TRC partnership brings college to kids

Growing up in Poplar Bluff, the only thing I knew about Three Rivers College was that they had a great basketball team. In junior high, my Dad wasn’t happy when I said I wanted a gold Raiders jacket instead of a maroon Mule jacket. Crowds would pack Peters Gymnasium as Coach Bess had his team on an unbelievable tear with an unbeaten home winning streak that still boggles the mind. I don’t ever remember asking whom they played for or at what school they represented. I hadn’t visited the campus a single time until I asked for help filling out Pell grant and student loan applications. Later in life, I saw the difference Three Rivers College can make in a person’s life. With that in mind, our staff made it a priority to figure out how we could incorporate Three Rivers College, and what it could offer our kids in our teen program schedule. It started with campus tours that grew into a C.S.I. simulation day, which piqued some of our kids’ interest. But, it only lasted one day.

Many of my friends’ kids have participated in the dual credit program where some higher-level high school courses can earn students college credit. It’s an incredible program, but the personal cost required in the past was too much for most of our Club members to afford. Our staff started a series of discussions with Three Rivers College President Dr. Wes Payne, which led to more enterprising meetings on how we could get BGCH teens involved with TRC.

The result was the College Kids Program. BGCH sophomores are eligible to attend classes free of charge, allowing them to earn college credits and, more importantly, establish a plan for the future. The College Kids program has now evolved into our Great Futures Program, which allows BGCH members to continue to take college classes into their junior and senior year, and earn as many as 30 hours of college credit before graduating high school.

We will explain the details of the Great Futures Program in articles to follow, but this is an example of what can happen when a group of individuals and organizations are dedicated to a mission. Last Saturday night, over 150 people attended the inaugural Murder Mystery Dinner hosted by the Three Rivers Endowment Trust benefiting the Great Futures Program. Endowment Trust Director Michelle Reynolds and BGCH Chief Financial Officer Terri McCormick did an incredible job ensuring everyone in attendance had a wonderful time while making sure BGCH kids could continue to attend a world-class college in their own backyard.

Chris Rushin in the chief executive officer of Boys and Girls Club of the Heartland, which currently serves Poplar Bluff and Neelyville school districts.