“We have to keep doing what’s right…what we know is working,” Mayor Lester Miller told the assembled group Macon Violence Prevention program partners at their first Collaborative Learning Exchange of the year. He personally thanked them for continuing to fight for the community, even in the wake of the violence that happened at the beginning of 2026.
“I know it’s disheartening when you put in all this work and then see on the news someone else has lost their life, but that shouldn’t take away from the work you are doing,” he told them. “We’re trying to get them to not pick up that gun in the first place.”
“This space is really about connection,” Darius Maynard, Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives with the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, said to the group as encouragement for the groups to interact and discuss their successes, challenges, and needs. “We also want to take a moment to thank you. The work you all are doing every day matters, and we truly appreciate your commitment to the people and communities you serve.”
The group gathered included representatives from each of the Macon Violence Prevention’s 2026 community grant recipient organizations. This Exchange was organized and facilitated by the Community Foundation of Central Georgia,
“What we’re working toward in Macon-Bibb – a safer community for all – cannot be done by just the government, by one organization, or by one person,” Mayor Lester Miller said. “This is something that has to be done by all of us working together, and I’m proud of these for continually working every day in our neighborhoods to make that happen.”
This is an annual gathering of the funded partner organizations to discuss their work, their focus, and their challenges, and then find ways they can collaborate with each other to have a greater impact in the community. It is the first of several Collaborative Learning Exchanges held throughout the year to help better serve children and family needs.
“The start of 2026 has torn at our hearts, but it’s through the strength we find in each other as people and as groups that we will overcome the challenges we face…and find a way forward to a safer community,” says Mayor Miller. “I want to thank all of the people who have joined us in this work because it’s too important to too many people to give up now.”
“The past few weeks, we know many of you have been navigating a lot in your work and in the communities you serve,” said Mynard. “So tonight is also a chance to come together, reflect, and think about how we continue to move forward in a way that’s impactful and aligned.”
This group of 16 organizations is the fourth cohort to receive funding from Macon-Bibb County, through the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, to work directly with children, families, and individuals in the community, meeting them where they are and providing the resources they need. This year, $400,000 in grants were provided for literacy, mentorship, supervised activities for children, and camps and programs when schools are not in session, such as after-school, holiday breaks, and summertime.
“Those are critical hours,” said Kathryn Dennis, President of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, at the announcement of the grants in January. “They are the moments when young people need safe spaces, positive relationships, structure, supervision, mentorship and access to opportunities that keep them connected to their community and focused on a positive future.”
The 16 funded organizations include: 100 Black Men of Macon-Middle Georgia, Inc., Lead With Literacy, Men About Change, Inc., Next Level Community Development Center, Inc., Appleton Episcopal Ministries, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Heart of Georgia, Campus Clubs, Inc., Central Georgia Council (Boy Scouts of America #096), Crisis Line & Safe House of Central Georgia, Diamonds On Our Mind Foundation, Epsilon Beta Lambda Foundation, Inc., Family Counseling Center of Central Georgia, Girls Dig Deeper Initiative, Living Bread Restoration Outreach, Inc., Macon Hope, Inc.- First Tee Middle Georgia, and PACE Center for Girls, Inc.
Since MVP’s full implementation in 2022, our community has seen significant reductions in both overall and youth homicides, outpacing the declines reported in other U.S. cities during the same period. From 2022 to 2025, Macon-Bibb reduced homicides by 60%, dropping from 71 to 39. Even more striking, youth homicides (among those under 18) fell from 15 in 2022 to just 2 in 2025 — an 87% reduction in only two years.
Despite the decrease in homicides between 2022 and 2025, the Mayor has made it clear he’s focused on each person lost and the families impacted.
“It’s about the people behind those numbers that matter. There is a person…a name…a family…a neighborhood tied with it all. And that person was important to someone, to their family,” he emphasized during the January announcement of 2026 community grant recipients. “We must never lose sight of that.”
The MVP program operates under the guidance of the MVP Strategic Plan, which was introduced in June of 2021. Created by community stakeholders and violent crime experts, this strategic plan combines data and research with community feedback to implement proven solutions that reduce violent crime and strengthen the community over time.