“I recently sat through a meeting for the Rising Sun Youth Club that was very informative and pretty impressive,” said council member Roger Fortson. “They provided facts and statistics about Madison County that were pretty rough to look at, and really opened your eyes to the problems our youth face today.”
Mayor Chris Peck asked Fortson to share further details on the matter.
“Can you give us a little more information about the club and what exactly they do?” he asked.
Fortson explained the general mission and overview of what the club does.
“It’s a good, Christian-based organization that teaches sports and musical lessons to underprivileged kids, or anyone who otherwise would not be able to take part in extracurricular activities,” said Fortson. “I think it’s great because growing up myself, I knew so many kids that could have been excellent at sports or music, if they had only had the means of affording and pursuing it.”
Peck asked about Rising Sun’s means of funding and the type of organization they are.
“So is it a non-profit organization?” he asked.
Fortson informed the council of the club’s status and need.
“They are non-profit, and are therefore in need of any help they can possibly get,” said Fortson. “They’re really looking for places to use and volunteers to help in any way that they can.”
Ellyn Trinrud, inquiring about the club’s facilities and means of operation, asked about their location and available transportation.
“Do they have their own facility and means of transportation for these kids?” she asked. “Where exactly do they go, and how are they expected to get there?”
Fortson told of the condition of the club’s current facility and the need for further assistance.
“They’ve purchased the old Comer gym, but it’s in such poor condition and in need of so much work that they’re not able to use it as they had expected,” said Fortson. “And they have vans that they use to pick up and transport as many kids as they can, but they’re limited on that as well.”
Fortson made a few last comments on the matter.
“You’ve got to appreciate anyone that’s willing to sacrifice and volunteer this amount of time and effort to make a difference in the lives of these kids like this,” he said. “That’s why I believe anything the city or county could do to help would surely be beneficial.”
OTHER BUSINESS
In other matters, Colbert-Danielsville Road is still undergoing construction. After a unanimous decision by the council, the newer portion of the city cemetery will be surveyed so the 20 lots currently designed for four people could potentially be changed to 40, two-person lots. The council is looking into roads within the city that can be patched up with their road assistance funds from the state. Also, the Trinruds have volunteered to spruce up the auditorium of the old school at their own expense, in preparation for a wedding that they will hold there in the fall.
“We feel that the painting, cleaning and improvements made to the auditorium would last far beyond just the wedding, and would allow for numerous other events and social gatherings to be held there as well,” said Ellyn Trinrud.
