The Columbia Board of Aldermen is considering allowing a faith-based organization to operate a summer program at the Duckworth Center.
Antonio and Cora Johnson of Reign in Life Ministries submitted a proposal to use it from June 4 through July 6, five days per week from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.
The board delayed action pending more study of the feasibility.
“We need to go to the Duckworth Center and review the schedule,” Mayor Justin McKenzie said. “We also need to make sure that the facilities are up to par.”
The Johnsons, along with their daughter, Alexis Ridge, the program director, have run the Summer Academy for Children for eight years.
“We’ve been operating from different sites in the city since we moved back to Columbia from Jackson,” Cora Johnson said. “The program started in our home with our granddaughter. We spoke with Larry Jenkins over at the Duckworth Center, and we thought it would be a great spot.”
The nonprofit group said the summer program offers quality, affordable, fun and educational sessions for students who are in need of tutoring and a structured summer break.
“It began because our granddaughter was three or four years old and she didn’t have anything to do in the summer,” Cora Johnson said. “We wanted her to be on top of her game going into the next grade and that is how the program started. It’s been growing. We’ve been servicing up to 40-something kids each summer. We’ve helped underprivileged kids; we’ve had several foster kids that have been a part of it. If they cannot pay, we can still take some of them. People have been giving to the cause.”
She said they serve ages 5 to 12 and provide academic tutoring sessions, reading, math, spelling, writing and a basic second language.
“Our director is fluent in Spanish and so she teaches them some basic Spanish,” Johnson said. “They also have a time for performing arts, singing and dancing. There is a physical fitness component and healthy eating.”
The program also provides mentoring sessions, according to Antonio Johnson.
“We’d love to have a good presentation on bullying,” he said. “We also would like a presentation on the history of our town. Maybe the mayor or one of the aldermen or the city attorney would like to come speak. The program is growing and it’s helping the children.”
Ward 1 Alderman Wendell Hammond made a motion to table the issue until the Board could look at the facility and determine the feasibility. McKenzie reaffirmed Hammond’s thoughts and the Board voted unanimously to table the issue until it could be studied.
Jenkins then addressed the Board about the upcoming baseball season at Duckworth Park.
“We’ve had signups and we have about 140 kids on the list so far,” he said. “That’s low, but we are continuing to sign them up. We have some very dedicated volunteers working with the children.”
Jenkins also brought the financial end of things to the Board, which annually pays for insurance for the program and the umpires. The board approved insurance for $1,069 and funds to pay the umpires for the summer.
Pictured Above: Cora Johnson speaks with the Columbia Board of Aldermen Tuesday about the summer program. | Photo by Mark Rogers
