A note from 3 News Now Anchor Mary Nelson:
"In 2015, I saw an ad about a warehouse sale in North Omaha. Brick veneer was among the items listed. As an enthusiastic DIYer who would rather buy something used than new, especially bricks. I made it a priority to attend the sale to purchase several boxes for projects at home and work. The date was Oct. 28. I know because I took a few pictures that day which still live on my phone.
I finished a basement bar project at home, though never did get around to using the bricks on the feature wall at work which I envisioned. However, in the last nearly eight years, I've never forgotten the woman who sold me the bricks, nor could I forget the symbolism of the bricks — strong and enduring — relative to what that building would become."
Now ... the story:
B&B Sports Academy opened in 2013. Within two years, it was bursting at the seams — taking up just part of a warehouse near 30th and Sprague.
"They were tenants. I had my art studio on one side and B&B Boxing was on the other side," landlord Linda Meigs explained.
Linda's late husband, John, was an architect and owned a supply store. He purchased the warehouse in the 1980s.
"He was very generous and kind-hearted, soft-hearted actually," she reflected. "And he believed in giving people a chance. What I was doing with my donation here was really following in his example."
Linda didn't just sell the building to Bud Crawford and B&B Sports Academy for a fraction of market value, she donated thousands of dollars back to the organization.
"I felt like I was facilitating something cool for a neighborhood that John and I spent a lot of time in," Linda shared.
She did have one condition with the sale and donation. Linda asked for a plaque with John's name on it somewhere on-site.
Bud and the board made good on that request. The plaque was installed on the corner of the ring — eye level for the kids.
Linda says she's grateful she was in a position to get the building into Bud's hands. She feels and believes John would also say the impact on children and teens in North Omaha is undeniable.
"To be able to follow, to be inspired and to realize they could do big things. And if they were having troubles, they could turn their lives around," said Linda.
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