If you are raising a child here
After-school care, mentoring, and family help are built to stack together, not as separate programs you have to chase down alone.
Browse programsAugusta, Georgia
We stay when the hard days last longer than a single event.
Living in Purpose pairs mentors with students, keeps after-school hours steady for working parents, and walks with families who are tired of being handed another form instead of a person.
Design
Youth, family, and community lanes stay connected
A student’s mentor, after-school routine, and family’s next referral are meant to reinforce each other.
On-ramp
Pick the door that matches who you are today.
If you want to invest your time or resources
Volunteers, donors, churches, and employers expand what is possible when someone shows up consistently, not just for a photo.
Volunteer or partnerIf you refer or coordinate care
Schools, agencies, and court-adjacent partners need a human answer, not another voicemail tree. We pick up.
Refer or coordinateOur mandate
Connected support that does not end at the lobby.
Mentoring, after-school care, family stabilization, and workforce pathways stay linked so a family is not re-telling their story to a stranger every Tuesday.
Where we are headed
An Augusta where a young person can name at least one adult who will pick up the phone and mean it.
Context
Place
Neighborhood still shapes opportunity in Augusta
The COI report keeps that reality visible so our programs stay grounded, not generic.
Why we exist
Augusta families do not lack heart. They often lack backup.
Opportunity is uneven block by block. When a caregiver is juggling work, rent, and a child who is one mistake from a worse outcome, the fix is rarely a slogan. It is someone who answers, shows up again next week, and remembers the name.
We work alongside schools, the courts, CASA, churches, and neighbors because no single system can carry a whole childhood. Our job is to tighten the net, not replace the people already in it.
For regional context on childhood opportunity in our area, View the 2020 Child Opportunity Index report (PDF).
How you will feel this work
Three commitments people tell us they notice
Same faces, not a new intake desk
Men in Training, Classi Girls, after-school, and FIRE family touchpoints are built for continuity, so trust has time to form.
Built for school weeks and court weeks
We coordinate with educators, the DA's office, CASA, and ministry partners so a plan in the room survives past the meeting.
Decided on Olive Road
We are not importing a national playbook. Priorities stay tied to what families in Augusta actually face this month.
Place
The door on Olive Road stays open
Parents walk in with paperwork and leave with a next step. Students grab dinner and homework help after the bell. Partners sit down for conversations that turn into referrals, not slide decks.
Call or write when you need a program slot, a warm handoff, or a partner at the table. We would rather over-communicate than leave someone guessing.
You may also hear our Augusta location called the Purpose Center: a youth resource and mentoring hub. It is the same address, team, and mission as Living in Purpose.
Location and hours
Augusta, Georgia
1650 Olive Road
Augusta, GA 30904
Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm
Write or call the teamWho we collaborate with
Schools and EducatorsDistrict Attorney and Court PartnersCASA and Family Advocacy PartnersChurch and Ministry Partners
We also collaborate with community advocates, employers, donors, and other local supporters across Augusta.
Partner with usGratitude
Thank you to our top corporate and church partners
These organizations have invested time, resources, and visibility in local youth and families. We are grateful, and always glad to talk with others who want to partner.
Voices from the work
Families are not left wondering if we meant it
Partners
No single organization carries the whole city
Educators, agencies, courts, congregations, and neighbors widen what one team can do alone.
Place
Neighborhood still shapes opportunity in Augusta
The COI report keeps that reality visible so our programs stay grounded, not generic.
“Men in Training has been a life-changing blessing to my family. As a single mother, I’ve watched the mentors consistently show up for my son, Noah, academically, athletically, and spiritually, becoming true father figures in his life. Seeing Noah now pour into younger boys shows the impact of this program, and I’m deeply grateful to God for their leadership and love.”
Selected coverage
FOX 5 · FOX 54 · Good Day · WMC-TV 5 · 700 Augusta Circle
Also covered in Charisma · Hamptons · New Channel 3
Who leads this work
Yannik McKie, Founder & Executive Director
Leadership shaped by the same instability many students still navigate.
“Your greatest pain can become your greatest platform.”
Yannik McKie is a living example of what it means to turn pain into purpose. After losing both of his parents to AIDS before the age of sixteen, he spent his teenage years battling depression, anxiety, and an overwhelming sense of abandonment. He knows what it feels like to grow up without stability, direction, or the emotional safety every child deserves. He also knows what it means to rise.
Through faith, perseverance, and purposeful relationships, Yannik rebuilt his life and now dedicates it to helping young people in Augusta and beyond find hope, healing, and purpose. As the founder of Living in Purpose, he leads Men in Training, workforce and leadership pathways, mentoring for justice-involved youth, and after-school programs in underserved neighborhoods. Students trust him because they see themselves in his story: proof that pain is not an ending point, but a starting point for purpose.
Leadership & staff
The people behind the Purpose Center
Programs only work when someone answers the phone, opens the door, and shows up again next week. Meet the team and board helping steward this work in Augusta.
Program and operations team
Napoleon Houser
Thrive Outreach Coordinator / Workforce Development Director
Leads Thrive outreach and workforce development so young people connect with training, employers, and practical next steps from the Purpose Center.
Audrey Dent
Free Afterschool Program Director
Directs the free afterschool program for grades 1–8: homework help, meals, and consistent adult presence so working families know their children are in good hands.
Anna Bradsher
CASA (child advocacy) Coordinator
Coordinates CASA-aligned advocacy touchpoints so families navigating complex situations hear fewer mixed messages and know who is helping coordinate care.
Kamilah Freeman
Executive Administrator
Keeps operations, scheduling, and communications moving so program staff can stay focused on youth, families, and partners across Augusta.
Sadie Kersey
Event & Volunteer Coordinator
Plans volunteer roles and community events that welcome neighbors, churches, and partners into well-run, purposeful gatherings.
Tequilla Vassar
Cashflow Program Coordinator
Leads the Cashflow program with hands-on coaching so youth build financial habits and confidence grounded in real life in Augusta.
Candace Rich'Evans
Classi Mentoring Program Coordinator
Leads Classi Girls mentoring: space for girls to grow in voice, boundaries, and leadership with trusted women mentors.
Lashawndra Robinson
Community Garden & Culinary Arts Director
Directs the community garden and culinary arts programming, tying nutrition, teamwork, and hands-on learning to life skills for youth and families.
Brian & Tameka Harris
Men in Training Directors
Co-direct Men in Training with consistent mentorship, accountability, and faith-informed character formation for boys and young men in Augusta.
Board of directors
Elizabeth Freehof
Accountant
Provides accounting and financial stewardship support so the organization can serve families with clarity, accuracy, and accountability.
George Hayes
Board Member
Serves on the board of directors, helping guide governance and strategic priorities for youth-focused programming.
Shalanda Morris
Board Member
Serves on the board of directors with a commitment to oversight and community-connected leadership for the Purpose Center.
Lasima Turman
Board Member
Serves on the board of directors, supporting policy and direction that keeps the mission rooted in local families.
Michael & Kim Downes
Board Members
Serve together on the board of directors, helping anchor organizational decisions in long-term community impact for Augusta youth and families.
Stay in touch
If this sounds like your city too, start with a conversation.
Tell us what you need: programs for a child, a volunteer lane, or a partnership conversation. A real person reads the note.