By Rita Howell
Two Ole Miss football alums, Deuce McAllister and Romaro Miller, will be the featured speakers at Thursday night’s Steak and Steak Banquet to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Mississippi. The event will be at the Batesville Civic Center beginning at 6 p.m.
McAllister, a running back, went on to play eight seasons in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, claiming a Super Bowl ring in 20009.
Miller, who preceded Eli Manning as Rebel quarterback, played three seasons in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings and later in the Canadian Football League. Both played for the Rebels from 1997-2000.
Today McAllister operates his Catch 22 Foundation, dedicated to enhancing the lives of underprivileged youth in the Gulf South region.
Miller is an insurance agent in Olive Branch.
“We’re so excited to have them come,” Latasha Rice, executive director of the club, said Monday.
Already 545 tickets have been sold, with more available, she said.
In addition to the keynote speakers, there will be entertainment by the Polynesian Association of Mississippi, the Boys and Girls Club Choir, and the Panola County Highsteppers. The club’s Youth of the Year, Kenneth Gleeton, will be master of ceremonies.
Recognition will be given to the club’s board of directors who earlier this month received the Boys and Girls Club of America League of Eagles Gold Award, the only group in Mississippi to receive it. The award recognizes achievement by the board in areas of fundraising and service.
Members of the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Mississippi are: Percy Bruce, president; Kenneth Johnson, vice president; Leah Morris, secretary; Sybil Draper, treasurer; John Reed, Dr. Johnny Cummings, Carolyn Williams, Rosa Johnson, Kayla Dunnigan, Kenneth Gleeton, Joan Wesley, Mina Lightsey, Father Don Chancellor, Allen Maddox, Lauren Byrd, Lauren Hoskins, Adrian Barnhill, Delily Gatson, Adrienne Robison, Bethany Tarpley, George Farris and Ed Casteel.
Currently the club serves 119 children ages 6-18 enrolled in its after-school program, which was founded here in 1999. The banquet is the major fundraiser to support the ongoing work of the club.
At the facilities on Highway 51 at Eureka Road, the club members can take advantage of sports, arts and crafts, a computer lab, hula and yoga lessons, tutoring and mentoring. There are healthful snacks from the kitchen, and help with homework daily.
This year a six-week summer program is being planned.
Supporting the activities of the club are volunteers from Zeta Phi Beta sorority, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and the McLean Institute from the University of Mississippi.
Individuals who currently volunteer at the club include the Rev. Damian Cunningham, James Stewart, Eric Spears, Mary Pearl Jones, Naomi Brown, Oscar Henry and Anne Jenkins.
The club’s paid staff includes Latasha Rice, executive director; Dennis Hoskins, unit director; Adriana Ellis, financial officer; Brenda Chapman, administrative assistant and technology instructor; Rhonda Leland, art and crafts instructor; James Jones, health and lifestyles instructor.
For banquet tickets and information, call the Boys and Girls Club at 578-7309. Tickets are $55 for individuals, or $440 for a table for eight.