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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 19, 2017)
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2017 B&G Club from 1A They wanted to share their story, one that is vital to the lives of this community. It begins in 2014. During that period, Trent was what he called “a happy retired camper.” He had been in the area since 2010, collecting his retire- ment checks and spending a modicum of time volunteering with Backpacks for Kids. Dale Edwards, who was on the board of the Boys and Girls Club, needed someone who had finan- cial experience to help out. Trent joined the board, only to find the club was going through the most tumultuous period in its history. When asked why he got involved with the club, Trent did- n’t hold back: “I used to be one of these kids.” Trent came from a troubled home in the Midwest; the oldest of five kids, dirt poor and food insecure. When his father was jailed, his mother decided it was high time the family went to church. They didn’t know which church, though, so Trent and three of his siblings went walk- ing to find one. They got lost along the way when a white bus pulled next to them. It was from the Seminole Baptist Church. The pastor, noticing the disheveled kids, offered them a lift to the church they were looking for. “Or you could just come with me (to my church) where we meet every Sunday,” he offered. Trent went to the Baptists, and soon after the pastor took him under his wing. “If it hadn’t been for him, I would have followed my father and my brothers to prison,” he said. Trent went on to become a successful businessman that led to his life as “a happy retired camper.” Davis, however, came from a decidedly different background. In his words, he was “privi- leged.” Like many teenagers, he didn’t have much direction. He got into to the University of Oregon but had no idea what his major would be. He chose journalism, not because he held any deep love for the profession (though he loved to write), but simply because it didn’t have any math requirements. He graduated, but the news didn’t fit his liking. Instead, he went into business, owning a few fairly successful companies. But priorities changed and he found himself in Florence, com- muting to Newport to work for the paper in advertising. The Newport News Times is owned by Siuslaw News’ parent company, News Media Corporation, so communication between the two papers was reg- ular. Siuslaw News’ then-publisher John Bartlett offered Davis a job, first in the advertising depart- ment, then in the editorial room as a journalist. Stocks. Bonds. CDs. IRAs. Mutual funds. Andy Baber, AAMS® Financial Advisor . 1010 Highway 101 Florence, OR 97439 541-997-8755 www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC One of Davis’ first beats was the Boys and Girls Club. Incidentally, Trent was just beginning his tenure on the board at that same time. “I had been trying to get an interview with the director of the club (Jonathan Hicks), but I was having no success,” Davis said. However, he was able to get an interview with a few members of the board, including Trent, who informed Davis that the club was in turmoil. “We had a stack of checks that hadn’t been mailed out that was 2 1/2 inches thick,” Trent recalled. These checks for local vendors were never sent out simply because the club had no ability to pay. All told, the club was $120,000 in debt. That didn’t include the $30,000 in back taxes it owed. “When you have the IRS come knocking on your door with their gold badge, that is not a pleasant experience,” Trent recalled. Davis went on to describe the meeting: “Sitting down and talk- ing with these three board mem- bers, I was thinking ‘This is going to be an obituary.’ “What kept coming back in my mind was their tenacity. Have you ever seen that cartoon of the heron with the frog in his mouth, but the frog has his hand around the heron’s mouth, never letting go? That’s what I was seeing in these guys.” To Davis’ surprise, the board’s enthusiasm worked. The group started chipping away at the club’s debts, even if it meant chipping in themselves. Board members donated $60,000 to the club from their own pockets. “Then the next story I got to write was how they had reduced their debt,” Davis said. “They closed down the Teen Center, but it was to reorganize it.” Before this period, the Teen Center was considered an eye- sore. It was run down, the lights always partially off. The compo- nents existed for something grand — pool tables, televisions, etc. — but the only things that were utilized were a few comput- ers, used mainly to play Minecraft. Let me Showcase your property. When the Teen Center reopened, the games were set up, the walls were painted, windows were opened and programs were being instituted. “It started growing on me,” Davis said. “Wow. I kind of want to be involved with this. So my wife and I came over and we started clearing trash out. I start- ed to write more stories about how the club was improving. When the club got to reopen, it was only nine kids, but the feel- ing was, ‘Wow, we got to open. Our feet are on the ground again.’” It was then that John and Patricia Hardison came into the picture. According to Trent, John Hardison came to Trent and said, “Tell me about the Boys and Girls Club. Half of this town absolutely hates you guys. The other half absolutely love you guys. So tell me what the real story is.” At that point, Trent pulled out all of club’s financial information and told Hardison, “I don’t know if we can pull this off or not. But I’ll tell you, as long as there is a breath in me, I refuse to give up.” Hardison trusted Trent’s com- mitment. According to Trent, he pulled him aside and said, “I’ve got some good and some bad news. “The good news is that I’m going to give you money, and with what you shared with me, I know you can do this. The bad news is, you can’t get it until I die. But the good news is the doctor only gave me three months to live.” All told, the Hardisons gave the club $200,000. They even donated the wood carved bear that sits outside the club entrance. Inside the bears mouth when it was presented to the club? A check for $20,000. Since the angel contributions of the Hardisons, the club has regained its footing. As improve- ments came, so did the public attention. Soon, donations were being made from across the region. “This club was just coming back up from an impossible experience,” Davis said. “Then I got to experience not only the Burns’s Riverside Chapel Florence Funeral Home Ed Kopilec Principal Broker 541 991-8630 Your Community Friend- Compassionate Care 221 Munsel Cr Lp – Log -style Fuqua home in Florentine Estates is within easy walking distance of the club house. This 3 bdrm 2 bath home has vaulted ceilings, propane fireplace in great room, butcher-lock island, ceiling fan, enclosed porch and so much more. $210,000. #2704-17180449 club, but the kids and their reac- tion to all this stuff going on. All of sudden they get programs that they care about.” Both Trent and Davis wanted it pointed out that the club is in no way “rich,” a perception they believe some in the community have. While debts are now paid off, the programming and activi- ties for the children are constant- ly expanding and improving. Current club fees don’t fully cover everything. The remodels that the club is going through are also costly. It has built a garden and paved a basketball court, and will install another building soon. And then there’s the personnel funds. Forty-seven percent of the youth club members are on scholarships. And Trent only gets paid $1 a year. As he is still retired, Trent and the board decided it was time to make the director position paid again and turn the reigns to someone else. When Davis found out about the open position early in 2017, he knew he had to apply. Over the next six months, he was inter- viewed eight times, three of them by students. The toughest interviewers of his life, he said. And of Davis’ new pay? “I’m holding out for double of what Chuck makes,” he joked. When asked why Trent felt Davis was the best choice for the position, Trent pulled it back to story. “Telling the story is what this (directorship) is really about,” he said. To Trent, it’s about recogniz- ing the story of each child. And not a story about a statistic or a quick anecdote, but of an indi- vidual with specific moments that add up to form a life. It’s the director’s job to crys- tallize those moments in a clear manner, and present them in ways that truly communicate the love the program provides. That, in Trent’s mind, is why he has faith in Davis. Because he can tell the story. When Davis was asked what his fear is for his new position, he went quiet for a moment. He looked down to the new-orienta- tion paperwork littering his desk and said, almost in a whisper, “Let the kids down. Because without them it’s nothing.” 24 Hours 541-997-3416 burnsriversidechapel.com 1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200 Trent has no fears about the transition. “I have 100 percent confi- dence in Jack,” he said. “What’s impressed me about him and his wife Lori is that in the middle of the storm we were going through, Jack came to us and said, ‘What can I do to help you?’ When you’ve got people who come in and roll their sleeves up, I just have tremen- dous respect and admiration. I know he has the drive, not because he had to, but he wanted to.” This ultimately drove Trent’s thoughts to why the club means so much to him. “It’s humbling when you see people, especially those who don’t have a lot to give ... It’s those that are the ones that matter the most,” Trent said, tears swelling up in his eyes. “It’s those that truly sacrifice. The fact that they trusted me, the fact that every time I asked, for anything, they were always there for me. That’s my hope that they give that to Jack”. Trent will never leave the club, he said. It means too much to him. He’ll be on the board of directors and volunteer at least once a week, probably more. “These are like my grand- kids,” he said. And Davis won’t be a com- plete stranger to the newspaper business, either. Aside from missing what he called the cama- raderie of the Siuslaw News staff and the pure thrill of getting in a story in just before deadline, he’ll be in charge of one of the Boys and Girls Club’s primary modes of storytelling: Press releases. While Trent and Davis’ medi- ums may change, they’ll go on telling the stories that they believe matter. Like a double blind survey by the Boys and Girls Club, finding that the children’s satisfaction with their work “blew the roof” over national levels, according to Davis. Or that 100 percent of the teens are expected to graduate high school because of tutoring the club provides. Or that one time the kids got together and… Those are other stories for another time. And Davis and Trent will be there, enthusiastically waiting to tell them. Mr. Wizard to perform at TRC for you and your loved ones. 2765 Kingwood St. Florence, OR 5 A THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM Three Rivers Casino Resort, 5647 Highway 126, will present the band Mr. Wizard at Blue Bills Sports Bar and Tap Room on Friday, July 21, and Saturday, July 22, from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. The group shifts from rock to top 40, country, reggae, funk and blues. COURTESY PHOTO Mr. Wizard FRAA ART CENTER 120 Maple Street Phone: 541-997-4435 Hours Open: Wed-Fri noon-5pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun. noon-5pm 19955 20177 Classes and Workshops Ceramics Classes: Kids Summer Clay Camp w/ Ben Cahoon Take advantage of our Anniversary Special: Take Financial possession of your new home before July 31, 2017 and receive $1,995.00 off of your August Rent! Contact our Community Relations Director for details…. July 24th, 25th, 27th and Art Show on 28th 2nd - 8th grade. $55/student. All supplies included. To register: benjaminjcahoon@gmail.com Whimsical Hand Building Ceramics w/ Alissa Clark Wednesdays, 3-5 pm and Thursdays, 6-8 pm No classes from July 3rd - 19th Open Lab Ceramics on Saturdays Drop in, work at own pace. Sat 12-5 pm No classes from July 3rd - 19th All ceramics classes held at Alissa’s Studio. 180 Laurel Street. Call Alissa with questions: 503-857-5222 Open Studio at FRAA, Thursdays No registration required. Drop-in, bring your materials, and create. All artistic mediums welcome. Every Thursday, 1-4 pm Creative Writing Workshops - Writers on the River w/ Catherine Rourke Stay tuned for next class! All writing levels and genres. Contact: 541-708-2120; CJReditor@gmail.com Painting with John Leasure Saturdays 9 am - 12 pm July 15, 22 and 29, August 5, 12 Contact: jnleasure@hotmail.com or 541-991-2754 for details and fees. Oil Painting with Michael Wood Wednesdays 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm Contact: fmwood@msn.com for fees and more information. 375 9 th Street ~ Florence, OR 97439 ~ (541) 997-6111 Prestige Senior Living For more information about classes, visit fraaoregon.org. To register for these classes, please call or visit FRAA at our art center on Maple Street.
