Macon Violence Prevention funds Next Level Community Development Center for youth programs

Macon Violence Prevention (MVP) is fostering positive change in the community by providing a $90,000 grant to Next Level Community Development Center, an after-school and summer program focused on violence prevention and supporting vulnerable youth.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon Violence Prevention (MVP) is fostering positive change in the community by providing a $90,000 grant to Next Level Community Development Center, an after-school and summer program focused on violence prevention and supporting vulnerable youth.

Lekesia Toomer, Executive Director of Next Level, says the program helps children build strong relationships.

“Most of the children that are a part of our program come when they’re five years old, and they graduate out of our program at the age of 18,” she said. “They come here typically to get academic support, but they stay here because of the relationships that they build with the organization.”

The grant will enable Next Level to hire 10 new tutors, paving the way for one-on-one tutoring, family counseling and mental health resources for the community.

“The thing that we talk about is the joy, the honor and how humbling it is that we get to serve young people,” Toomer said. “We help them create a life that looks quite different from most of their lives today.”

Next Level’s academic-based summer program is set to begin on June 5. For more information on the program, visit NextLevelMacon.org.