The faith-based after-school initiative for West Point youth has a name.

West Point Elementary School students submitted names before the Thanksgiving break, and a committee of city leaders chose the winner, West Point WINS: Walking in Success.

“I’m excited,” said Mayor Drew Ferguson IV, who helped develop the program.

The committee will meet Friday at City Hall and begin discussing a job description for an executive director and potential board members. Ferguson said he’d like to begin fundraising efforts for the program by Jan. 1.

“I want to start ingraining this program into the community,” he said.

Board members may come from outside West Point but must have credibility inside the community, committee members said.

The committee, made up largely of representatives from local churches and schools, recently settled on a mission statement, to “motivate and encourage all West Point youth to reach their full potential” in:

n Educational achievement;

n Faith and character development;

n Leadership, serving the community;

n Physical education and nutrition; and,

n Family strength and harmony.

Members of the committee stress that the program will be faith-based.

“It was faith that brought me (to this meeting),” said resident Estella Scroggins.

Corrine Thornton, local representative for the state Department of Community Affairs, has helped facilitate the last two meetings.

“If you look around and do some research, I don’t think you have to reinvent the wheel here,” she said.

While WINS’ first goal is to help West Point youth, the long-term vision includes programs to help the children’s parents and local families. Programs for families could include seminars on parenting and budgeting and other topics.

“This shows that West Point is deeper than what you see on the surface,” Ferguson said. “This program could grow to become the identity of the community. We’re obligated to help those around us, but our immediate need is for youth services.”

Helping families was one of Ferguson’s priorities when he was elected mayor a year ago. The need for youth services took on more urgency earlier this year when the local Boys & Girls Club closed its West Point unit for the summer. The unit reopened in August, but city leaders have been displeased with its management. A current budget proposal calls for City Council not to fund the club in 2009, and Ferguson said the city may ask the club to back out of its lease for the building on O.G. Skinner Drive.

The city applied for a $500,000 community development block grant three years ago and leases the building to the club for $1 a year. If the club backs out of the lease, the WINS initiative could use the building for its program, however, Ferguson said WINS will be developed even if another site must be found.

Jennifer Shrader may be reached at jshrader@lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.