George Thomas has been a facilities engineer for a long time. But even with all of his advanced planning, analysis, and logistics skills, he couldn’t possibly have known that his volunteering to create a lottery ping-pong ball machine for a fundraising event would lead to such a consuming passion to help kids in Meigs County, TN.
That single act of investing his engineering skills lead to attendance at an event supporting what is now the Sutton-Hooker unit in Benton, TN. It was at that event that an idea sparked inside of him: Maybe, just maybe, a Boys & Girls Club would be exactly what his rural community of Decatur, TN needed to help kids get on the paths to great futures.
Inspired, George decided to host a live music event at his “Pond House.” He invited friends and acquaintances alike to both gauge and generate interest for starting a Club in Decatur. And it worked … even better than expected! George’s passion was so contagious that in that one night he was able to secure $25,000 to get a Club started.
With the help of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Ocoee Region staff and a small, hand-selected interest group, the team worked passionately to plan and dream. Several potential properties were investigated, and after a long, tedious process, George decided to make a personal offer on an old Dollar General Store just to insure that the property was secured before anyone else could buy it up.
Since then, George has overseen every single aspect of turning that old retail spot into a truly beautiful Boys & Girls Club unit that is the envy of not only the Ocoee Region, but of many Clubs throughout the movement. Not only was he the original spark, but he also served as the general contractor for the renovations, secured the 501c3 status to keep the Meigs assets tied to the community, initiated the USDA relationship securing a low interest Rural Development Loan, and even granted a personal note to help bridge the funding gaps … all while managing his regular, full time employment.
Without a doubt, George Thomas is a true “champion” for the Meigs County Unit, and his legacy will forever grant Meigs County youth an incredible childhood experience at THEIR Boys & Girls Club.
About the Beverly Burton New Board Member of the Year Award
This award is given to Board/Council member with less than three years of service on a local governing body. Beverly M. Burton began volunteering for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 1982. She served for nearly 25 years and received numerous awards. After her passing in 2006, BGCA re-named the New Board of the Year award in her memory.
