Ellington

Chattanooga Boys and Girls Club July Leader of the Month Fred Carr tells fellow club members to keep their head up.

“I try to be a role model for the youth at the club,” said the 18-year-old Highland Park resident. “I tell kids, ‘Put your head up.’ They look at me like I’m crazy, but I want to encourage them to keep looking ahead toward their future.”

Carr is a student-athlete and rising senior at Howard High School. He plays football and basketball and runs cross-country and track. His favorite sport is basketball. He plays point guard on the team. His role models are Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash and basketball legend “Dr. J.” Julius Erving. Carr practices basketball 20 hours weekly with hopes to play in college.

He plans to either enroll in Chattanooga State’s heating and air-conditioning trade school or at Tuskegee University to study music. He said he is looking forward to getting started on his senior year of high school this fall.

“Fred’s first year he came into the club eager to help out in different areas,” said Boys and Girls Club unit manager Tahme’sha Washington. “He has a comical personality, telling jokes and making people laugh. He loves sports. If people do the wrong thing, he does not follow. He goes in a different direction. He finds a way to smile, laugh and joke no matter what kind of day he is having.”

Q & A with Fred Carr

How long have you been a member of the Chattanooga Boys and Girls Club? What sparked your interest in the club?

I was a new member of the Boys and Girls Club in 2008. I had nothing else to do at the time. My cousin told me I should come up there, so I went up there and started liking it and continued to come back.

How has your role at the Chattanooga Boys and Girls Club changed over the years?

At first I was a volunteer. I moved to the stipend program the summer before last and continued on that program for three summers. As a college student, I would like to work at the Boys and Girls Club. I like working with the kids.

What does the Chattanooga Boys and Girls Club mean to you?

It means a lot to me. I’ve enjoyed watching the Boys and Girls Club grow. It has a bigger facility now. I’d like kids to be excited and come to the Boys and Girls Club. It means a lot. I encourage every parent in Chattanooga to send their kids to the Boys and Girls Club. It takes a lot off parents. They can run errands.

How do you help out at the Boys and Girls Club?

I’m like security almost. I don’t let youth in the building without a staff member. I also play basketball at the Boys and Girls Club with the club members. I coach them a lot. I teach them to drive the ball with both hands either right or left.