The Street Mentor of Dumas haven't been around very long, but they are doing their part for the Dumas community.
The organization helped in the Dumas Clean up Day the week of the flood and the next week picking up trash in ditches. They also assisted Reed Elementary in handing out food to school children June 11. They also helped to distribute food at the Legacy Center in West Dumas on June 18. Marquetta Canada said they will be helping with the clean up as long as they are needed. This is a community outreach and they want to help everyone in need.
“We picked up the lunches and took the lunches to different kids in the community especially where there was high water where they could get to those families and provide meals for them,” Canada said.
They also helped their neighbors by offering several families hotel rooms for two nights, because they needed a safe place to stay after the flood. They posted the information on facebook and they picked from the people who reached out to them. The rooms were sponsored by community members.
Also Know as S.M.O.D, they are a nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop and implement programs that will restore hope and provide opportunities for children who are in need of mentors and guidance. Gabriel Figures is the founder of S.M.O.D. It started in May 2021 and received 501c3 status in June. They have five board members including President Gabriel Figures, Vice President Vanyarda Croom, Administrator Marquetta Canada, Treasurer Tironeka Brown, and Secretary Jamiah Chapman-Everett.
“It was started with young kids getting into trouble, gun violence, fighting, things of that sort. We have children getting into things starting trouble with gangs, shooting and fighting,” Canada said. “We felt as young adults we could step in as young adults that we could step in and decrease the problem and find why they are acting out things that could get them different activities to keep them off the streets.”
They have around 12 volunteers of both men and women and are planning to grow quickly. Some men will provide living testimonies of their time in prison and will provide first hand experience to youths on how to make better life choices. Now they are out and trying to help youths to not make the same mistakes.
The organization plans contact and to work with community churches, schools and the police department to help with repeat juvenile cases. A mentor will be assigned to the youth depending on their needs and the mentor's background and skill set.
They are still in the planning stage for their mentor program, but they are working on a AAU tournament ball for boys and girls this summer. They have also helped clean up the West Park by painting basketball goals, mowing grass, sweeping sidewalks, and putting up new donated nets so children can play basketball. Figures replaced the nets and another community resident mowed the grass.
