What is five dollars worth? The answer probably depends on how you decide to spend it.
Barry Dishman, youth services director with the Warren County Juvenile Court, shared a lesson in personal economics last Thursday at the weekly luncheon of The Rotary Club of McMinnville.
The Rotary speaker recalled an experience from some 10 years ago when Kids of the Community (KotC) was hosting scores of underprivileged children and teens for a day at the Warren County A&L Fair. Besides paying for their lunch at food booths, the non-profit group gave each child $5 to spend as he or she wished on carnival entertainment.
One 10-year-old boy approached Dishman with an unexpected question. “Can I keep the $5 and take it home?” he asked.
“Well why would you want to do that? You’re here at the fair and you can use the money to have fun,” Dishman probed.
“My glasses broke and we’re trying to save up some money to get them fixed,” the thoughtful youth replied.
Economic disadvantages are not the only challenges many Warren County youth deal with daily. Absence of positive adult role models in their lives is another. Lack of support and encouragement for schoolwork and a respect for learning in general is yet another obstacle to personal achievement.
“These young people didn’t get to pick their parents or the situation they would grow up in,” Dishman told Rotarians and their guests at the luncheon in the fellowship hall of First Presbyterian Church.
KotC serves some 225 young people during the typical year, with regular after-school activities at its donated home base on Cadillac Lane, a gift from First National Bank of Middle Tennessee. Tutoring and homework help is offered three evenings a week, often served up with nutritionally balanced meals. Participants and their families are invited to free shopping for clothes and shoes, and the well-stocked pantry — supplied with food from Second Harvest and local grocery stores and restaurants — helps fend off hunger and food insecurity.
Mind-expanding adventures like trips to Nashville or basketball games at nearby universities raises horizons and hopes for youth from culturally deprived backgrounds, Dishman observed.
Fishing rodeos and ranger-led explorations at Rock Island State Park introduce kids to appreciation and learning in environmental topics combined with physical exercise and fun.
Christmas parties, Thanksgiving dinners and Valentine’s Day dances are among other popular features of the annual calendar at Kids of the Community.
Perhaps the greatest impact for participants is the moral guidance and character development that grow out of interaction with responsible, intelligent and genuinely caring adults, the Rotary presenter emphasized.
“The kids involved in Kids of the Community are not the ones we see in juvenile court,” Warren County General Sessions and Juvenile Judge Ryan Moore affirmed in a public radio interview recording after the Rotary luncheon. Moore presides over the juvenile justice system in which Dishman has been director of Youth Services for 35 years.
The extended edition of the weekly FOCUS interview with Moore and Dishman will air on McMinnville Public Radio 91.3-WCPI Tuesday at 5:00 pm and again Thursday at 1:00 pm.
As a charitable organization with limited financial resources, KotC has its own economic hurdles, Dishman told the Rotary audience. Expenses for supplies, transportation, utilizes and direct assistance last year came to about $150,000, he related.
“We’re not like Bridgestone that makes tires for sale,” he remarked while thanking the global tire-building giant for its corporate support of KotC’s services.
“We’re not selling tires. We’re investing in the future of children.”
The group applies for small grants from government agencies, but a large share of the yearly operating costs is covered by donations from individuals, churches, civic clubs and businesses, he related.
One of the main sources of KotC funding is the annual Paddlefest, a day of high-spirited kayaking and canoeing on the scenic, gently flowing Barren Fork and Collins rivers. The 11th annual event will be June 22, sponsored by McMinnville Rotary with all proceeds going to Kids of the Community.
Rotarian Pam Pescevic, the key organizer and promoter, invites donations of $25 from any water sports enthusiasts who want to join in the aquatic fun — or from any land lover who simply wants to support the cause. In addition, a $10 donation is welcomed as the charity will be awarding two Jackson kayaks to fortunate contributors.
Questions may be addressed to kidsofthecommunity@gmail.com or by calling Pescevic at 928.713.5014.
