The idea to begin a Boys and Girls Club here for the surrounding children and students of Farmville began around January/February 2013.
Three Longwood University students knew that they do not need to be Farmville locals in order to help change the community around them. Sophomores Amelia McConnell, Bharani Sankar and Molly Kabis stepped up and decided to take action on a cause to aid their surrounding home.
“My close friends Molly Kabis and Amelia McConnell were walking back from Kroger one day [prior to its closing] and saw the abandoned community center that is across from the baseball and softball fields and thought, ‘hey it would be great to get something like that going again.’ They brought the idea to me later that day, and it just flew from there,” said Sankar.
The two girls later discussed the idea with Sankar and the idea was planted to start a Boys and Girls Club, a foundation whose goal is to provide services to help at-risk youths.
“All three of us grew up in environments provided to us by families that gave us an opportunity to get an education and further it by coming to college,” Sankar said.
Sankar, a Longwood tennis player from Richmond, is not new to volunteer work. He often works at children’s cancer centers at a Richmond hospital.
“We did some research and were able to find that there was a high drop out [rate] from schools in the Prince Edward County system and graduation rates were also very low,” said Sankar. “Amelia grew up going to a Boys and Girls Club, and we did some research and it all started coming about.”
McConnell, an art design major who grew up in a military family, spent her high school years in Pennsylvania and Germany. According to McConnell, prior to attending Longwood, she had always been interested in the Boys and Girls Club Foundation.
After spending most of her school years moving from place to place, McConnell claims to consider Longwood as the first place she can call home. However, she has always found comfort in helping others through her community, wherever she has been.
“We just want to open this club and provide opportunities for Farmville youth,” McConnell said.
Kabis grew up in Maryland, and she has always participated in volunteer work back home through her church. She was also involved in the National Honor Society in high school. She expressed that she always enjoyed the feeling of helping others in any way she could.
“It [volunteer work] was always a ton of fun; I loved doing it,” said Kabis, an exercise science major who one day plans to go to pre-med and medical school.
All three individuals believe that starting this program for young Prince Edward County children would give kids a better chance to further their education.
Although still just beginning to bring about an awareness of volunteering within the community, the three dedicated Longwood students acknowledge their future goals for Farmville and establishing themselves in order to begin a volunteer shelter for Boys and Girls Club
“
Right now, we are a part of Longwood as the Beyond the Numbers Club. We first need to establish ourselves as a club here and get active enrollment before we can start looking for places to bring in a Boys and Girls Club,” said Sankar.
Fortunately, many staff and faculty members were on board in helping Sankar, McConnell and Kabis in gaining connections with various people around the community who can assist in establishing themselves as a Boys and Girls official student-run organization.
Professor of Sociology Dr. Jake Milne helped the trio, alongside Associate Athletic Director Michelle Meadows and Lecturer of Art and Faculty Scholar For the Cormier Honors College Ann Bradshaw.
“These three faculty members got us on the right track to doing well and making connections, which in turn helped us get established around the community,” said Sankar.
The trio have clearly laid the groundwork for a cause and organization they believe in, which will hopefully one day help kids in the Prince Edward County School System.
According to Sankar, “There is a lot of potential that is around town that just hasn’t been seen yet, we just want to help them realize their potential and grow to be the best that they can be.”
