Lord's Gym unveils its new look today

By JANIE SLAVEN<br>Record Staff Writer

Sun, May 18 2008

— WHITLEY CITY – More than two weeks of hard work and long hours are about to pay off as the Lord’s Gym Sports Outreach Center unveils its new look today at 3:30 p.m. with a ceremony featuring Fifth District Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers and retired Detroit Lion Ray McElroy.
“I think it’s going to be a big day,” said Braxton King, founding director of the Lord’s Gym. “People will be shocked when they see it.”
The Lord’s Gym, established in 2002 at the old McCreary County High School, provides a variety of after-school programs and events promoting Christian and family values. There is a no-tolerance policy toward the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
Originally purchased by McCreary County Fiscal Court from the McCreary County Board of Education, founding director Braxton King took over ownership of the 11-acre campus last August in order to utilize a $56,000 Appalachian Regional Commission grant to put a new roof on old gym. Plans also called for the installation of central heat and air conditioning.
With the leaks stopped, the Lord’s Gym set out to refinish the gym floor and completely renovate its other rooms including a lounge. King told The Record that at least 60 volunteers have been working on the gym over the last few weeks.
“We’ll be able to use all but the locker rooms,” King said. “Little by little we’ll be able to reclaim the whole building, which is about 20,000 square feet.”
Future plans include rehabilitating the soccer/softball field and razing the 1920s-era school building – heavily damaged in an arson fire several months ago – to make way for a smaller multi-purpose gym with a walking track.
“The building was home to some wonderful memories but it has to come down,” King said. “The fire complicated issues because we have to move faster. We can at least save the gym and have some of the history there.”
King noted that it takes some $30,000 per year to operate Lord’s Gym, though no youth has been turned away for an inability to pay dues (originally set at $5 per month but not enforced in two years). A telethon has been scheduled for March 22 from noon to 5 p.m. on MBR Channel 2.
“We have no salaries,” King said. “If we had, we’d been dead in the water a long time ago.”
The center is staffed by a team of community volunteers who serve as mentors to 70-160 mostly middle and high school-aged kids. The gym is open from 3:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and from 3:30 p.m. until 11 p.m. on Fridays.
For more information about the Lord’s Gym call 606-376-7100.

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