Boys & Girls Clubs of North Mississippi Corporate Board Member and Oxford resident Dr. Judith Thompson was inducted into the Mississippi Boys & Girls Clubs Hall of Fame during a dinner and awards ceremony held in Jackson last week.

The Hall of Fame honors individuals whose high achievements have made a mark in the State of Mississippi, and are recognized as being true champions for children, and have provided innumerable accomplishments and lasting memories for the Boys & Girls Club movement.

Thompson was a founding Board member of the Oxford Boys & Girls Club and has now served for more than 24 years on the Corporate and Community Advisory Boards. She played a pivotal role in the creation of the Oxford Club. With Jan Robertson, they joined Dicki King’s led vision and initiated a conversation with the local United Way to address the need for after-school programs in Oxford and Lafayette County. Their efforts, along with the support of community partnerships, resulted in the opening of the Oxford Boys & Girls Club in 2001, raising more than $36,000 to fund its launch.

The success of the Club was swift, with the organization quickly outgrowing its initial location at Central Elementary School. Through continued advocacy, including support from Thompson and other community leaders, the club moved to a permanent home in a 10,000-square-foot facility, made possible by an anonymous $1.5 million donation.

Today, the club serves an average of 180 members and has hosted various distinguished guests, including General Colin Powell, Ole Miss athletes and coaches, and comedian Karlous Miller.

Thompson’s commitment to the Boys & Girls Club movement is unwavering. She has served as Chair of the Mississippi Area Council and is currently the Area Council Liaison. In recognition of her dedication, she was named Mississippi Liaison of the Year in 2023. She has also held leadership positions as President of both the Oxford Barksdale L-O-U Advisory Board and the North Mississippi Corporate Board. Dr. Thompson is an active participant in state and regional training, continuously sharing best practices and resources with her colleagues.

She has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Lafayette County School Board (where she served for 22 years), Excel By 5 Steering Committee, Leap Frog, and the Upsilon Iota Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She is also a member of the Oxford Medical Ministry, the Baptist Memorial Hospital Community Advisory Board, the CREATE Foundation’s Commission on the Future of Northeast Mississippi, the NAACP, and the PTO, among many others.

Thompson was also recognized with the Jon Anderson Leadership Award, presented by Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

The awards ceremony was part of a two-day Mississippi Area Council Conference and State Youth of the Year Competition. BGCNMS Corporate Board President Lisa Nichols accepted the C.A.R.E. Award—“Children Are Reasons For Excellence”—on behalf of the late Aubrey Patterson for his long-time commitment to the North Mississippi organization.