AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – After the recent gang arrests and youth violence around the area, the need for young people to have places to stay out of trouble is critical.

The Purpose Center makes it a mission to offer a safe and nurturing place for young people.

The CEO of the Purpose Center on Olive Road in Augusta sent out an S.O.S. asking for volunteers.

“I would definitely say we need volunteers now as much as ever,” said Yannik Mckie. “There are so many opportunities to serve these children. There’s so much going on. And it is imperative for us to have people on a consistent basis to serve these children because, without the help of the volunteers, we can’t do what we do.”

Currently, they need volunteers for their after-school program from 1:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. to help tutor, serve dinner, clean, and be a positive influence on the students.

You can help for as little as 30 minutes or as long as you’d like. Anything is a step in the right direction.

“We are aiming to help us overcome their pain and maximize God’s potential in their life,” he said.

They’re doing this by getting kids off the streets after school and into the Purpose Center. He says after school it ranges from 15 to 80 kids they help serve.

“Unsupervised teens and unsupervised children, oftentimes are not going to make the right decisions. And so, unfortunately, these children are choosing gangs. These children are choosing promiscuous sexual activity. They are choosing to skip school and not focus on what’s best for their future,” he said.

Mckie says it’s on the community to come together to give these kids a chance.

“Us as the adults, the ones that who have been where they are, it’s our job to point them on the right path and to let them know that there’s something better out there. To let them know that they’re gifted, that they’re talented, and that God has a plan and purpose for their life,” he said. “When we do that, it’s amazing to see how their lives, how their eyes light up, and how they begin to transform themselves and find purpose.”

It all starts with boots on the ground, helping make a difference one day at a time.

“These are kids with gifts and talents. It’s our job to take them out of their circumstances that may be negative and place them in a place where they can safely find God’s plan and purpose for their lives,” he said. “Without something positive, they’re going to choose the negative. The only reason we’re successful is because we have opportunities and choices. These kids oftentimes don’t have the same opportunities and choices that we had. It’s our job to provide those opportunities. And when we do that, they will choose to find purpose.”

If you are looking to sign up to volunteer, visit the Purpose Center website.

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