Mayor issues call to action for mentors, volunteers to get involved with MVP

"To our community, yesterday was the time to get involved. But if you didn't, don't delay. We still have room for you. We still need you," Mayor Lester Miller said at a press conference on October 13, making a call to action for people to get involved in the community. "Whatever skill you have. Whatever resource you have. There are children and families out there that need you, and one of these groups knows how to bring you together."

He pointed out there are dozens of community organizations, churches, and other groups working every single day with children and families - providing mental health services, mentorship, literacy classes, life skills, and much more - to help them have better futures and lives.

"Your work is what truly matters to our community and is part of the foundation of success for so many people," he told the assembled group. "Without you, so many people would not have access to support, to resources, to guidance…and there's no telling where that might lead them."

The press conference was called in response to recent shootings around the entire region and country and that people understandably were looking for ways to help keep it from happening again. His call to action, though, was to move people beyond the social media posts and the momentary gathering of people in front of cameras.

"While hundreds of people in [Rosa Parks Square] and the group standing here today make a good picture, it's a momentary show of unity. We need more than hundreds of people at a podium on a single day. That's a single moment in time," he said. "We need hundreds of people with hundreds of kids in hundreds of rooms every day [to make a true impact.]"

In the past five years, one aspect of the Macon Violence Prevention program was funding nonprofit and community organizations to work with children and families. Nearly $3 million has been granted to more than 50 organizations, and each has said their biggest need now are mentors, volunteers, and other resources from the community. To be part of the solution, visit www.maconviolenceprevention.org for a list of partner organizations.

Speaking to the need for community support - whether that be mentors, volunteers, donations, supplies, or expertise - were representatives from Lead With Literacy and the 100 Black Men of Macon-Middle Georgia, both organizations that have put in place successful programs using MVP grant funding.

"I'm thankful to be part of MVP but I also want to say it takes a village. And we need your help and support," said Tamika Withers with Lead With Literacy. "So, we're asking for volunteers."

"As an educator herself, [Tamika] saw literacy as a core component of the success of not just children, but also the family. And by having them go through the program together, it made them all stronger," Mayor Miller said of the 12-weekMacon Family Time program that has hosted nearly a dozen cohorts of families.

"We have challenged [the children in their programs] to see the world beyond their immediate surroundings and to recognize that their dreams are not limited by a particular zip code," said Dr. Joshua Murfree with the 100 Black Men. "We can help them become everything they were created to become."

"[The 100 Black Men] is providing, at the schools, the type of education many children may never get. They are learning to be successful young men and women through mentorship, exposure to leaders, interview skills, etiquette, and more," Mayor Miller said in support of their efforts.

MVP was begun in 2021 to help reduce the homicide rate that had escalated along with the national rate during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was built around direct feedback from victims of violent crime, service providers, neighborhoods, community leaders, law enforcement, and others, and work would focus on community and neighborhood outreach, law enforcement support, and government policy.

Since it began, Macon-Bibb County has invested millions of dollars in community organizations to work directly with families and children, increased its public safety budget for salaries and new technology, begun providing free mental health services around the county, opened the Brookdale Resource Center, removed or mitigated centers of criminal activity at retail establishments, removed more than 800 blighted structures from neighborhoods, and begun building new affordable housing options. During this time, the homicide rate dropped by 60%, and the youth homicide rate fell by 87% between 2022 and 2024.

"It is this work that matters the most. For all you do, I'm proud to continue supporting you because you are supporting our community and the future of so many people." he said before announcing there is another round of community grants that will be made available soon so the organizations can continue their programs.

He also reiterated his call to action for the community to get involved with these organizations.

"The question is: what are you going to do. What are you going to do to move this community forward? What are you going to do to make a difference in a child's life? What are you going to do to make Macon-Bibb County the best it can be?"