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Called I.M.P.A.C.T., which stands for Involved and Motivated Parents' Association for Children and Teens, the group's main goals are to raise money for the club and to provide volunteers for programs. You can think of the group as a booster club -- the Bluffton Boys & Girls Club's biggest fan. I.M.P.A.C.T. started to take shape in September, and members recently pulled off their first fundraiser -- an all-you-can-eat oyster roast at the club on H.E. McCracken Circle.
GETTING TOGETHER
Though parents always have been an integral part of the Bluffton club, I.M.P.A.C.T. is the first organized effort. A few dozen members have been meeting biweekly this fall under the leadership of Walter Wheeler.
"Everybody chose offices except president," he laughed. "So they got me. And I didn't have a problem with that."
Wheeler, a South Carolina native and the father of two club members, said the group still is getting established, but is headed in the right direction.
"The group is very sincere on what (it's) trying to accomplish. It's truly important when people put aside their self-centeredness and concentrate on being a servant to others."
In addition, Wheeler hopes his involvement with I.M.P.A.C.T. will speak to a group that's often underrepresented at the club -- dads.
"When you look at the makeup of our officer base, there are three females and one male. And when you come to our meetings, you also see a large turnout of females and very few males. I certainly hope, with my presence, I can encourage other men to come forward and be a part," Wheeler said.
I.M.P.A.C.T.'s three other officers are E. Jennifer Morrow, vice president; Myla Mitchell, treasurer; and Melissa Simonsen, secretary. Collectively, Bluffton Boys & Girls Club Director Molly O. Smith calls them The Four Tops.
"They are our heroes," Smith said of the quartet. "Ten years of service to this community, and this is the first time we're tapping into a resource that has never materialized before now."
THE ROAST
I.M.P.A.C.T. kicked off its fundraising effort with the inaugural oyster roast, held Nov. 22 outside the club's headquarters. Catered by Bluffton Oyster Co., the event served as a coming-out party for the parent group.
"(The oyster roast) afforded the parents an opportunity to see that, with some effort and some involvement, we could get things done," Wheeler said.
About 100 people attended the roast. They shucked oysters in the chilly evening air and danced to Motown and jazz favorites by Focus, a band featuring saxophonist Greg Whittaker.
C.J. Humphrey, chairwoman of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry and vice president of the Bluffton club's board, said the event spoke highly of I.M.P.A.C.T.'s potential.
"I am so excited to have the parents so involved in what we're doing. It cements all of our programs," Humphrey said.
And Smith is pleased to start another decade of service on the right foot.
"That parent communication has been a challenge for 10 years," she said. "The way this is going, this is the way it's supposed to be. I feel like I've grown another set of wings."
