Staff and volunteers of the Boys & Girls Clubs serving Chattooga, Gordon, Murray and Whitfield counties have been developing ideas for the last three years to keep children active and engaged, said CEO Robbie Slocumb.
“We wanted to get kids outdoors and active instead of playing video games all of the time,” Slocumb said, noting that the club wanted to focus on outdoor activities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “When you’re active, it not only helps with your health, but it helps mentally and socially. Just a lot of different ways.”
With that in mind staff and community volunteers turned the old softball field behind the club at 1013 Underwood St. in Dalton into a new play area with state-of-the-art equipment.
On Friday, the Boys & Girls Club held a ribbon cutting for the additions, which include a sand volleyball court; a 9 Square in the Air grid, which combines volleyball with foursquare in a larger setting; and a VersaCourt basketball half-court that doubles as a pickleball court.
“This has been a project that’s been in the works for several years,” Slocumb said. “This used to be a softball field and not everyone is playing softball much anymore. The best thing we did was play soccer or the occasional flag football, so we thought we’d adapt and change a little, because everything we do is because of these kids and the opportunities that we can create for them. It’s really cool because every year something different has happened and something’s been added.”
Slocumb said the project started when the club began “envisioning some ideas” with volunteer April Schneller.
“She brought up the idea of a sand volleyball court and I got with (fellow volunteer) Ken White, and he said, ‘OK, let’s see what we can do.’ That’s when everybody’s hands started getting into it. But (White) was really the first person to really get behind this and support this project.”
Another new feature of the reimagined field area is a gaga ball pit, which was built by volunteers from Shaw Industries, Slocumb said. A form of dodgeball that began in the 1970s, gaga ball involves players competing in an octagonal pit and attempting to eliminate other competitors by throwing a dodgeball and hitting them in their legs.
“We’ve also added a pavilion, not just to give an outdoor space to chill out, but for educational activities,” Slocumb said. “That goes along with our disc golf course and our bicycle course that we’ve already had behind the field. A lot of times, people drive by and they don’t see everything we have back here.”
Slocumb said the additions would not have been possible without community sponsors and volunteers getting “plugged in.”
“Many hands make work light,” he said. “That’s what this community does. We put our hands together, we help each other out, and we benefit the community at large.”
To thank the sponsors who helped, Slocumb and Pat Thompson, the area Boys & Girls Clubs’ director of donor engagement, unveiled signs listing organizations and volunteers, including the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia, the United Way of Northwest Georgia, Dalton Utilities, the Kiwanis Club of Dalton and Shaw Industries, as well as a sign naming the new volleyball court the Ken White Sand Volleyball Court, which will be be added to the site, Slocumb said.
“The more safety nets we can put around a child, the less likely they’re gonna fall through the cracks,” Slocumb said before quoting famed children’s television host Fred Rogers. “’Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.’ and that’s really what play is. We want kids to play out here and escape (the outside world). We want them to interact, learn and build relationships.”
Schneller said the project has been a testament to the efforts of people in the Dalton community helping each other.
“I really appreciate this community because Dalton truly gives back in every form and fashion you can imagine,” Schneller said. “This is an amazing community and everybody gives and gives and gives. I’m proud to be part of it.”
Also at the ribbon cutting, Donna Hair, a longtime regional board member of the local Boys & Girls Clubs, was honored with the unveiling of a Yellowwood tree planted near the pavilion on the field area.
Along with serving on the regional Boys & Girls Clubs board since 2007, Hair served as the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia’s board chair for several years through the pandemic before recently handing over duties to David Gregg, said Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia President David Aft.
“Stewardship, leadership and commitment. Those are the hallmarks of Dalton, Georgia,” Aft said.
Quoting an old Greek proverb, Aft said Hair perfectly embodies the quality of leadership and how it “shapes the future.”
“Those who care about the future plant trees under whose shade they never expect to see,” he said. “Planting trees is a way of expressing our commitment to the future, and knowing this tree will … provide shade on what used to be an empty softball field is an amazing thing.”
Aft said he’s been able to see much leadership in the community.
“And I know the best among them are tree-planters,” he said. “Because owf Donna’s commitment not just to the community but to the many things the Community Foundation touches, including the Boys & Girls Club, we decided that there was no better fitting tribute than to plant a tree whose shade we may never enjoy, but many other folks will down the line.”
Hair said she is honored to have a tree in her name planted at the club.
“I’ve really seen this whole club evolve into what it is today, which is amazing,” she said. “I think just having this here represents how (the club) is going to continue to grow and be here.”
She said the tree is the “perfect way” to pay tribute to her.
“I love the outdoors, I love plants and I love trees, so I think that was the best way to honor me,” she said. “And to have it here at the Boys & Girls Club, the Community Foundation knew that the Boys & Girls Club was really close to my heart. It always has been.”
While the additions offer new ways for children to be active outside, Slocumb said the work has only just begun.
“We’re not done yet,” he said. “We want to look at adding other stuff out here for the kids in the future and to continue making an impact in their lives by investing in them.”