Every day in September, Community Sales Manager Karolyn Shelton went to work with a little extra motivation after pledging a portion of her month’s commission to the Boys & Girls Club of Ennis.

The idea started when she met CEO Chad Knight who was shopping for a home in Ennis. She approached Riverside Homebuilders about the donation and to her surprise they decided to match her contribution. 

Through her hard work, she delivered a check for $9,398 to the Boys & Girls Club of Ennis in late October.

"With how crazy things are this year, it feels good to give back,” Shelton said. “The Boys & Girls Club of Ennis is a special organization and we are so lucky to have them in this community."

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s mission is simple: “To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.”

And for more than 160 years, they have been doing just that, working to bridge the workforce readiness gap, end the cycles of inequity, neutralize safety threats, fill the mentorship void and amplify marginalized voices. Through their intervention, 97 percent of Club teens expect to graduate from high school and 88 percent expect to complete some kind of post-secondary education. 

“I fell in love with it,” Chad said. “I enjoy mentoring our youth and providing them with a safe and fun place to go during the summer and after school hours. The Boys & Girls Club meets a huge need in the community.” 

In Ennis, Chad oversees five locations that offer afterschool programs, summer programs and organized sports. Current after school programs at the club help students with homework, stay active and learn new hobbies. They also address practical skills like Money Matters and Cooking Matters. 

He said these are the programs that will benefit the most from donations right now after long COVID-related closures slowed down their development over the summer. He also said that material donations like healthy snacks and cleaning supplies are helpful too as they work to comply with new guidelines to continue serving the community.

If you are interested in contributing to the Boys & Girls Club of Ennis, visit their website at: https://www.ennisbgc.org/

For more information about Riverside Homebuilders’ developments in Ennis and the surrounding area, call (817) 601-6230, text (254) 735-3033 or visit the contact us page of our website to get started!