[All News]

April 2010

Tennessee's Junior Miss 2010
Visits AndrewJackson Club

On April 15, 2010, the Tennessee's Junior Miss2010, Chelsea M. Milligan visited Andrew JacksonClub to promote National Be Your Best Self Week.  The Be Your Best Selfprogram is an exciting and rewarding way for Junior Misses to help theircommunities and make an even greater impact on youth by introducing andteaching the Be Your Best Self program. America'sJunior Miss was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in Mobile, Alabama. More than 700,000 young women from across the nation have participated inJunior Miss programs at the local, state, and national levels.  Inaddition to cash scholarships, Junior Miss participants are eligible forcollege-granted scholarships from nearly 200 colleges and universities. Themission of America'sJunior Miss (AJM) is to empower outstanding high school girls by providingscholarship opportunities, developing life skills, and encouraging positivevalues; and to impact the lives of all young people through the Be Your BestSelf outreach program. Chelseadelivered a helpful message emphasizing the importance of setting goals and strivingto reach them.  

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February 2010



Submitted by Club Director
Ray Wallace

Volunteer Appreciation Day - On January 27, 2010, The Andrew Jackson Club conducted its first annual Volunteer Appreciation Day. The event coincided with National Mentoring Month which is the time the nation spotlights the importance of mentors and the need for every child to have a caring adult in his or her life.  The event was well attended and included refreshments as well as a “meet and greet’ with the new Club Director, Ray Wallace.

The club has over 36 volunteers from various organizations like Vanderbilt, Belmont, and Tennessee State University as well as many major companies. Combined, they accumulate over 37,000 man hours a year. They engage the kids in numerous programs like Power Hour, a tutoring program for youth. “I get more out of helping the kids than they do from me,” said Pomai Verzon of Belmont University. Volunteers also help out with special events and maintenance projects. All must go through an extensive orientation and background check before interacting with the kids.

For the members of the Andrew Jackson Club, much of the summer months were occupied with the compilation of their annual end-of-summer talent show, held on August, 6, 2009. Each year, the Club Members take on the full responsibility of planning and organizing the event, with just a small amount of help from the staff members.  Last year the talent show also featured a fashion show to help the members understand and build self-esteem and confidence. A very special thanks goes out to Byron Fisher, who devoted a significant amount of time to creating the show by choreographing and working closely with the staff members, and Vanessa Thomas, who was also a large help in the process.  For some of the younger members, it was their first opportunity to participate in the talent show and fashion show and it turned out to be a huge success. Check out photos of the event below!

Byron Fisher performs a Michael Jackson tribute at the talent show



Vaneesia Santos, Nevaeah Douglas and Ja'Myaeh Douglas
prepare for their moment in the fashion show

6- and 7-year-old Club Members prepare for the talent show

Members prepare for the fashion show portion of the talent show

Nigel Williams, Briana Darnell, Ashley Douglas and DeAndre Russell performing

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The members’ artistic talents continue to shine through, as we must also congratulate Nigel Williams on his recent success in the Boys & Girls Clubs art contest. His artwork won him a place as a regional finalist in this year’s contest.

Nigel Williams with his award-winning artwork

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