Jeremiah, Brandon, Jordan and Michael Davis, with their mother, Tynese Davis-Jones, at the Bainbridge YMCA.

That’s the headline we may see one day … but which Davis will it be? Jeremiah, Brandon, Jordan, Michael, or all of them? These four young men (ages 10, 11, 13 and 14) are well on their way to the NBA and/or other great things thanks to their mother, Tynese Davis-Jones and the Bainbridge YMCA.

After relocating to Bainbridge from Atlanta in July 2002, Tynese learned of the Y and met Ms. Brenda Reynolds, who both turned out to be answers to her prayers. Imagine the struggles of a newly single mother with four young boys relocating from Atlanta to Bainbridge and having a new job as an accountant that required sometimes working 50 hours a week. “Ms. Brenda and the Y were committed to help us as they do many other families that come through the Y doors,” shared Tynese.

For the past 10 years, Tynese has felt the comfort of knowing her boys are in a safe, supervised Christian environment while she is working, and on evenings and weekends, when the boys are at the Y.

The Davis boys started in the Child Care Program and have been involved in many other YMCA activities like camping, field trips, arts, crafts, swimming, Little League sports and, of course, their favorite, basketball! Every day after school these boys are not going home to be alone, sitting in front of the TV, on the computer or wandering the streets. Instead, they are off to the YMCA. There they exercise, have adult supervision, guidance, mentoring and training. While they do have all the modern day electronic gadgets at home, they would rather be at the Y with a basketball in their hand playing with their friends.

When asked if there is anything they would change about the Y, they said it would be great to have beds at the Y so they could sleep there! After a laugh at that remark, Tynese shared that the boys really do have a balanced life and they don’t “live” at the Y even though it feels like it sometimes.

“All are Honor Society students, involved in clubs in school and serve as ushers at their church. Church is not an option; we seek the Lord first. This is one reason the Y is in our family’s life, because it is centered on Christian values. We always attend Bible Study on Wednesdays and the boys are members of Youth on Fire for Christ,” Tynese shared. “They get up very early, make their beds and clean up. They are allowed a limited amount of time to watch TV and play their electronic games, but they’d rather be doing something active, like playing basketball.”

This is one of their favorite times of the year because basketball season is starting. Tynese “will be at every game if the Lord is willing!” This year, the Y has added the Pledge of Allegiance to the ceremonies beginning each game. The boys shared their excitement about this addition, saying, “Each game will start with a prayer, and now we will say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. We’ve never done that.”

How wonderful it is — a prayer and a Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Glad we still do those two things in Bainbridge; at least at the “Y.”

Mike Haynes is the interim CEO of the Bainbridge-Decatur County YMCA. He can be reached at (229) 243-0508.