​Happy Tuesday y’all! Today I wanted to talk about an organization that does amazing things for children of all ages in the Jackson metro area! I wanted to share more about the Boys and Girls Club of Central Mississippi!
 
The Boys and Girls Club of Central Mississippi first originated in 1937 on Hiawatha Street and was home to over 400 young boys in the area. However, girls did participate in activities and programs, and it was not until 1990 that the organization officially changed its name to The Boys and Girls Club.
 
The main goal of The Boys and Girls Club is to provide a safe and fun atmosphere for kids and teens outside of school hours. Community and service are two very important values to the club because the club was created to bring together the community and be able to serve and give back to kids of all ages. Programs are offered throughout the club to help the youth grow academically, develop leadership skills, and to help find themselves!
 
A few of the programs that The Boys and Girls Club offers are Academic, Character & Leadership, and Health. Their academic programs strive to create opportunities for the youth both in and outside of the classroom. Their character & leadership programs work to empower the youth to not only try in the classroom but to just be a good citizen and to lead a positive life. The club teaches and work to enforce the importance of healthily lifestyle through their health programs. A few of their health programs include Smart Girls, Passport to Manhood, and SMART Moves.
 
There are also many ways to become involved with The Boys and Girls Club like volunteering or by making a donation. You can visit their website at bgccm.org for more information on how to give back to the club and how to get involved not only in Central Mississippi but all over the state and country! And don’t forget y’all to get inspired!

​Happy Thursday y’all! For today’s blog, I wanted to share some information about a fun and family-friendly event that is happening this Sunday August 27th! We are talking about the Bright Music Festival!
 
Bright Lights is hosted every year by the Greater Belhaven Neighborhood Foundation and this year’s marks its 17th annual event! This year is a little different from previous years because the festival will be held all day form 9:00 A.M. until 9:00 P.M. this upcoming Sunday. Bright Lights will continue to offer family-friendly music along with showcasing the creative fabric of Belhaven. The main goal of this event is to bring to community and neighbor back together to celebrate all the things Belhaven has to offer!
 
Sunday morning will kick off at Sunflower Over and moving to Urban Foxes and ending the day at Fertile Ground and Belhaven Town Center. Many Belhaven businesses will also be serving their signature food and beverages throughout the entire day for folks to enjoy while listening to amazing music! There will be serval locations hosting the musical guests along with vendors open for business like B&B Market, Jxn Flea, and many more!
 
Bright Lights is a free event to the public no matter the weather! Citizens can register for a passport at The Oaks Museum as well from 10:00 A.M. until 2:00 P.M. so they can visit bakeries, breweries, cafes, and other markets local to the area! You can visit their social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more information regarding the event, times or locations, and other activities that will be going on throughout the day! Again, Bright Lights is such a creative and family-friendly event for all ages so make sure to stop by to enjoy your Sunday a little bit more! And don’t forget y’all to get inspired!

​Happy Tuesday y’all! For today’s blog, I wanted to share with you about an amazing organization that affects every single one of us every day. This organization works every day to better our state and to save all the beautiful things in Mississippi. We are going to be talking about Keep Mississippi Beautiful!
 
Keep Mississippi Beautiful is an organization that is a certified state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful Inc., which is one of the nation’s largest community improvement organizations. Keep Mississippi Beautiful strives to educate Mississippians on how to improve and restore all that our state has to offer. KMB teaches easy and simple ways to keep our state beautiful like the prevention of littering and promoting recycling. This truly is an amazing organization that inspires Mississippians every day!
 
Keep Mississippi Beautiful is a very hands-on organization as well. Their mission is to take action every day to improve, impact, and beautify their community. One way volunteers work directly within the community is by cleaning up affected areas through the pick-up and prevention of littering. KMB also donates trailers to local sheriff’s department to help with litter cleanup programs.
 
KMB also works to improve all the beauty within our state. They work with the Great American Cleanup and other projects to clean up and green local communities. Through the Wildflower Trails of Mississippi project, seeds are offered to create a beautiful aesthetic of public places, roadsides, and community parks.
 
Keep Mississippi Beautiful also works with the Mississippi Recycling Coalition, local businesses, and communities to remind Mississippians the importance recycling. They host hazardous waste collections days and promote other ways and resources on how to recycle.
 
Keep Mississippi Beautiful is a very important and much needed organization that wants nothing more than to keep our state beautiful and restore all of its breathtaking landscapes. There are several ways for anyone to get involved like volunteering or joining an affiliate near you. Make sure to check out their website at keepmsbeautiful.com for more information on how to become involved and to keep up with their upcoming events. This is an amazing way to not only give back to our state but to also get inspired!

​Happy Thursday y’all! Today’s blog is going to be a very exciting one because we are going to be talking about the Mississippi Book Festival! The Mississippi Book Festival is a one-day event that is held right here in downtown Jackson on State Capitol grounds! It is an amazing family-friendly festival that has opportunities and activities for all book lovers and ages.
 
​The Mississippi Book Festival is a non-profit organization that was founded by literacy advocates in 2015 to celebrate the wonders of literacy and all that it has to offer. Hundreds of authors travel from all over to not only speak at discussions or panels, but to enjoy the festival itself. Every year the festival brings in thousands of book lovers who all share the same passion.
 
The festival itself consists of visiting authors, book signings, panel discussions, Capitol tours, food trucks, and family friendly activities like a kid’s tent. There are so many ways to grow an interest in reading and learn more about the importance of literacy.
 
The pre-fest party takes place today on Thursday August 17th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at The Plant in Jackson. There will be food and drinks along with award-winning author Harrison Scott Key who will be speaking on behalf of his newest book, How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told. Then on Saturday, the festival will be held from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and is free admission to anyone in the public. The Capitol stately rooms and local churches turn into venues and host some of the events going on.
 
The Mississippi Book Festival has exhibits and activities going on all day. For example, The Mississippi Children’s Museum will have an exhibit called Rocky’s House that will be there all day for children to go to cool off and sue their imagination. There will also be book signings all day across the whole festival for adults to go and show support to some of their favorite authors. Booksellers Row will also be at this year’s event which is an opportunity for independent sellers to showcase such amazing books.
 
The Mississippi Book Festival truly is a wonderful event that is the perfect family-friendly event if you are looking for something to do this weekend! Make sure to check out their website at msbookfestival.com for more information regarding their schedule of events and all that they have to offer. You can also follow along with them on Instagram @msbookfestival to see more of behind the scenes and live footage! And don’t forget to get inspired y’all!