By Keith Purtell
Editors note: One in a series of volunteer opportunities in the Muskogee area.
FORT GIBSON — Shannon Ragsdale said he is donating his carpentry skills six hours a day, three days a week, because he believes in the Project A program.
“This will be a good thing going for kids,” said Ragsdale, 29. “They haven’t got something like this for miles around. The troubled kids need someone to get them going in the right direction. The psychologist and therapist who will be here will help with that.”
The facility, nearing completion on Four Mile Road east of Fort Gibson, will provide life skills and psychological help to young people headed for trouble.
The 5,800-square-foot structure is an expansion of a former two-story residence at the location. Volunteers make up most of the work crew; donating time, skills and materials to make the Project A Prevention Program become a reality. Project A is a Muskogee non-profit that provides after-school and summertime activities for children.
Ragsdale, a lifelong friend of Project A President Rodslen Brown-King, said he knows from personal experience that some young people need extra attention to help them keep their life on track.
“I’ve been around a lot of troubled kids in my life,” he said. “This will guide them the right way. This will not be a place to just drop off your kids. The parents will have to be involved in some way. I’m going to work on this and keep on pounding until it’s done.”
Ragsdale was busy Wednesday attaching exterior panels to the building. He worked alongside his uncle, Frankie Ragsdale, 51, who said he was glad to donate his time.
“I heard about it from my nephews, and I said, ‘Sure, I’ll help,’” he said. “I enjoy carpentry work. After I’m gone, I’ll leave my mark in this world.”
Brown-King said donations in one form or another have made up most of the effort going into the new structure.
“The Cherokee Nation’s Talking Leaves Job Corps Center sent several people out here to help with the work,” she said. “The Cherokees also donated $18,000 for this, and $28,000 last year. In return, 51 percent of the kids here will be tribal, and 49 percent from the community. Charlie’s Chicken in Fort Gibson has donated lunches to our workers. We also got some funding from Global Knight Enterprises in Oklahoma City and Dr. Kevin Wade in Muskogee. Right now, I estimate $300,000 has been spent.”
Brown-King said people nationwide are offering training and help with drug and alcohol issues in the young peoples’ lives. She said the prevention program will accept youngsters ages 4 through 18. She expects the program to open in July.
“They will stay here five days and four nights,” she said. “During the school year, we’ll have teachers out here to continue their education.”
Despite the progress that has been made, Brown-King said she is still looking for donated resources to finish what has been started.
“We need more manpower and funding,” she said. “And we need some heavy-duty trucks that can help haul off the trash. Anyone who donates $2,000 or more will get their name on a marble plaque.”
Reach Keith Purtell at 684-2925 or kpurtell @muskogeephoenix.com.
