MILTON — Men in Action Outreach has shut its doors after three-and-a-half years of tutoring and mentoring boys in Santa Rosa County.
MIA’s president, Morris “Moe” Smith, moved to Atlanta, Ga., leaving a void no one has yet filled.
The organization has been involved in community events like the Back to School Bash, where families could take home free backpacks with school supplies. Its men also took part in service projects, visited college campuses, received one-on-one mentorship, and listened to local business leaders speak.
Smith said he and his family discussed moving to Atlanta for a few years.
“The opportunity presented itself and we took a leap of faith,” he said. “It was just about opportunity. There are way more opportunities here than there. As far as being happy and financially stable, everything pointed in the Atlanta direction … Of course, growth and opportunity goes along with happiness.”
Smith has a job as a data clerk at an elementary school, he said, and he is connected with APEC Learning Center, a nonprofit organization that provides enrichment programs for infant through preschool-aged kids.
Due to the time and dedication required to run MIA, Smith said no one has stepped up to replace him.
However, he said, “I'd like to say it’s temporarily shut down. I'd like to find somebody who is willing and able to run the organization. I’m definitely trying to find the right person with the right fit to run that organization.”
MIA can easily continue, but the new president must add his or her own imprint to be successful, Smith said.
The Rev. Murray Hamilton of Heart of God Ministry, a church on Stewart Street in Milton, considered taking over the role.
“One of the reasons why I called Moe to tell him I was interested was because it’s too good of a program to die down and let go,” Hamilton said.
However, a job opportunity opened for Hamilton, so for now he’s in training for work while studying in divinity school.
Smith has not abandoned the idea of MIA. He said he and his wife, Yolanda Rushing-Smith, want to establish an MIA program in Atlanta before the year’s end. He said he wants to see several MIA organizations in the southeast.
Anyone interested in serving as MIA’s president can call Smith, 284-8360, or email him at miaoutreachinc@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Milton youth organization closes as president moves