Jay Ayers and wife Rachel Ayers working in the Ivory Coast.
Jay Ayers on one of his missions.
Photo courtesy of Jay Ayers
Jay Ayers and wife Rachel Ayers working in the Ivory Coast.
Jay Ayers and wife Rachel Ayers working in the Ivory Coast.
WADESBORO — Millions for Missions is a non-profit organization headed by Anson County resident Jay Ayers.
With his wife, Rachel, they began providing aid and needs to communities in West Africa and the Ivory Coast, where Ayers grew up as a missionary kid.
They have now set their sights on providing need and support to those in Anson County.
“2019 is when we started, and at that time, our main focus was West Africa, the Ivory Coast mainly,” Ayers explained. “We were helping build a church over there, we were able to get a small orphanage inside that church building. We have a couple feeding centers and do various projects; well projects and caring for the sick.”
The organization added Anson County into its operations two years ago, when Ayers and his family moved into the county. He looked around the community, getting involved with local organizations and volunteering, where it became clear that Anson had its own needs that needed addressing.
“Then we moved to Anson County, and the Lord was really just working on me to see what some of the needs are in the community,” Ayers said, laying out his vision. “Being that children are something we are really passionate about, we have a lot of compassion for them, we started looking at what some of the needs could be, and started helping out local organizations through volunteering. Then I started exploring, what do kids have to do in the area?”
His exploring brought him to the realization that there was very limited things for children in Anson. Above the middle school age, sports teams outside of school and parks and recreation are limited, and that there was no community gymnasium.
“I started looking around and saw there was no community gymnasium,” began Ayers. “There’s a lot of need that I see for something for children to do.”
The sights for the gymnasium didn’t end with children though. His vision for the gym will be that it meets the needs of everyone, regardless of age, and provide a safe place for those in Anson County.
“I don’t care if you’re six years old or seventy years old,” Ayers stated. “It’s about people, it’s about activity, it’s about health. We aren’t a religious organization, but we have ties to Christianity. I believe that’s also important, to have a safe place for people to come to. A nice place, and also something to help them in the spiritual aspect also.”
Ayers said he’s done waiting for someone else to starts the projects, and wants to kick off this initiative himself. Funding for this endeavor remains unclear, although he is looking for more information from the community about ways to raise the necessary funds.
“I’ve been here for two years,” Ayers said. “I waited a little while to see if something, maybe a church organization, was going to do it. So, I waited a little bit, but then, I was like ‘I’m done waiting.’ Even if there is someone, I don’t believe it’ll be the vision I have.”
The gym would be a non-profit building separate from any affiliated church or business.
“It’s not a YMCA, and it’s not actually tied to a church,” Ayers said. “It’s going to be a public place for all of the community to enjoy. It’s not there so someone can make a living off it, it’s strictly for the community.”
The gymnasium would provide a variety of sports and opportunities for children, from basketball to volleyball, as well as for adults. The gymnasium would have separate courts for adults and children to play sports in, separate from one another to provide something for all ages. There would also be a second level walk way circling the inside of the building.
“Inside we’ll have basketball, volleyball, pickleball, batting cages and a pitching area for practice. There’s also going to be a second level walking track, and also a weighted workout area,” Ayers laid out.
The facility would be called the “4 U Rec Center.”
“I mean, who’s it for? It’s for you, whoever that ‘you’ is,” Ayers said. “It’s not the Wadesboro Community Center, it’s not the Anson County Community Center or the Millions for Missions Community Center. It’s for the community, it’s for you.”
Jay Ayers can be reached by phone at the Millions for Missions number, 980-298-8707 , or by email at jay.ayers@millionsformissions.org. He is setting up a GoFundMe for the project, as well as a Cashapp and Venmo for those interested in donating.
“It’s not easy,” Ayers said — ”But it’s worth it.”