The St. Mary Assistance and Prevention Program is a faith-based non-profit organization incorporated in the State of Arkansas and registered in White County on December 22, 2003. SAPP is an agency of St. Mary CME Church, Searcy, Arkansas, a 501(c) (3) organization. This non-profit organization has a very talented staff of volunteers. The Executive Director is Pastor William C. Gant. The staff is comprised of parents, college students, and certified teachers. We have the support of the Searcy School District and the Kensett School District’s superintendents. This level of support increases our capacity to carry out our program.

The SAPP is headquartered at St. Mary CME Church, located at the corner of Park and Sowell Streets. The mission of the SAPP is to provide little or no-cost assistance to the community with programs ranging from after-school service tutoring programs to substance abuse referral services. The SAPP is also active in prevention services within the community.

Partners in the initiative include Harding University, Concerned Citizens for a Better Community, Searcy Housing Authority, White County Rural Prevention Association, The Wilbur D. Mills Alcoholism Treatment Center, and various Churches within the community. We also solicit advice from the Prevention Resource Center. All these organizations have participated in this project in some manner. In 2006, the SAPP had an average of 20 students attending the free after-school program.

Other major projects that SAPP has supported include a Block Party identifying the need for increased police protection, the 4-H Club, and Back-pack To School and other community-based initiatives.

SAPP addresses some of the social, economic, and cultural vitality of the community. For instance, the kids will have an opportunity to interact in a supervised environment increasing/improving their social skills. Because many of the individuals involved in the program have a low level of income, the SMASP allows the parents to have an alternative for the child that need private help. The cultural vitality of the community is strengthened because the SMASP helps remove the perception that the local area is less than safe.

The SAPP was instrumental in developing the Black History Awareness Committee (BHAC), formed in January 2005. This committee is a coalition of various members of the community. The mission of the BHAC is to identify the accomplishments of African Americans in White County, provide an opportunity to celebrate such accomplishments, and promote diversity with unity among all people in White County. The Chairperson for the 2007 Black History Awareness Weekend is Mrs. Marva Holiday.