College Corps Vistas and volunteer board of directors. Each club averages about 120 members per day, according to Colom.
“We were really fortunate this year to see improvements in our programming with the community’s support. Thanks to groups like the United Way, we’ve added a full service food program so that members can receive hot meals after school at our Columbus location. We’re also in the midst of a really exciting Educational Gardening project at our Starkville facility with plans for completion in the spring.
“More members are able to receive one-on-one tutoring and mentoring because of our partnerships with the MSMS as well as with the College Corps program from both MSU and MUW. We’re thrilled to start the year off as strong as we are, but we know there’s more work to be done. We still have more children throughout the Golden Triangle area that we must reach,” Colom said.
The clubs’ areas of service include: academic support, character development, career and leadership support, the arts and health/ nutrition.
Organizations or individuals interested in sponsoring a table (sold at different levels) at this year’s Sports Talk Charity Fundraiser should contact Colom at 662-418-7285 or email [email protected].
Tickets
Individual tickets are $30, or $50 for spouse/guest. The price is $15 for school-age children. Tickets may be purchased at the Columbus club located on 1815 14th Ave. N. or at the Starkville club located at 911 Lynn Lane. The Starkville facility may be reached at 662-615-9980 and the Columbus facility at 662-244-7090.
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