On the land that Walton County Boys & Girls Club sits used to be a two-story white house where Kathy Ivie grew up as a little girl. It was a home “filled with love,” she described. “My mom had to work a lot, but always made sure we were loved and provided for – I have so many childhood memories in this house.”
Since Ivie’s mom worked, her and her siblings would help around the house and felt a sense of safety with their big yard, ball field, and playground nearby.
Her mom, a worker for the Mill, gave way to the house she spent her childhood in known as the “Mill House.”
Because of the ball fields nearby, Ivie remembers summer evenings and weekends spent playing softball, learning how to drive a stick shift in the ball field, and bike rides along the roadway.
“There are so many memories here,” she shared.
Memories she recalls as she volunteers at the Walton County Boys & Girls Club which sits where the house that built her once did.
It adds a special connection to her new role as board chair of the WCBGC board and as a board member on the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central Georgia’s corporate board.
“I dedicate my time to the Club because it is so important for every child to knowthat they have it in them to succeed no matter where or how you were brought up,” she shared. “Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of confidence. I was intimidated by the really smart kids - the ones that might have seemed to have so much more than me. At that time, it was hard to see that I had so much more. I want to be able to be that person that can teach them that being rich with money is not as important as being rich with love and family.”
Ivie’s childhood filled with rich family and love influences has been a source for community volunteering.
“My mom said that I was always that way growing up, so I guess it just came natural. I remember giving up some of my Christmas toys, so that another family would have gifts,” she said. “It was more important for me to give than receive. We had a loving family, two sisters and one brother and all of our neighborhood friends that came together as a club.”
For Ivie, watching her beloved home become the home of the Club was a fitting as she knew the Club would be centered around being a positive atmosphere and a place for youth to emerge into productive youth.
“Being a part of WCBGC is very heartwarming,” she shared. “What is most impactful to me in this work is walking in the Club and for a Club member to wrap their arms around me and just smile. At those moments my heart melts and I know that a difference is being made. That is the moment you know that you have touched their lives. I love seeing them go from a shy 5-year-old to making new family members to then becoming our next Member of the Month, to Youth of The Year and off to college.”
Ivie is excited for her new role as board chair for the WCBGC because she believes deeply in youth development work.
“I want to be there and help guide these youth down the right path and to never go towards the darkness,” she shared. “I want to teach them that they are very important.”
For her new role as a board member for BGCNCG’s corporate board, Ivie is looking forward to meeting other Club board members and learning more about the daily operations behind Club life.
“I believe learning more about how to be successful as a Club and organization will help me serve the youth of Walton County, as well as our community,” she said.
If you’re looking for ways to get involved with the youth of this county, Ivie has a suggestion.
“Volunteering at the Walton County Boys & Girls Club is the most worthwhile dedications you will ever make,” she shared. “The Club concentrates on helping youth become admirable young men and women through dynamic programming and opportunities.”
To learn more about Walton Count Boys & Girls Club or to volunteer visit, www.bgcncg.com/waltonclub or call 770-207-6279.