Pictured (from left) are Cory Knight, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Piedmont; Keeley Ward, principal at Union Grove Elementary; Jason Humphrey, principal at Central Elementary; Russ Winthrop; A’mera Bellamy, Abby Winthrop SMART Girls program coordinator; Nicholas Allen, principal at Harmony Elementary; Jennifer Dalton, principal at Cool Spring Elementary; and Jonathan Ribbeck, Iredell-Statesville Schools director of elementary education.
BY DONNA SWICEGOOD
After Brady Johnson spoke to a women’s group at a Union Grove church, group members posed a suggestion to the director of development for the Boys & Girls Club of the Piedmont.
“Why don’t you bring it to North Iredell?” the women asked Johnson.
On Tuesday, that request moved a step closer to reality as the nonprofit, in partnership with the Abby Winthrop SMART Girls, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to announce it is expanding its reach to Cool Spring, Harmony, Central and Union Grove elementary schools.
The Abby Winthrop SMART Girls program, for girls in the elementary grades, will be offered to girls at the four schools. Johnson said the nonprofit is planning to grow the program to include all children in the northern Iredell area. “We want to include the boys too,” Johnson said.
But growth has to start somewhere and honoring the legacy of Abby Winthrop through the program her parents, Russ and Vicki, started after her death in July 2019, is that first step, he added.
Abby Winthrop was born in 1994 with an extremely rare heart disease that would ultimately claim her life. Despite her physical challenges, she pursued her dream of helping children, Russ Winthrop said.
After her death, the Winthrops wanted to do something to continue her dream, which led to the creation of and Abby Winthrop SMART Girls in 2020. The program aims to help girls, especially those who might need a hand, in reaching their full potential.
Russ Winthrop said he believes his daughter would be particularly pleased to know girls in North Iredell benefit from the program. Abby was a graduate of North Iredell High School.
While driving to Union Grove on Tuesday, Russ Winthrop was reminded of driving his daughter to school after her medical treatments, which left her unable to drive.
Providing an opportunity for girls in that community, he said, will fulfill another wish his daughter had.
“She just wanted to be normal. She wanted to be just like every other kid,” he said.
Johnson said the program is open to any girl in the four schools. Participants will meet two or three days a week after school and will have the chance to attend a summer camp this year.
The Boys & Girls Club of the Piedmont, which is located in Statesville, also has a satellite club at Shepherd Elementary School.
Expansion of the club to North Iredell was aided by a partnership with Iredell Health Systems, Johnson said.
Last summer, Iredell Health System Lacing Up for a Cure 5K included teams from each of the four elementary schools. The funds raised through Sponsor a School, he said, were split between the schools and Iredell Health System. That $6,000 was presented to the school system Tuesday in the form of $1,500 checks to the principals at Union Grove, Harmony, Central and Cool Spring elementary schools.
Cory Knight, who took the helm as executive director of the Boys & Girls Club eight weeks ago, said the organization is planting seeds in the community and this expansion of services is one that will make a difference for years to come.
Penny Ledbetter of the Union Grove United Methodist Church United Methodist Women – the group that challenged Johnson to bring the club to North Iredell – read a statement from president Ann Loftis. She said this expansion will indeed plant those seeds and impact the lives of girls in the community.
That, Russ Winthrop said, is a fitting legacy for his daughter.