BRYAN, Texas — The KAGS Brazos Bluebonnets series is an opportunity to put a spotlight on individuals or groups that are serving their community in the Brazos Valley and spreading a good and positive message to others.
Bryan native and former Viking football star, Roderick Harris Jr. is our spotlight this week.
Born and raised in Bryan, Texas, the 979 is everything for Harris.
"I've been to a whole lot of places in this country," Harris said. "It's kind of like the alchemist, every time you look back it's home."
A Bryan High School football star, Harris is now the athletic director at Boys and Girls Clubs of the Brazos Valley. Harris now serves the very Boys and Girls Club he grew up going to.
He said giving back to the young people in the Brazos Valley helps build them up.
"It's about every kid in this community. That is what I want people to understand," Harris said. "When we are out here in the public and when we are out here in the community, we all go through things. We all have our battles but there's some kid watching you. Whether it's your kid, your niece, your nephew. It's about them. It's about seeing them to the next level."
For more than 60 years the Boys Club of Bryan, now known as the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Brazos Valley has been shaping the next generation.
In 2020, the BGCBV opened a new branch in Caldwell. Today, BGCBV serves more than 1,500 youth annually through their central unit in Bryan and their Caldwell unit.
Harris' close connection with the area and the children who live in it is why it just means more to him.
He said in life there are three circles: a wishing circle, a wanting circle, and a doing circle. "Any way that I can serve my community I am going to figure a way out to do it," Harris Jr. said.