By Dawn Burleigh

The Orange Leader

 

Even the wrath of Hurricane Harvey cannot stop the Beat the Streets reunion.

Plans for the event were well under way when the catastrophic storm stalled out over Orange in August. Event planners and former directors for the non-profit organization said the event is still on.

“We have had a tremendous response from former members and sponsors,” Marcia B. Delarue said. “The main focus for these young men and women is to remind them what was done for them, they need to do for others.”

Delarue also said she can still see the need for such an organization in Orange.

“It has been more than enough time for them to pay it forward,” Delarue said.

“The positive you see in Orange came from our group, like Make It Happen,” Marva Paul said. “Many of the kids are doing positive things.”

Delarue laughs as she reminds herself and the others, the children are adults now with children of their own.

Beat the Streets Directors Marcia B. Delarue, Marva Paul, Carolyn Morris, and Shirley Crawford were care providers, mentors, teachers and moms to many children over the years the Beat the Street club was operating in Orange.

The Boys Club, as it was sometimes referred to as by the boys, was started in 1993 by two college students, Troy Robinson and Franklin Gans, Jr. with Attorney Marcia B. Delarue. Robinsion and Gans saw a need in the community to find activities for the young boys in the neighborhood to help them ‘beat the streets.’

Robinson and Gans are planning on attending the event set for 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17 and 1 p.m. – until on Saturday, Nov. 18 at DJ’s located at 2200 Simmons Drive in Orange at Blue Bird’s Park.

“The founders will be present,” Delarue said. “They are excited about being here.”

The organization took the children on trips, taught them how to cook, fish, shop, iron, sew and even provided a first aid course for the children, all at no cost to the parents.

“The magnitude of what we did for the kids at no cost,” Delarue said. “We had 10 sponsors for 45 kids so we could take them to Jackson, Mississippi. Many had never been out of Orange before.”

As the group became a noon-profit, more individuals and businesses were able to help sponsor events.

“We were grateful for every little thing,” Carolyn Morris said. “Little things turn into big things.”

Many of the children who attended the club, continued on to college.

“All the younger ones went to college,” Paul said.

“Twenty percent of the girls went into the medical field,” Delarue said. “That requires one to be compassionate and caring, maybe a skill they developed through their involvement with Beat the Streets.”