Liz Huntley Brings Madison To Tears & Inspires
Bria Anai, BGCNCG Club alum, sang Whitney Houston’s “When You Believe” prior to Liz Huntley speaking.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the room while author and child advocate Liz Huntley shared her moving story with those in attendance for the Madison-Morgan Boys & Girls Club “Liz Huntley Speaks” fundraiser recently.
Guests listened to Huntley share about her difficult childhood and hung on every word she spoke. From her mother taking her own life while Huntley was very young to dealing with sexual abuse and many more tribulations – Huntley delivered a message of triumph over agony.
Her most defining point was the ability we have in our communities to save children’s lives – a responsibility we all should play a role in, she suggests.
“We have to recognize that every child deserves a chance to have a wholesome childhood with positive experiences, with somebody to assist and help them – after all God blessed us to be able to do it for our children,” she highlighted. “All of us have the ability to be able help in some sort of a way. A significant way is this Boy & Girls Club, which provides a wraparound service.”
Liz Huntley shared her story to a full room at the event.
Huntley’s childhood was riddled with traumatic events that could have sealed her fate as a child to look over, mark as defected and forgotten – however, she shares, because of organizations like her pre-school she attended, church and the Boys & Girls Club she was shown the power of what love can do for a wounded child.
“Scientist call it nurturing – I call it love. We know without a shadow of a doubt that those same children in those situations, even if you don’t change their situation, if you buffer on a consistent basis that negativity with a nurturing environment the power of that environment will actually reverse damage done by those adverse childhood challenges and stop further damage from coming,” Huntley shared.
“So you tell me what y’all offer and do isn’t powerful - it is way bigger than a safe place to hang out until mommy and daddy get off work. In many cases, like for me, it’s literally saving children’s lives.”
Karen Robertson, Madison-Morgan Boys & Girls Club Senior Executive Director, said “Liz Huntley’s story is a shinning example of how the work we do here at MMBGC indeed saves lives.”
“I knew that we were all in for a treat, as one of our board members, Ashley Hunt, had previously seen Huntley speak, but I was not ready for the power of her words and the truth in every syllable she spoke,” Roberston shared. “Truly, I hope every person who attended our event was left with a new perspective on serving youth and given inspiration on how to overcome all odds.”
For Bob Mackey, Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central Georgia CEO, it was just as moving.
“What Liz Huntley shared is a direct reflection of why this work is so vital to the communities we serve,” he shared. “We are here to be the buffer. We are here to enrich these children’s lives. We are here to let these youth know they are not alone, we care for them and want to see them succeed in all endeavors. It was such a powerful experience to witness.”
To learn more about Madison-Morgan Boys & Girls Club visit www.bgcncg.com or call 706-342-1117.
