Leaders build club reading garden
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on April 22, 2015 1:46 PM
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Members of the Leadership Wayne County class, from left, Maurice Greene, Ken Jones, Chris Meyers and Melissa Stephens put together posts for a shelter as part of this year's community project, to create a reading garden at the Goldsboro Boys & Girls Club.
This year's Leadership Wayne County class has chosen its group project -- a reading garden at the Goldsboro Boys & Girls Club.
Tonya Barber is president of the 21-member class, a Wayne County Chamber of Commerce program designed to develop a corps of leaders dedicated to improving the community through service.
"There were a lot of needy organizations and a lot of things that we all wanted to be involved in," Mrs. Barber said.
The Boys & Girls Club project received the most votes, she said, "because it would have the greatest impact, not just on the county but on the children. We wanted to be able to include the kids in our project."
So in addition to the renovation project, club members have also been enlisted to participate.
"We're going to be putting a mural on the wall and will allow the children to be part of that," Mrs. Barber said. "We'll have different canvasses and the kids can put up their handprints."
The mural will be placed between two shelters being built and the garden will also include the capability of holding plants and vegetables.
The club had several things on its wish list for the project, Mrs. Barber said -- including repainting the front of the building and freshening up mulch in the flower beds.
"They called it a reading garden when they submitted the idea," she said. "We're in hopes that after we build the shelter and pour the concrete, we would be able to get some furniture for them, depending on our budget, to use for outside reading or doing homework."
Class members have donated their time and energies to the project, Mrs. Barber said, usually showing up after work and on Saturdays to participate.
"It's a lot of work. We're very lucky to have a dedicated group," she said, sharing credit with class member Chris Myers, utility division project manager at T.A. Loving. "He has been a godsend. He's been able to design for us and instruct us on how to construct it. He's gotten materials and equipment donated."
The time constraint on the project is completing it before the class is slated to graduate in May.
"It's coming together. It feels good seeing it come together. The kids are really going to enjoy it," she said.
If the weather cooperates and all continues to go on schedule, the last step in the process will be what she called "the big reveal party," during which the finished product will be unveiled at the club on Royall Avenue.