By Emily Williams
At the beginning of the year, Dalton Smith of Vestavia Hills took on the executive director position at M-Power Ministries, a non-profit organization that he knew very little about before he pursued the position.
But soon he was a true convert to the mission of the organization, which provides GED and career readiness courses in addition to distributing free medications for chronic illnesses.
To spread the word about M-Power, the organization is hosting a tasting event, Taste of the Magic City, Oct. 27 at MAKEbhm in Avondale.
Smith, who described himself as a “recovering lawyer,” has worked in jobs across the spectrum in the worlds of profit, non-profit and government – from being partner at the advertising firm Scout Branding to heading up the merger that created the Birmingham Business Alliance.
His new position as executive director of M-Power Ministries is a whole new world, he said.
“This is a non-profit that is very hands on,” Smith said. “We are changing people’s lives daily. It’s tangible. It’s a change that you can see.”
In his first few months, Smith was just “getting his feet wet,” trying to understand the inner workings of an organization that he had hardly heard about before he was hired. He said he found M-Power to be Birmingham’s best-kept secret in terms of non-profit organizations.
Out of its building in Avondale, the ministry provides GED and career readiness courses in addition to offering a free health care clinic. It has a small staff that is supported by a large group of volunteer teachers, most of them retired, as well as physicians and nurses.
The clinic doesn’t just see patients; it hands out free medicine for people with treatable illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension.
Unlike other non-profit literacy programs, Smith said, M-Power’s closed enrollment keeps student-to-tutor ratios low and allows each program participant the opportunity to follow a curriculum designed to suit his or her specific needs.
“There is also an aspect of accountability,” he said. “If they don’t show up and they don’t put in the work, then we can’t work with them.
“Our program works,” he said. “It works because the people who come here truly want to learn and want to break that cycle of poverty, and it works because the people who volunteer make sure that they connect with their students.”
Smith recounted several success stories, including one about a young woman who went through the courses with flying colors and found that she had a knack for graphing and design, leading to a career in architecture.
“A lot of the people who come here to learn have a natural talent that they missed out on,” Smith said. “For one reason or another, their school system overlooked them or told them they weren’t good enough, so we’re here to give them a second chance.”
Smith said he hopes the new fundraising event is just the beginning for the organization’s continued success. The funds raised during Taste of the Magic City will help M-Power work toward expanding its coverage by opening courses to more community members looking to break out of the cycle of poverty.
The event will be held from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 27 and will feature culinary tastings from local restaurants and catering companies, musicians and more. Tickets are $35.
For more information, visit mpowerministries.org.
