Greenwood Mentoring Group

Ask people what's wrong with Greenwood, and they will tell you. They, young/old, black/white, rich/poor, have a laundry list of things they would like to see changed. We don't have a movie theater anymore; there is no place to eat (but most of us are overweight); crime is bad; poverty is worse; the young people have nothing to do; there are no jobs, no opportunities; racism is rampant, hatred flows like a river; Greenwood is drowning in hopelessness.

I have long lamented the "leaders" of our town who spew verbiage but offer no solutions. I have shaken my head at "leaders" who, like Don Quixote, attack windmills while real problems go unaddressed. I'll give you one example before moving on. A few years back, "leaders" liked to be quoted as saying they were fighting to keep Mississippi Valley State University from being closed. In vain I looked far and wide for any hint that anyone had ever even suggested that Valley should be closed. But "leader" after "leader" stood up to take on the 
windmill.

Bill Clay working with a child.

Enter a hero, a real hero, a knight, a leader. His name is Bill Clay, and he stands head and shoulders over the town, literally. At six foot six, he not only cuts an impressive physical stature, but he bypasses the windmills and fights real problems. In October of 2004, he founded the Greenwood Mentoring Group, an after school program that offers tutoring, academic support, and cultural enrichment to needy children. Besides their school lessons, they learn hope, respect, responsibility, punctuality. They take educational field trips; they see that there is a world beyond the streets of their own neighborhood. With the help of Linda Whittington, a host of volunteers and donors, they are making a difference, changing lives, improving their world. I respect that. I applaud that. I support that.

Last night, my wife and I attended a get together at 124 Avenue G, the home of Greenwood Mentoring Group. It was an "Appreciation Dinner" for donors. When we got there, I looked around the crowded room. I knew some of these people, and there is no doubt that some of them write big checks to GMG. I write small checks. I write embarrassingly small checks, one every now and then. But four days after I lick a stamp and mail a tax deductible donation to GMG, I receive a handwritten thank you note from Bill Clay. Please support this answer, this ministry, this light shinning in the darkness. Write a check and donate to Greenwood Mentoring Group. Mail to 124 Avenue G, Greenwood, Mississippi 38930.

Linda Whittington at Greenwood Mentoring Group.