Green bids farewell to local Boys & Girls Clubs

Ron Green, chief professional officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Tennessee, has accepted the position of CPO for the five clubs making up the Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties in Rocky Mount, N.C., he announced to his board of directors Tuesday.

Green, who was the first executive hired by the local organization when the long-time dream of a Boys & Girls Club became a reality in 2004, has made his mark in the community in many ways that benefit children and young people, according to his board.

In a letter sent to board members unable to attend the Tuesday session in which Green announced his decision to accept the challenge of a new administrative position in another location, the focus was on opportunity.
“… opportunities and blessings abound, even when it may not be easy to appreciate the packages in which they sometimes come wrapped,” the letter noted.

“Ron Green, our CPO, and his family will be leaving us early in the new year to take advantage of an excellent opportunity for them in North Carolina. Ron has been sought out and offered a position that calls for many of the skills he has used so effectively as our first CPO and our guide through territory that was foreign to most of us, including the opening not only of the Union City club but the recent excellent outreach to children and youth in Humboldt.

“We celebrate this recognition of Ron’s talents and abilities and wish them the very best in their new home, even as we deal with our own emotional reactions to the news and its effect on our clubs, our communities and ourselves as their friends.

“Please remember, however, that this set of circumstances also represents an opportunity for the Union City and Humboldt clubs. In beginning our search for a new CPO, let’s keep in mind the assets we want to build on and begin to move beyond dreams and into action on the issues we want to claim positively in the future.

“As we say an emotional good-bye to Ron and his family, I know we will find within each of us the best attitude and strongest commitment to searching for a new CPO and family to carry on the work that Ron has reminded us, by his words and his deeds, is so vital. His shoes will not be easy to fill, but we must be committed to the belief that we not only face new opportunities for those we serve, but our clubs represent an opportunity, as well, for someone we have not yet met.

“We must begin to move in a positive and affirming way toward offering that chance for all who are affected by this important decision.”

Green moved to Union City from his home state of Mississippi just a few months before the doors opened to Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Tennessee in the fall of 2004. The club has been located at 1015 East College St. in Union City — sharing the former Miles School building with a Head Start facility — since that time. More than 1,600 youth and children are on the membership role of the club, which serves an average of 135 children from 6-12 years old and another 45 teens each week day.

This summer, Green and the board oversaw the opening of a new club in Humboldt, which is now an important part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Tennessee organization. The new club opened with a waiting list of members at the start of this year’s school term and is enjoying great success in that community.

Under his leadership, the local club has grown stronger in program content and opportunities for development in a safe and structured setting and has shared the knowledge and experience gained with personnel and supporters of the Humboldt organization. The clubs have both forged positive bonds with the local educational systems and have instituted special tutoring programs to assist students. Green, a college baseball and football player and a former professional athlete,  introduced several opportunities for participation in sports that taught children the fundamentals of the games and allowed them a chance to practice their skills in competition.

He stressed personal responsibility and introduced a values-based program called SMACK (Spirituality Molds Attitudes and Character in Kids) that set high standards for students and helped them learn to apply spiritual truths to their everyday lives.

The Fourth Child Christmas program to benefit children who might otherwise face a bleak holiday, back-to-school programs that promote the excitement of a new school year and provide needed items for the classroom and day-long summer programs are also important components of the programs Green has worked to implement.

In addition, a Boy Scout troop grew out of the club setting and children of all ages have benefited from the technology provided at the club.