It seemed like just a routine day when Janet Baldwin, executive director of the Oseola McCarty Youth Development Center, paid a visit to BancorpSouth to deliver some DVDs that were donated during one of the center’s Christmas events.
But as fate would have it, Baldwin walked into quite the surprise when Tedd Webb — who serves as BancorpSouth president for the Pine Belt division — informed her that the bank was giving the center a check for $200,000.
That donation will be used to help complete restoration work and other endeavors at the facility on McSwain Street in Hattiesburg.
“It was mind-blowing to receive it; it was out of the blue,” Baldwin said. “I was trying to keep my composure and everything, and I said, ‘are you serious?’
“But (Webb) said, ‘we want to do our part, and before it’s over with I really want people to know what kind of impact BancorpSouth makes.’”
The funds will assist the center, which offers recreational services for kindergarten through 12th-graders, with providing programs and resources that help children reach their full potential.
In particular, officials will be able to shore up the center’s middle building to make room for additional classroom spaces.
“That’s an old school site, and it has a lot of potential; it just takes money to get things done, so this will allow us to expand it and get it completed,” Baldwin said. “Right now, there’s no plumbing, there’s no lights there.
“This will help complete that middle section of the building, and then we can expand our programs and do even more work at the center.”
This is the second $200,000 donation made to the Oseola McCarty Youth Development Center by BancorpSouth, with the first coming after the 2017 Hattiesburg tornado that heavily damaged the center’s facilities.
Officials did apply for a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to repair the damage, but Baldwin said FEMA denied some of the work officials had done on the facility.
“There was a $70,000 balance that we had to start to pay a note on, and you’re talking about an organization that had no money coming in other than fundraising money to cover utilities and insurance,” she said. “We were paying this big, huge note, so when BancorpSouth made the donation, I knew the first thing I had to do was pay this note off. I was trying to do the right thing, because they did step up and fund it because we didn’t have any money to do it. Mr. Ted said he just wanted us to have money to work with.”
Currently, officials are working on plans to bring in other sources of revenue, as the center provides its services to families free of charge.
“As an income generator, we’ve been approached a lot about rental space and people wanting to come in and do certain programs for certain occasions,” Baldwin said. “So, we’re looking at something like that, to share some of that space we have once we get it up and going.”
In addition to other services for local youth and their families, Oseola McCarty Youth Development Center offers an after-school mentoring and tutoring program, youth summer camp, health education and monthly activity programs.
“Like BancorpSouth, Oseola McCarty Youth Development Center strives to improve its communities, and we’re proud to continue our support of its significant work,” Webb said. “This organization is a true asset for our area, helping youth to develop their skills, make a difference in the community and feel confident about their futures.”
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March 18, 2021 at 10:38AM
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BancorpSouth makes 'mind-blowing' $200,000 donation to local youth development center - HubcitySPOKES.com
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