Raising funds for the Delta Streets Academy has been an easy sell.
The 2012 Leadership Greenwood class is holding a charity weekend for the new Christian school for at-risk boys founded by T-Mac Howard. It includes a golf tournament, sporting clays competition and $5,000 drawdown on June 29 and 30.
Channing Hodges, a member of the leadership class, went to businesses asking for support. Everyone he approached had the same response: “Yes. We’re behind him. Let me know what I can do to help.”
Hodges said all the main sponsorships and hole sponsors are already sold. Montgomery Southern Realty is the title sponsor.
The Delta Streets Academy will open this fall with classes for seventh- and eighth-grade boys from South Greenwood. It will be at First Baptist Church during its first year while renovations are made to the former Delta Chevrolet building, Hodges said.
The school plans to add one grade each year until it goes through 12th.
Hodges said that if you’re going to change Greenwood for the better, you need to instill ideals in people in those age groups.
Howard has already been working with at-risk youth through an after-school program for a couple of years. But Hodges, a church member of Howard’s, said you can do only so much with a few hours per day.
The academy will open up new opportunities, taking the first batch of students through high school graduation as it grows.
“He was chosen to do this. It’s in his heart,” Hodges said of Howard.
The Leadership Greenwood class, an annual program for young business leaders sponsored by the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce, chose the academy as its project.
A four-man scramble will begin with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. June 29 at the Greenwood Country Club. There will be prizes for the top three teams and other categories, as well as breakfast and lunch.
Tickets are $500 per foursome.
At 6 p.m. on June 29, a drawdown will be held at the Greenwood Country Club. The grand prize is $5,000. There are 300 tickets for sale at $100 apiece. Each ticket entitles the purchaser and a guest to attend the event. Food, beer and wine will be provided, and silent auctions will be held.
The sporting clay tournament will begin at 8:30 a.m. June 30 at the Greenwood Gun Club at Greenwood-Leflore Airport.
Cost is $500 for a four-man team.
For more information, contact Delta Streets at 455-1745 or email at deltastreets@gmail.com.
