THOMASVILLE — An organization that serves area children is about to leave its own teen years behind.

The Marguerite Neel Williams Boys and Girls Club officially turns 20 years old Friday, having served nearly 20,000 kids in Thomas and Grady counties — and with plans to serve even more in the future, said Executive Director Lee Wagner.

Wagner said the club believes in the old African proverb that it takes a village to raise a child.

“I think we are the forefront of the community’s efforts to positively impact the lives of kids,” he said. “We want to be at the forefront of that village effort to positively impact the lives of kids.”

The Marguerite Neel Williams Boys and Girls Club’s physical footprint encompasses the main facility on Fletcher Street, and the Teen Center was added and opened in 2007.

Originally, the club was housed in a warehouse off Campbell Street before moving into its current home.

“So 20 years later, here we are,” Wagner said. “We knew bigger and better things were on the way. We did not want to wait another eight or nine months to provide services when we had the means to do it sooner.”

The clientele for the Boys and Girls Club range in age from 6-18, and during the summer, the club is packed. The Jackie Robinson Boys and Girls Club in Cairo is often at capacity during the summer.

The goal of the Boys and Girls Club is to have every child who walks through its doors to have a plan for the future, “whether that’s going to college, joining the military, or going straight to work,” said Lori Everett, the club’s director of development and marketing.

“We want them to be positive and productive citizens of the community,” she said, “and this organization is a stepping stone for them to get to that step.”

Wagner can speak from experience of the organization’s impact — he was a member of Boys Club when he was younger. And now, some of the current staff have come the Club as members and are turning their attention to the kids the way Club staff did for them.

“I wasn’t an easy child to deal with,” said Marvin Davis, now the Youth Center unit director. “Now I realize the impact they made on my life. They did it for me — why can’t I do it for someone else?”

Davis said when he is asked what the Boys and Girls Club means to him, he is quick to answer “family, support, backbone, character, leadership.”

“The Boys and Girls Club taught me all that,” he said. “It taught me it’s important to have character. It taught me it’s important to be a leader.”

At a recent staff training session for several area Boys and Girls Clubs, one of the Marguerite Neel Williams Boys and Girls Club alumni stopped by to say hello and then spoke to the staff.

“He stood in front of a group of 60 adult staff and talked about how the club impacted his life,” Wagner said. “He challenged the staff to continue to do what they do.”

Now at 20 years old, the Club wants to reach out to kids in other communities, such as Boston, Pavo, Meigs and Ochlocknee, Wagner said.

Wagner also said the Club wants to do more in keeping touch with its alumni.

While the facility is in good shape, it has seen share of wear and tear, thanks to tens of thousands of children in activities among its walls.

“It has held up well,” Wagner said. “There are some rough spots, but it has held up well.”

To mark the Club’s 20th anniversary, a celebration will take place June 4 at the Ritz Amphitheater. The event will take the place of the annual steak and burger night and the featured speaker will be Alston Watt, the first female speaker in the event’s history and the granddaughter of the late Marguerite Neel Williams. Tickets will be available to the public for purchase.

“It’s impressive that more than 20 years ago a small group of caring citizens came together — they saw a need and said, ‘we think we need a Boys and Girls Club,’” Everett said.

Everett said it also is impressive to think about all the lives the club has impacted. The club remains a necessary and vital part of the community, given the statistics such as the dropout rate and the teen pregnancy rate, according to Wagner.

“The need in this community is overwhelming,” he said. “As long as there are kids and families in need, our services will continue to be in need. So do we do what we’re currently doing even better? How do we become more effective and how do we serve more kids?”

Wagner said club staff often can’t see the impact they’re making on a day-to-day basis.

“A lot of time that’s the challenge, you may not immediately see the results,” he said. “But they came back and say if wasn’t for you and if it wasn’t for this club, I wouldn’t be where I am now. That’s more rewarding than compensation in a lot of ways.”