By Leo King
Staff Writer
ORANGE PARK – Ron Flowers has a simple mantra: "Get to the kids before they get into trouble."
Building on that notion, he has been in the forefront of getting the Clay County Youth Character Building program off the ground.
He said they had a good summer session.
"We fed them breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it wasn’t junk food. Eggs and bacon in the morning, occasional hot dogs and hamburgers at lunchtime, and good food for dinner."
The kids come in all sizes and colors.
Flowers, 51, literally lives across the street from the R. C. Miller Youth Center at 440 McIntosh Ave. where he, Sherman Smith and others are making plans for after-school programs – and they are looking for money to do it.
Smith teaches at Orange Park High School and is the school’s track and field coach.
The Town of Orange Park owns the building and the property, so they pay the electric bill.
The wooden structure at one time was a two-room schoolhouse "for colored children. I’m glad those days are behind us," he said.
One room, the main meeting room, has a clear floor although collapsible tables can be set up. Another room is a shop area where things are sold and repaired.
The boys and girls bathroom are in a separate structure, but one has to go outside to get to them, and a concrete walkway is about three feet above the ground and in need of railings.
"Last year, Tim Point and Ed Lewis were sponsors and donated much-needed funding. They also helped to build a new aluminum frame pavilion on a four-inch concrete base, and bring an older, wooden one up to code. That one used to have a leaky cloth roof. Not anymore."
Flowers explained some details about the program.
"It’s a mentoring program," among other things, he said, "and there are 49 steps of character building through words, sports and mentoring."
Flowers explained, "Character is defined as inward motivation to do what is right no matter the cost."
He offered an example.
"If you have a friend who is doing the wrong thing, turning him in is the right thing to done, even if it means losing a friend."
He speaks with authority.
"I had the opportunity to go to Michigan State or Florida A&M. I chose Florida A&M but didn’t graduate. I made some poor choices along the way."
He said he grew up without a father.
He is divorced and the father of four children.
"A main word is ‘selfish.’ Another is ‘respect. Robbers steal because they have no respect for themselves or others."
Flowers added that it is a faith-based organization of Christian children, "but the child comes first. We are interested in the kid, not his or her religion." They help children between the ages of 5 and 13. They look for children at Orange Park elementary and junior high schools.
The Rotary Club of Orange Park thought so well of his work they gave him a plaque last week stating, "Community volunteer of the quarter presented to Ronnie Flowers in recognition of devotion and unselfish service to others."
"It’s our job to enable with the right tools – tools of knowledge. Some of them will be our leaders of tomorrow." They are planning fund-raising events now. "We’ll need $3,200 to $5,000 for our after-school program," he said. Part of that will be to pay for a teacher, the rest for lunch."
For information on the Clay County Youth Character Building program, call (904) 278-5694 or 759-4619.
lking@jcpgroup.com
December 9th 2008 - 1:03PM