Collectively, Nelly and Ashanti have sold 60 million albums, earned four Grammy Awards and 20 Grammy nominations. But when they walked through the doors of Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club on Monday night, they didn’t enter as a music superstar power couple.
They were Boys and Girls Club alumni who proved what is possible when an institution pours into young people and helps them realize their potential.
“I remember sitting on those wood floors,” Ashanti told a group of anxious but well-behaved young people. They were filled with excitement as they waited to be gifted brand-new bikes just in time for Christmas, thanks to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater St. Louis and Raising Cane’s restaurants.
“My first talent show was at a Boys and Girls Club,” Ashanti said with a huge smile. “Right in the gym. We built our own stage.”
She is now in the Boys and Girls Club of America Hall of Fame.
“I want to let you guys know to follow your dreams,” Ashanti told them. “Never let anybody tell you that you can’t do what you want to do in life.”
Her husband, St. Louis’ own Nelly, was as giddy as the young people when he saw the rows of bikes, which ranged from those with training wheels to dirt bikes and beach cruisers.
“If there’s anybody who doesn’t want their bike, I will take it,” Nelly said.
He mingled with the young people, answered questions from the media and posed for photos with families of the new bike recipients. But Nelly couldn’t resist the urge to ride one of the bikes. He hopped on a cruiser and did a lap around the gym.
Mathews-Dickey is like home for the diamond-selling rap star. He spent his early years growing up near Euclid and Labadie — and he and his friends used to ride their bikes to the club.
“I remember playing in this gym,” Nelly said. “Sometimes we would get put out for being too rowdy. We’d come back tomorrow and if we behaved, we’d get to stay. These young people need to know — like we did — that somebody cared and that there was a door that was always open.”
According to Boys and Girls Club of Greater St. Louis President and CEO Brandon Williams, who is also an alum, that mindset aligns with the organization’s mission.
“The first step to building a great future is feeling like you are important and that somebody cares about you,” Williams said. “You cannot buy this type of experience. But if you are a club kid, this experience is yours — it is open to you if you are engaged with the club.”
‘It’s been a long year’
The children of the club were not the only ones who felt the love. Queen Walker beamed as her sons sat on their new Christmas gifts.
“This helped me a lot,” Walker said. “I’m a mom and I have two little ones. It’s a blessing to be able to receive these bikes for my boys. They go to the Boys and Girls Club all year round and this is a memory they will never forget. They are already enjoying their bikes — and their favorite color is red.”
Monday’s bike and helmet giveaway was a bright spot in what, for many, has been a bleak period for the region.
“It has been a long year for everybody — especially in St. Louis, with the tornado,” Walker said. “And this is all about the kids. Seeing a smile on their faces is the biggest thing.”
Nelly said that at times like this, “our biggest weapon is showing up.”
“There are so many people and organizations — like the Boys and Girls Club — that are boots on the ground and walking the walk as well as talking the talk,” Nelly said. “And we get to come in and add to that.”
The smiles of sisters Whitleigh and Wynter Davis were as bright as the gymnasium lights. Wynter, 5, said she couldn’t wait to ride her bike with her big sister.
“I’m so excited because this is my first bike ever,” Wynter said.
When “Cupid Shuffle” blasted through the speakers, she let down the kickstand of her bike and hopped off to mimic the moves of the line dance.
“I love to dance when I’m happy.”
Her 7-year-old sister rode her bike in front of the photo backdrop where Nelly and Ashanti were posing with families.
“Nice to meet you,” Whitleigh said.
They regrouped for the photo they were originally posing for — and made time for another one with Whitleigh.
“To get a bike, I think that is every kid’s dream at Christmas — that’s what you dream about, going downstairs and seeing it there,” Nelly said. “I know what it’s like to wake up on Christmas and nothing is under the tree. That’s facts. And to see their smiling faces here today, I think that’s what Christmas is all about.”