FIRST PLACE FOREVER: 1st Row L-R: Raylen Gurley, Briajah Charles, Joshua James, Janiyah Brown, Sanaa Hunter, Malayah Paytee, Lathalia Morley 2nd Row L-R: Heavenlee Sanders, Kenley Taylor, Kennedi Smith, Kaylah Paytee, Tavari Sanders, Jordan Peterson, Autumn Newman,  3rd Row L-R: Trevon Kelly, Davorion Sanders Not pictured: Christian Bell

CAIRO- The Jackie Robinson Boys and Girls Club took part in the Maker Nation’s Got Talent Show on March 30, 2023, where they took home 1st place overall for their rendition of the popular skit “Set Me Free.” 

According to JRBGC Director Stephen Francis, the skit centers around a kid who has lost their way in life. Actors in the skit portray common attributes children face today, such as, hate, envy, strife and jealousy. 

The attributes attempt to wrap themselves around the main kid, as he tries to fight them off. However, the devil allows the kid to fall victim to these attributes, until God sends an angel to save him from the darkness surrounding him. 

Francis said he originally saw the skit on YouTube and wanted their 5th-8th grade drama students to perform it for the Black History Month program. 

During the Black History Month program, Francis saw the crowd’s reaction and wanted to enter the kids into the Talent Show so more people could hear the message through the skit. 

Teachers who work with the actors daily were astonished, Francis said. 

“The kids used their skills to create these characters and the teachers were really surprised,” he said. “Some were in tears at watching some of their more challenging students portray these emotions they rarely get to see.” 

Francis went on to explain that the Jackie Robinson Boys and Girls Club is open to any child, but a lot of them do come from tougher backgrounds, so these accomplishments and opportunities to show themselves in a different light mean everything. 

The JRBGC was competing against 20-30 other competitors in the Maker Nation’s Got Talent Show, so 1st place overall was a huge feat. 

“For them to win was just amazing, they were so excited,” Francis said. “That’s what it’s all about. We want to motivate these kids to do more and step outside their comfort zone in order to find out what they’re good at, so we can cultivate that.” 

Francis explained that the JRBGC is more than just an after school program, the employees truly take every opportunity to develop children to their fullest potential. 

Francis shared the JRBGC offers a variety of programs including homework help, a passport to manhood, which is dedicated to turning young boys into strong young men, smart moves, which is a program focused on making smart decisions regarding alcohol consumption and sexual health, smart girls, career launch and money management. 

“Our purpose is to promote the health, social, education, vocational and character development of boys and girls,” he said. “We aim to help young people improve their lives by building self-esteem and developing values and skills during critical periods of growth.” 

Francis thanked the community for their support in their ongoing programs and looks forward to showing the community their next dramatic performance.