COVINGTON, Ga. - The Boys & Girls Club of North Central Georgia (BGCNCG) partnered with Newton County Waffle Houses for a spirt day campaign Thursday in an effort to raise funds for the future Newton County Boys & Girls Club.

Andre Cooper, chairman of the advisory board for the Newton County Club, said Newton County citizens have been asking for a club for years. He said he started working towards getting a local club more than 12 years ago.  Newton County is now poised to open a Boys & Girls Club teen center location.

“I think it will really help to bring back a positiveness (sic.) to our community and also assist some of the kids,” Cooper said. “I think the Boys & Girls Club is one of the tools, and we have other tools in the county, but I think it is another tool to help us continue on making our own community look great.”

Cooper said he appreciates Waffle House’s partnership, especially at the early stage.

“They jumped in at an early stage, because a lot of people want to see a visual, but Waffle House jumped in and ran with it before pretty much before the vision,” he said.

District Manager for Waffle House Cynthia Cooper said the local Boys & Girls Club will have a direct impact on her employees and customers.

“We get a lot of customers, we get a lot of employees that have, you know, the teenagers and our employees, especially, we feel that they can benefit from a Boys & Girls Club because a lot of them have problems with finding places for their kids to go,” she said. “You know, a lot of them can’t afford the expensive camps, so the Boys & Girls Club is something that they will benefit from. So if they will benefit, of course Waffle House can benefit because that keeps everybody happy.”

Vice President of Marketing for BGCNCG Rachael Ward said the local club will be a place for kids to grow.

“This isn’t just a space for kids to go after school, this is a space for them to go and grow and prosper and learn soft skills, learn relationships and learn how to be adults and learn that they can become anything they want to do,” she said. “And that’s the kind of space that we’re happy to create here in Newton County and we’re happy to partner with Waffle House to open that door and let these kids grow up and be great and have bright futures.”

For more information about BGNCG or to donate, visit www.bgcncg.com.