The Boys and Girls Club of the Permian Basin and Anthony Bolton & Bolton Family will be treating 25 Permian Basin students to an exclusive back-to-school kick off at Foot Locker and Champs and the Odessa Marriott Hotel & Conference Center on Wednesday, July 26. The event will kick off at 9:30 a.m. at Music City Mall. Each student will receive a swag bag and $100 gift certificate to spend on new shoes, during an exclusive private shopping experience before the mall is open to the public, a press release said.
The inspiration for the event started with Leadership Odessa. Graduates of this year’s cohort, Anthony Bolton and Andra Lancaster-Jones (Executive Director of Boys and Girls Club) started talking in the fall during one of their Leadership sessions. Lancaster-Jones asked Bolton to be a part of the Safety Committee she was building. “We wanted a well-rounded committee,” she explained, “people who deal with safety in every arena.” She pulled together first responders, insurance specialists and Bolton as her subject matter expert in environmental and industry safety and compliance for a diverse range of business from Oilfield and Medical to Industry and Construction.
During an event that they attended together at Boys and Girls Club of Midland, Bolton heard a story about a company who bought shoes for kids during Christmas and his heart and imagination were captured. “I came from little to no money at all. For me, it motivated rather than debilitated me. This year has been a banner year — I started my own company and it’s thriving; it made me want to give back to kids from backgrounds like mine. Let them know that there are people who see them and who want to help them achieve their dreams.”
Between Bolton and Lancaster-Jones, they came up with a plan and reached out to Footlocker in Music City Mall. “They’ve been amazing,” Lancaster-Jones said. “They’re opening the doors early for the kids, providing a DJ and Swag Bags. We want to roll out the red carpet for these guys — send them into the school year with a sense of hope and possibility.”
Bolton asked the Permian Basin Boys and Girls Club unit directors to recommend five kids from each club in the Permian Basin. “I asked them to pick kids who are leaders,” he explained, “and who have the need — to provide them with some extra love and recognition. Shoes aren’t the answer to everything, but they’re a great reminder that we always have the opportunity to put our best foot forward.”
The Mission of the Boys and Girls Club of the Permian Basin is to help young people become productive, caring, responsible citizens by providing enriching experiences in a positive environment. For more information and to support their mission, please visit their website at basinkids.org, or reach out to Executive Director Andra Lancaster-Jones at [email protected].
