The RiverKings will spotlight the works of the Oxford Exchange Club Family Center as the M.V.P. (Money-Volunteers-Publicity) Nonprofit on March 13 during the hockey team’s 7:05 p.m. game against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven.
A group of 200 supporters including Exchange Club clients, plus members of supporting branch Clubs from 15 counties, will be in attendance to celebrate the evening. The event is poised as the Family Center’s second major fundraiser behind the organization’s annual Blue Ribbon Banquet in Oxford, traditionally hosted by the University of Mississippi’s Kappa Delta sorority.
The RiverKings spotlight a different charity, cause or nonprofit organization for each of their 32 home games. The team’s MVP Program is designed to help nonprofits raise money, recruit volunteers, and generate publicity about their missions.
“Our mission at the Exchange Club Family Center is to better the lives of children and families by replacing negative parenting behaviors with positive ones,” Exchange Club Family Center Case Manager Amy Wildmon said enthusiastically. “We pride ourselves on helping parents focus on the family issues that matter and helping them learn how to deal with those issues – such as healthy marriages, healthy and learning-based discipline, and love.”
“Child abuse is a horrible epidemic,” Wildmon said. “Our organization focuses on prevention in the horrible epidemic of child abuse rather than intervention, but we still make a huge difference,” Wildmon said. “We get to work with children first hand – telling them what abuse is in every aspect, and teaching them that it is okay to ‘Say No!, Get Away! and Tell Somebody!’
“I also think that in a time when our nation has been pummeled by economic crisis, it is important to offer services to at-risk youth. When times are tough, crime rates rise. When a child is raised in an environment where all he or she knows is survival of the fittest – they need someone to help them make the right choices,” Wildmon said.
The Family Center also houses the Adolescent Offender Program (A.O.P.) for the Oxford area. A.O.P. is a community-based partnership among the Mississippi Department of Human Services/Division of Youth Services, mental health agencies, community agencies and local multi-agency councils. A.O.P. provides a mechanism within communities to coordinate services, share resources and reduce the number of young offenders being placed in state custody.
The A.O.P. program is for adolescents ages 12 to 17. Participants are referred to by youth court, and stay with the 3-phase program for a year. They are taught social skills, anger management, career education, drug and sex education.
“Our students in the A.O.P. program aren't always accepting of the help we provide at first, because they have never experienced anything like it,” Wildmon said. “But as with most of our clients, we see significant changes for the better in their schoolwork, behavior, and overall attitude. They become more aware of social standards, and they learn valuable life skills.
“The children from our S.T.A.N. (Stop The Abuse Now) program presentations always leave happy! And they also learn life-saving information. It feels good to know that we can plant a seed that will be able to grow and become a beautiful, proud young person someday.”
In addition to the annual Blue Ribbon gala produced with the help of Ole Miss’ Kappa Delta sorority, The Exchange Club Family Center sponsors several community and fundraising events, including charity golf tournaments; “Spooktacular,” an annual carnival event for children on Halloween founded by the Family Center, in which community organizations pass out awareness information; and Oxford’s “Party in the Park.” The Center also participates in the National Exchange Club program, “Believe in the Blue Day” during Child Abuse Prevention month, handing out parenting tip cards and blue ribbon pins to support child abuse prevention.
To get involved, call the Exchange Club Family Center offices at 662-234-4255 or email amywildmon84@yahoo.com.
Photo by Whitley Rives
" Oxford Exchange Club Family Center supporters show their team spirit during a RiverKings hockey game at the DeSoto Civic Center in February of last year."
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