ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 24, 1996 TAG: 9608260058
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
Walter Wheaton was dedicated to the YMCA Family Center's mission of providing recreational and educational opportunities for young people who could not afford them.
"He was the hub," said Millard Bolden, the center's program director. "He made sure the community was here to back us. His strength was being able to keep this institution open to be an outreach for this community when so many other black institutions in the city closed."
Friday, the YMCA Family Center announced a program to commemorate Wheaton's contribution.
The program - called the Walter L. Wheaton Youth Achievers Program - is an after-school effort to get middle school-age children focused on their futures, Bolden said. It is modeled after Youth Achievers, a national YMCA program.
Seventy-five students from Roanoke middle schools will be selected this school year to participate in a five-day after-school program. The program will feature daily tutoring and recreation and weekend activities focusing on career interest and mentorship.
"The primary purpose is to take a group of young people and get them focused academically, give them a vision and the possibility of careers they want to invest in," Bolden said.
Mondays through Thursdays will be devoted to academics, Fridays to recreation, Bolden said. Students also will tour businesses and visit college campuses. They will work with volunteer mentors from professions that match students' career interests.
The program will be funded with $15,000 in Community Development Block Grant money.
The announcement was made at a luncheon Friday to mark the end of the YMCA Family Center's Drop In Summer Outreach, a program for children who live in Roanoke's public housing communities.
It is one of 10 YMCA Family Center year-round youth programs that were established through Wheaton's efforts, Bolden said. Last year, the programs served more than 3,000 young people, he said.
Wheaton, who owned W.L. Wheaton Plumbing & Heating, died in January. He served 33 years on YMCA Family Center boards.
Wheaton was a member of the Roanoke Board of Zoning Appeals and served two terms on the state Human Rights Council - an appointment made by former Gov. Gerald Baliles.
The YMCA Family Center also recognized three of its board members at Friday's luncheon: Clarence Gillis, who served 25 years; Lewis Peery, who served 35 years; and A.L. Holland, who served 47 years.
All three are members of the YMCA Family Center's advisory board.
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