Dinner benefits hurricane victims, spotlights youth work

Maxeine Mitchell kept busy Saturday night - handing out orders to waiters, hastily preparing baked spaghetti and setting out pastel tablecloths.

And though she isn't a head chef, Mitchell hopes revenues from the pasta dinner put on by her "staff" - Youth Creating Change, a youth group for African-American teenagers - will help victims of Hurricane Katrina to begin piecing their lives together again.

The group hosted three pasta dinners Oct. 7 to Oct. 9 to benefit hurricane victims.

Young members of Pa'Lante, which shares an office with YCC at the Club Neon Teen Center in Carrboro, helped out at the event.

The YCC program focuses on three issues of enhancement for its members: leadership, economic development and education and career mentoring.

But Mitchell emphasized the independent actions of her youth members in all of their group activities.

"I really try to encourage young people to step up to the plate and make decisions," she said. "My role is to help them make things happen."

Alesia Carver, an 18-year-old YCC member, came up with the idea for a benefit dinner as a means of contributing to victims of the hurricane.

She and friend Jasmine Jones, also 18, served as waitresses Saturday night.

Carver said Mitchell and the program have done a lot for her.

"YCC kept me from a lot of stuff I could have done but didn't," she said. "They kept me busy. And the people here are really great. They're like family. You can talk to them like you've known them for years."

Jones said the program's constant activity inspires many of its members.

"Not to get all biblical, but 'idle hands do the devil's work,'" she said. "The program keeps you busy and makes something out of you. When you have nothing to do you'll end up doing negative things, especially in a community which does not have a structure to make you do good things. I take my hat off to Maxeine - she's been doing this for a long time."

Mitchell herself has worked with youth groups since she was the girls' age.

"You could give me $10 right now, and I could go get myself some food, but Maxeine gives me the skills I need to feed myself for life," said Jones, who plans to attend N.C. State next semester.

Thirteen people donated about $200 at Friday night's dinner and while only one came Saturday, Mitchell said churchgoers would make Sunday night's buffet-style dinner a gala event.

"The kids' goal is to get at least 100 people to come, and to get $1,000," she said.

YCC plans to use the proceeds to purchase both necessities and gifts such as movie tickets to donate to youth who recently have moved with their families to North Carolina because of the hurricane. "The kids make the final decisions," Mitchell said.

All YCC members have graduated high school and, according to Mitchell, about 40 percent have gone on to colleges such as UNC-Wilmington, North Carolina A&T, and High Point University.

 

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.