By Debbie Adams
What a fun night at Vinton Baptist! The VBC Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Virginia hosted
a Family Night Resource Fair on October 24 with the goal of connecting the families of students
with resources in the community.
The gym was packed with children from the after-school program, their siblings, and parents, all
enthusiastically anticipating an evening which started out with free Chick-fil-A and ended with a
Roanoke County K-9 demonstration.
In between, Daphne Sargeant, director of the Boys and Girls Club program, introduced
representatives from several agencies and organizations who spoke to families about what they
can offer.
The Vinton Baptist Boys and Girls Club was founded during, and as a result of, the COVID
pandemic in 2020. School shutdowns required some creative thinking on how to get children
back to school and their parents back to work. The church voted unanimously to partner with the
organization and Roanoke County Public Schools to establish a virtual learning program at
Vinton Baptist for students from Herman L. Horn and W.E. Cundiff Elementary Schools. It
continues today as an after-school and summer program serving approximately 60 students (with
a waiting list).
At the time, Vinton Baptist pastor Travis Russell said, “I cannot think of a better way to ‘let our
light shine’ in our community than by providing a safe space for the children of Vinton to come
after school to learn, play, and grow.”
In the years since, the Boys and Girls Club has taken on as part of its mission forming bonds
with the parents of its students.
At the Family Night Resource Fair, representatives from Roanoke County Public Libraries,
Town of Vinton Community Programs and Facilities, VBC Community Outreach, the Vinton
Police Department, Roanoke County Fire & Rescue, the Roanoke County Health Department,Virginia Cooperative Extension, the Partnership for Community Wellness, the Keller Williams Real Estate Group, and the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) shared information on their programs.
Kelsey Frey from Roanoke County Libraries detailed the innumerable materials and services
offered by the Vinton Public Library for children, including its story times and WoW!
Bookmobile.
Leslie Prillaman from the Virginia Cooperative Extension introduced families to 4-H Club
camps and monthly activities for children ages 5-18.
Vinton Police Officer Will Holland talked about Halloween safety and the dangers of fentanyl-
laced candy in this day and age. He reminded parents that perhaps events like Vinton’s
Downtown Trick or Treat were a safer way to participate in the holiday than neighborhood trick-
or-treating. Holland also talked about the relationship between crime prevention and knowing
where your children are – at all times.
Terry Hough from Vinton Baptist shared the activities that the church offers for children,
including this week’s trunk or treat.
Rodney Brown, a realtor with Keller Williams, talked about renting vs. buying homes and
“taking the fear out” of becoming a homeowner.
Nancy Hans from the Partnership for Community Wellness addressed the issue of substance
abuse in general and vaping in particular and its prevalence in the community.
Assistant.
Fire Marshal Robert Mauck from Roanoke County Fire & Rescue spoke about Fire
Safety Month in October and provided some goodies for children (fire hats, pencils, and stickers)
and parents (oven pulls). He emphasized the importance of smoke alarms placed throughout
homes. (Families who need assistance with smoke alarms should contact Community Outreach
Director Brian Clingenpeel at 540-777-8718.)
Love Kingsbury from PEATC talked about the services her statewide non-profit agency offers to
empower special needs children and their families. They work with individuals from birth to age
26, providing information on, and help with, navigating the special education and disability
service system. They provide free and confidential assistance in over 300 languages and
collaborate with other organizations such as the Virginia Department of Education. Their aim is
to “teach parents to talk so the schools will listen.”
The program ended with the long-awaited demonstration from Roanoke County Police Officer
Kristina Wilhelm and Roanoke County Police K9 Ghost in his bullet-proof vest.
Ghost is a German Shepherd who understands both English and German (he came from
Hungary). His job is explosives detection, including guns. Officer Holland and Assistant Fire
Marshal Mauck helped place items around the gym for Ghost to sniff out – which he was eager
to do in anticipation of his “paycheck” – play time with his own personal toy. Daphne Sergeant
and parent Brandon Kincer were given the opportunity to work with Ghost up close. Wilhelm
assured them that Ghost “will only bite when told to.”
The Family Resource Fair welcomed several special guests including Vinton Mayor Brad Grose,
W.E. Cundiff Principal Ashley McCallum, and Vinton’s School Board member Tim Greenway
who was presented with cards made by the students thanking him for a generous contribution to
the program.
Tim Greenway (back row with Director Daphne Sargeant) for a generous contribution to the
program.
The Vinton Baptist Boys and Girls Club has become an integral part of the community. One of
its main contributions has been the Four on the 4th Race every Fourth of July morning bringing
runners and walkers from throughout the region to downtown Vinton. Members are also familiar
volunteer faces at most town events throughout the year.
