Article written by Billy Watkins, Clarion Ledger, Photos by Brian Albert Broom, Clarion Ledger
It’s the next best thing to having Santa’s warehouse in your backyard.
The Mid-Jackson Family Resource & Referral Center has toys for loan to anyone and everyone.
“All people have to do is fill out a form saying they’ll bring them back in two weeks,” says center director Eileen Beazley. “It’s a wonderful thing for parents, grandparents, uncles, caregivers, Sunday school teachers, day-care workers. … We have a divorced father who gets his children every other weekend. He comes in every two weeks and checks out some toys so he’ll have something different for his kids to play with.
“And we understand that these toys are not always going to come back in the same condition as they went out. I mean, little children do go home with pieces of a puzzle in their pockets sometimes. And that’s OK. If they come back looking just like they did when they left, they probably weren’t used.”
And for the germ freaks out there, don’t be concerned: The toys are sanitized upon return to meet Center for Disease Control standards.
The center, which is located at 301 Adelle St., opened last June as part of the Mississippi State University Extension Service and under the umbrella of the nonprofit Mid-Town Partners Inc. Its mission statement is to “promote social and economic revitalization to support a vibrant neighborhood in which to live, work and raise families.” It is one of 12 such centers in Mississippi.
“It’s all about getting the word out,” Beazley says. “Once we get folks involved, they stay involved.”
Romona Goodson, 35, of Jackson, often takes her children – a 5-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son – to the center.
“My daughter asks to go all the time,” Goodson says. “They seem to have just about anything kids need over there, from bikes to balls to Mr. Potato Heads. But they have a great selection of toys that help educate the children. My daughter gets puzzles that help her with math. And we check out books that we read every night.”
Belinda Thornton, director of North Jackson Daycare, calls the center “a lifesaver.”
“Before they opened, we either bought the toys ourselves or we did without,” she says.
“A lot of day-care centers use our dye cutters, which cuts pieces of paper into all sorts of shapes and letters that teachers can use on bulletin boards or for projects,” Beazley says. “And we have a laminator, which is a hot item because getting that done at a traditional office store can be very expensive.”
Beazley says the center typically serves about 200 people a month.
But the center is about more than just playtime. It helps teach day-care personnel how to develop proper early childhood curriculums. It also offers local residents parenting skills.
“We’re here to do whatever we can for the children. There are no lines, no barriers. Just come tell us what we can do to help,” Beazley says. “I’ve been working with children and families for 18 years. But I’m a mom, too. Parenting is hard. Teaching children is hard. We all need some help and pointers at times.”
To comment on this story, call Billy Watkins at (601) 961-7282.
The Mid-Jackson Family Resource & Referral Center, 301 Adelle St., opened last June as part of the Mississippi State University Extension Service and under the umbrella of the nonprofit Mid-Town Partners Inc.
