Reaching Out Now Triumphs with New Youth Center and Community Support

“Someone literally laughed at me when I said, ‘I believe that Reaching Out Now, the Town and the County can make this happen together.’ And they laughed. They said, ‘That never happens’.”

It happened.

As happy bingo winners petered out of the cafeteria doors of Skyline High School, where Reaching Out Now (RON) hosted a Mardi Gras Bingo Night on Tuesday, January 23, from 5 to 7 p.m., Samantha Barber, president of RON, opened her heart to reveal the long journey, fraught with obstacles, that has brought her organization to a point of success, incarnate in a Monday night town council meeting in which the Town voted in favor of appropriating funds in the amount of $25,000 to the RON driven, newly revitalized youth center, now known as the Raymond E. Santmyers Student Union and Activity Center.

A team of young volunteers prepares to serve spaghetti and meatballs as well as chicken alfredo from Leto’s Pizza. (L) to (R): Syre Norris, Trinity Diamond, Zamier Simmons, and Kamyia Dorsey.

With this triumph comes a reality check. Is this really happening, Barber wonders, even as she witnessed the enthusiasm of Mayor Lori Cockrell, who has publicly expressed her support for what RON is doing. The road leading up to the evening of January 22, when the council voted unanimously in favor of making a financial contribution to RON, is a road that Barber has walked prayerfully.

“I’ve journaled about this; we’ve prayed about this,” she said. Her faith is intimately interwoven with her work. She referenced Luke 12:48. “When someone has been given much, much would be required in return. And when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” She also referenced Ephesians 3:20, insofar as she has received abundantly, beyond all she could ask or think. “In my mind, this has come way early,” she said. “But my resolve is: we serve an on-time God.” She added, “We have a community school system and government system who are looking at us and counting on us. As they look at us, I promise to look to him, who sits high and looks low. My prayer: Father, continue to lead this journey, give me wisdom and guidance, and continue to bring support, volunteers, and financial resources. With you, Father, this will be successful.”

The Barber team, Joe and Samantha.

Because of the obstacles that RON has faced, one of which was the failure of the Town-proposed memorandum of agreement in a potential three-way dynamic between RON, the Town, and the county, it is still possible for Barber to feel overwhelmed by the possibilities that face her organization; but she says the lord has spoken into her heart: “Trust me day by day.” It has been a priority for the Town to establish that its financial contribution is voluntary and that while it may very well make similar contributions in the future, any contribution it makes will not be obligatory. But the point is, the Town is on board, and in Barber’s mind, there is a three-way.

RON Vice President Sina May collects tickets and donations at the front door.

Samantha Barber’s daughter, Kendallee, preps for bingo night with the assistance of Dawn Clark, Volunteer Coordinator.

She spoke warmly of County Administrator Edwin Daley and Deputy County Administrator Jane Meadows, who have both been “forthcoming” in her interactions with them. It has indeed been a journey. It began in April of 2023 and developed further in June when the county agreed to lease the old Santmyers building to RON. Of course, RON has many faces; in addition to developing leadership qualities in young people through the school system, they also have a history of delivering meals to those in need during the pandemic. Developing a youth center is an exciting new direction for RON, one that Barber did not necessarily expect. But she takes it in stride, along with all the necessary tasks that she and her team have undertaken to make this youth center a reality: ripping up the floors, tearing out the HVAC, remodeling the bathroom, removing asbestos, and so on.

: Two of the evening’s bingo winners, mother, and daughter, (L) to (R) Mia and Macehell Ross.

The reporter, Brenden McHugh, won a round himself! He now has ten dollars of credit to spend on Goodfellow clothing at Target.

What a blessing. The reporter is sent home with leftover spaghetti and meatballs.

Barber describes her organization as “growing up into purpose in front of everyone.” She has even entertained the idea of opening her own home to the youth for Friday night socials in order that they might have a safe place to gather until the building is ready. But the puzzle pieces seem to be in place, and she is hopeful.