Racial Equity Fund Provides $2,500 Grant to Shemilah Outreach Center

The Shemilah Community Outreach Center has been presented a $2,500 grant from our Racial Equity Fund. This is the third grant presented from the fund, which was launched in November by The Community Foundation of Macon County.

Shemeul Sanders, a security guard for Decatur Public Schools, has a deep passion for mentoring and guiding our community’s youth, especially young Black males. He even purposely seeks out troubled youth in underserved neighborhoods to offer his help. It’s a passion and a purpose that arose from great tragedy.

On June 9 of this year, Sanders lost his daughter, Shemilah Sanders, to gun violence. An innocent bystander, she was only 22. Since his daughter’s death, Sanders has made it his cause to help end senseless violence by advising and training young people on how to succeed in life.

Toward that goal, he partnered with The Salvation Army of Decatur & Macon County, the City of Decatur and other local organizations to create the Shemilah Community Outreach Center as a resource for area youth of all races, backgrounds, creeds and religions. The center’s mission is to transform the lives of our community’s youth through programs, education and empowerment.

At the Shemilah Center, a holistic approach is used to teach character-building; accountability and goal-setting. The youth are also provided with the tools and resources needed to help them become productive and successful adults.