The Oseola McCarty Youth Development Center’s motto is “To Empower Youth to Win in Every Area of their Lives” We believe that the “The Youth of Today are Our Tomorrow’s Future.” Oseola McCarty worked a lifetime ironing clothes and with her life’s savings, established educational scholarships for needy youth who want to continue their education. Oseola McCarty Youth Development Center was founded in honor and remembrance of this great woman of God. Our After-school program began in August of 2005 just before Hurricane Katrina devastated our Hattiesburg community and a large portion of our building site. God has truly blessed us greatly down thru the years. The Hattiesburg School District donated an old school site (Formally, Grace Love Headstart) in 2007. However, in 2015 we finally were able to get a roof on the middle section of the building which was Hurricane Katrina damage. We have been waiting for funding for electrical and plumbing work as well as the interior of the building. We are now fundraising to get the project completed hopefully with the next year.
Currently, we at the Oseola McCarty Youth Development Center provides services for approximately 175 families and 250 children overall; with approximately 25 to 30 attending our after school program, 80-100 attending our summer program and approx. 30 to 50 participating in our monthly activities programs. Our Impact will be more educated and self-sufficient youth and their families.
Our plans are to expand our services to offer a Youth Intervention program that focuses on suspended elementary school student. Through partnership with the school districts and parents, we will offer one on one mentoring as well as anger management and character development services with these youth. They will not be sent home to do nothing; they will be required to attend our program so that we can address the problems that they have and get to the root cause of the situation.
Our plans are also to implement an Early Childhood Development program to work with infants thru preschool age. This program will include day care services as well as activities that prepare children as their minds are new and developing in a creative learning environment.
We consider it our privilege and responsibility to act as the stewards for meaningful resources for parents and caretakers of children; moreover, we wish to serve as humanitarians just as Miss Oseola McCarty who gave so “unselfishly” to help others. Our organization will continue to share the Oseola McCarty “legacy” by helping develop and expand inter-grated systems of care and support for children and their families.
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