For the 32nd consecutive year, the Clinton YMCA will be holding its Annual Youth Prayer Breakfasts through Friday. The breakfasts are held at the Clinton First Baptist Church Family Life Center and begin at 7:00 am each morning.

The 2010 Clinton YMCA Youth Prayer Breakfasts are dedicated in the memory of Bill Shealy.  Shealy was a loyal supporter of the YMCA Youth Prayer Breakfasts, the Clinton Family YMCA, First Baptist Church, his family and the greater Clinton community.  He set an example for everyone as a dedicated husband, father, and a true Christian and community leader.

Weekly tickets for students are $10 and daily passes are available for $2.50.  Adult tickets are $ 15 for the week and $ 3.50 daily. Financial aid is available for special groups, families and individuals.

Transportation will be provided to Martha Dendy Sixth Grade Center, Bell Street Middle School and Clinton High School following the breakfast each morning for those students needing transportation.

The YMCA, as well as local churches and civic organizations, have lined up five different speakers for the breakfasts. The following is a list and a brief biography of the speakers:

Monday, March 8 – Jack Easterby

Jack Easterby, is currently in his 5th year as the University of South Carolina Campus Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  Since being on campus he has served as the chaplain to several teams but must prominently the Men’s and Women’s Track and Field teams, the Men’s Golf team as well as the Men’s Basketball team.  Prior to his arrival on Campus on Columbia, Jack served as an Assistant to the Director of Operations for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and attended Newberry College.

During his time at Newberry, Jack lettered six times combined between Golf and Basketball and was awarded several distinguished awards.  Along with being the former nine hole and single round record holder for Newberry’s Golf team Jack was also a member of the 2004 South Atlantic Conference Basketball Tournament Runners-Up team and the highest ever finish for the Newberry Men’s Golf team in 2004 in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament.  During his Athletic career Easterby was also named to eight consecutive semesters of South Atlantic Conference Honor Roll and was named the South Atlantic Conference Athlete of the Year during his senior campaign.

In 2005 he was named the American Legion Student Athlete of the Year, added to the nation’s list of Who’s Who from America’s Colleges and Universities, and awarded Men’s Golf Character Award by the South Atlantic Conference.  Newberry College also honored Easterby with their Campus Ministry Award and their Fellowship of Christian Athletes Award during his senior campaign.

Tuesday, March 9 – Harold Nichols

Harold Nichols is the head football coach at Presbyterian College. Nichols, a 1989 alumnus of PC, comes back to the Blue Hose family from Bucknell University, where he was the offensive coordinator and assistant coach since January 2008.

After graduating from Presbyterian College in 1989 with a degree in political science and a minor in physical education, Nichols began his coaching career on the Blue Hose sideline in 1990.  As an assistant coach, he worked with the quarterbacks and running backs while serving dual roles, as he was also the director of campus life for the team members.

In July 1992, Nichols started his coach tenure with Georgia Southern as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.  There, he worked with a variety of student-athletes including wide receivers, running backs, defensive ends, kickers and specialists.  His responsibilities included assignment of coaches, being in charge of all visits, evaluations and all NCAA compliance matters.  He helped guide the team to the 1993 Southern Conference title and two Division I-AA playoff berths (1993, 1995).  In each of those years the team won its first-round game before falling to the eventual national champion and finished 10-3.  In five years, Nichols helped the Eagles to a 33-15 mark.

Nichols returned to PC in December of 1996 in the same role he had at Georgia Southern.  In his return to PC, Nichols coached the wide receivers, kickers and specialists.  He helped head coach Daryl Dickey take the Blue Hose from 5-6 in 1997 to 8-3 and 7-4 the next two seasons before taking the job at Rhode Island.

Wednesday, March 10 – Victoria Huggins

15-year-old Victoria Huggins of St. Pauls, North Carolina has enjoyed traveling nationwide upon invitation sharing her gospel ministry with the young and young at heart since age 7.  The focus of her ministry is on sharing the gospel through song and witnessing to others the limitless joy in being a Christian no matter what your age.

Victoria is a 9th grade honor student at Village Christian Academy in Fayetteville, NC.  Victoria is very proud to have her home church family, St. Paul First Pentecostal Holiness Church as a strong base and prayer support for her and her family.

Victoria travels on weekends to churches and concert venues of all sizes and welcomes the opportunity to witness wherever God leads.  Her ministry has no denominational or racial boundaries.  She not only ministers to the church family but also takes the message of the gospel to the unchurched through civic functions, outdoor concerts, school functions, nursing home visits and community outreach.

Victoria has been honored with the 2005 The Southern Gospel.com Regional and Junior Artist of the Year Awards, the 2006 Junior Artist of the Year, and the 2007 Junior and Regional Artist of the Years awards with over 2.5 million votes from over 70 countries.  Caraway Media Groups Editor, Charles Brady, presents these awards annually. She appeared on “It’s Showtime at the Apollo” singing ‘I Got Saved In the Ole Time Way” at age 6 and has since appeared on ABC’s Star Search, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese boxes nationwide, INSP’s Gospel Music Network and Daywind Music’s national youth solo artist for 2003.

Victoria has been featured solo artist and Emcee for Ray Flynn Promotions and Abraham Productions gospel concert series since 2002. In 2007 Victoria released independently her 7th gospel music project, “Through it All”, reflecting a variety of gospel music styles which garnished 2 number one songs on internet radioactive airplay, “Pray for the Fish” on country gospel charts and “Anyway” on Southern Gospel charts.

Thursday, March 11 – Tim Lewis

Tim Lewis is a native of Greenville, North Carolina.  He attended both J.H. Rose and North Pitt High School, before dropping out of school in the tenth grade.  During his teenage years he chose to do things his own way, which resulted in Tim going to prison.

In 2002, Tim relocated in Morganton, North Carolina with his Pastor and mentor George Logan.  This move marked a new beginning in Tim’s life.  He worked as a janitor, enrolled in college classes at Western Piedmont Community College and played church league basketball.

As Tim remained faithful and coachable, doors of opportunity opened.  He was recruited and rewarded an academic and basketball scholarship to Montreat College.  In May of 2007, Tim graduated with a BA in Business with a concentration in sports management. In his three and a half years at Montreat College, Tim earned over twenty awards for character, academics and athletics.  Among those are two-time Montreat College Champion of Character, two-time AAC Champion of Character, 3-time AAC All-Academic Team, 2-time Team MVP and 3-time NAIA Honorable Mention All-American.

Basketball and speaking has provided Tim the opportunity to travel both nationally and internationally to more than 12 countries.  Tim has played professionally in Europe.  Tim served two years as President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Montreat College.

Currently, Tim is a personal trainer and a basketball skill developer.  He works with young athletes teaching them the importance of competing with character.  Although Tim never imagined traveling along the road he is on now, he is grateful and refuses to look back.  Tim has a desire to see people change their lives dreaming big and doing what is necessary to reach their full potential.

Friday, March 12 – Derwin Gray

Derwin “Dewey” Gray is a native of San Antonio, Texas and in 1988, Gray received first team All-State honors in football at Converse Judson High School in Converse, Texas.  In college at BYU, he was an All-American and a Jim Thorpe Award nominee for the best defensive back in college football, which was 1992.

Dewey was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts as the 92nd selection in the fourth round of the 1993 NFL draft and played five seasons with the Colts and one season with the Carolina Panthers.  He was nominated twice for the Pro Bowl in his six-year NFL career and served as one of the team captains on the 1995-1996 Indianapolis Colts team that advanced to the AFC Championship game.

Throughout his NFL career, Dewey was heavily involved in the community in which he played.  In 1994, he was named the RCA “Man of the Year” for Outstanding Community Contribution to the city of Indianapolis.  Mayor Stephen Goldsmith of Indianapolis declared October 14, 1996 “Derwin Gray Day” in recognition of outstanding contributions to the city of Indianapolis.  In 1998, Project Able, a non-profit organization, inducted Dewey into the “Count My Blessings Hall of Fame” for his contributions to the city of San Antonio.

Derwin Gray and his wife Vicki founded the Derwin Gray Foundation in 1996.  The foundation was established to provide financial assistance to youths for continuing education.  From 1996 to 1999, the Derwin Gray Foundation provided over 25 educational grants to underprivileged youth to continue their education.  In 1999, Derwin and Vicki felt the all to full-time ministry and dissolved the Derwin Gray Foundation.

The Grays founded one Heart at a Time in September of 1999.  The vision of the ministry is to see people transformed—one heart at a time—through the love, grace, and truth of Jesus Christ.  By the power of God the Holy Spirit, we exist to make Jesus famous by connecting people to His life-transforming love and assisting them in reaching spiritual maturity so they can impact their sphere of influence by “being the church”.

Dewey is a 2004 graduate of the Billy Graham Institute of Emerging Evangelists and an honor graduate of Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he is being mentored by world-renowned theologian, philosopher, and apologist Norman L. Geisler.

From 2003-2004 and in 2006, Derwin was featured Sunday nights on Fox TV in Charlotte con-hosting Fox’s sports show “Got Game” as an expert analyst of Carolina Panther football games.  He can now be seen nationally on ESPNU during college football season.