HomeAboutOur TeamThe NeedOur ProgramsThe ImpactSuccess StoriesContactDonate
Elevate Augusta students together in their community
About Us

A long-term investment in the future of Augusta.

We are not a short-term program. Our approach is rooted in relationships, because when students are seen, known, heard, and loved, they thrive.

Our Mission

Building long-term, life-changing relationships with youth.

Elevate Augusta helps students build character, confidence, and direction through full-time Teacher-Mentors and year-round support.

The model is intentionally relational. Students are known by adults who stay present in the classroom, after school, on trips, and as they plan for life after graduation.

Staff

The people
showing up daily.

Our Executive Director and full-time Teacher-Mentors walk alongside students every day — in the classroom, after school, and on the road to college and career.
Crystal Artis Bates
Crystal Artis Bates
Executive Director
Amanda Millar
Amanda Millar
Director of Development
Davante’ Thomas
Davante’ Thomas
Teacher-Mentor
Jahmia Bradley
Jahmia Bradley
Teacher-Mentor
Board of Directors

Local leaders
behind the work.

A board of local leaders helping shape Elevate Augusta's direction, partnerships, and long-term impact.
Kim Evans
Kim Evans
President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta
Read bio

President & CEO, Kim Evans, joined the Boys & Girls Clubs movement in 2008 as CFO following a distinguished accounting and finance career. The expertise she forged in these diverse and competitive environments fueled BGC’s rapid, successful expansion, tripling the number of Clubs in the local network and reaching record numbers of youth in need with outstanding results.

Since 2014, Mrs. Evans has served as CEO for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta. In response to the academic achievements and other demonstrated outcomes of BGC youth, Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle appointed Mrs. Evans to the Education Turnaround Advisory Council in 2017 to support the State Board of Education in efforts to assist school systems in turning around perennially low performing schools. That same year, Mrs. Evans was one of only 60 Boys & Girls Clubs CEOs nationwide selected to complete Harvard Business School’s Executive Leadership Summit, a collaborative educational experience designed to drive transformational impact nationally and locally through the development of executive leadership capabilities. In 2019, President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), Jim Clark, invited Mrs. Evans to join the President’s [of Boys & Girls Clubs of America] Advisory Committee. Her planning and leadership have established BGC not only as a model of youth development program delivery but also as a model of transparent stewardship for donor gifts and investments in our youth. Mrs. Evans also serves on the Government Relations Committee for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the Boards of Directors for the GA Alliance for Boys & Girls Clubs, Doctors Hospital, Leadership Augusta, and the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce in Augusta, GA. Mrs. Evans also served as the Chairperson for Leadership Augusta, Class of 2022.

Originally from Pawleys Island, South Carolina, Kim holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Clemson University. She lives in Evans, Georgia with her husband Mordecai, and her two sons, Jacob and Jared.

Amanda-Leigh Player Hall
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall
Executive Director and President of the Gary and Vivienne Player Foundation
Read bio

Amanda-Leigh was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. She graduated from the University of Cape Town with a BAS in architecture and a MAS in Painting from Brigham Young University. She currently serves as the President and Executive Director of the Gary and Vivienne Player Foundation.

Amanda has had the opportunity to work in many different fields and in various capacities. She has worked in the architectural field, as a certified tennis coach, art director, freelance artist, and for multiple nonprofit organizations. Her passion has always been to help others. Between growing up with a family committed to giving back and serving as a Spanish-speaking missionary in her youth, Amanda-Leigh has a deep desire to always be engaged in hands-on opportunities to lift and love others, especially youth. Her most treasured role is that of wife, mother, and now grandmother.

Steven Kendrick
Steven Kendrick
Chief Deputy Richmond County Tax Commissioner - Board
Read bio

Steven Brian Kendrick was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia and was educated in the Richmond County Public School System. He received a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, as well as an MBA from FAMU. He was Richmond County (Augusta) Tax Commissioner for 13 years and is currently serving in the Chief Deputy role in the office. He is also a licensed broker, agent and real estate instructor.He also provides leadership development training and programs to non-profits and government agencies through his consulting firm, ABM Business Solutions, LLC.

Mr. Kendrick has a keen interest in economic, leadership and community development as indicated by his involvement as Chairman of the Augusta Economic Development Authority (AEDA), Chairman Emeritus of the Augusta, and Georgia Land Bank Authority (AGLBA). As a founding board member of the HUB Collaborative, he was able to help lead the effort to create and fund the two 24M+ community centered buildings on the HUB Augusta Campus. Steven demonstrates his commitment to youth leadership through programs like Project Impact and Youth Leadership Augusta.

Danny McConnell
Danny McConnell
CEO/President of The Family Y.
Tim McGill
Tim McGill
Retired Georgia Power Company
Read bio

Tim is from Lake Butler, Florida and is married to Teri Tabb McGill of Thomaston, Georgia for 42 years. They have three children and three grandchildren. Tim has BA in Mechanical Engineering from Auburn University and an MBA from Georgia College and State University.

Tim retired from Georgia Power after 36 years of service. For his last 15 years, he served as External Manager for Georgia Power in Augusta. Tim’s primary role was to provide community support, education, communication, and leadership for Georgia Power. He has served with many organizations over the years including Columbia County Chamber and Development Authority, Red Cross, Red Carpet Tour, RISE Augusta, Savannah Water Council, CSRA Alliance for Fort Gordon, Kiwanis Club, Young Life and many more.

Wayne Millar
Wayne Millar
CEO and Founder of Cape Augusta
Read bio

An entrepreneur at heart, Wayne Millar immigrated to America over 30 years ago from South Africa. He graduated with a BS from Rhodes University and a Bachelors of Commerce with Honors from the University of Witwatersrand. Since then, he has been married to his beloved wife for 28 years, is a father to 8 children, and has a diverse development portfolio of thriving golf and amenity centered real estate projects throughout the United States and Europe. Moving from New York City to Georgia, Wayne has been a resident of Augusta for over 20 years.

In the summer of 2020, as America struggled through disruption in the urban markets and Wayne witnessed it in his backyard, he reached out to a school boy friend who was involved in Elevate Orlando to better understand possible solutions for the turmoil around him. 58 out of the 59 schools in the Richmond County School System are title one schools. Wayne’s heart, hope, and vision is to empower, equip, and help school age going children living in challenging conditions to engage, thrive, and contribute to their community.

Dr. Emmanuel C. Ngoh
Dr. Emmanuel C. Ngoh
Founder of Endodontic Center
Read bio

Dr.Ngoh was born in Cameroon , West Africa. He has been serving the dental needs of patients in the greater Augusta area, and in other pockets of the world through his mission outreach, for over 25 years. As the founder of Augusta Endodontic Center, he feels blessed by the opportunity to care for the Endodontic needs of patients in the greater Augusta area.

“This country and especially this community has been extremely good to me. I came here with nothing but a suitcase. I have been rewarded with an opportunity to realize my dreams. Some of these kids remind me of myself. I thank God for the opportunities that I had to be somebody.” Manny Ngoh has a passion for seeing underserved and under-resourced children afforded an opportunity to succeed.

Dr Ngoh is married to Catherine, his high school sweetheart and they both have three boys and a girl.

Charitable Events and Community Involvement include several medical mission trips to Africa, Central and South America, Community Food Drive for Golden Harvest, Endowed Dental Hygiene Scholarships, scholarships to Dental Assistant students at Augusta Technical College, and raised over half a million dollars for Christ Community Health Services Dental Clinic and Heritage Academy of Augusta (an independent inner city school).

Luke Niday
Luke Niday
Outreach Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Augusta - Treasurer
Read bio

Father of 4 amazing daughters and work as the Outreach Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Augusta where I have ministered for 20 years. After Graduating college from Georgia College and State University, I moved to Augusta to work for Campus Outreach for the next 13 years. I served as the Local resource director and then as the Global resource director for Campus Outreach. While I was working for Campus Outreach God was growing my ministry in the local neighborhood where we started Hope For Augusta to minister to urban kids, City Hope Alliance where we provided housing and city-wide initiatives for a greater Augusta. In 2017, I became the local outreach pastor where I oversee 6 ministries including, Campus Outreach, Medical Campus Outreach, Vision Pathways, Shalom Project, Hope for Augusta, City Hope Alliance and International Link. Elevate Augusta meets a need that we have seen in our city for awhile to provide mentorships to high-school students to help them unleash the enormous potential that is stored within them.

Ron Skenes
Ron Skenes
Board Member
Read bio

Ron retired from Christ Community Health Services Augusta where he was Director of Communications and Development for more than 15 years. Before joining Christ Community, he was Marketing Communications Manager at E-Z-GO Textron for almost 22 years.

Ron has been involved in many organizations in the community. Currently, he is an Elder and Sunday School Teacher at First Presbyterian Church, serves on the Board at the Oaks School in Evans, volunteers at the Golden Harvest Food Bank, and is a Community Grant Review Panel Member for the Community Foundation for the CSRA and the United Way of the CSRA. Ron was a member of the Leadership Augusta Class of 2014.

Ron and his wife, Linda, have lived in the Augusta area since 1984. They have two grown children and two grandsons. Ron received his BA from UNC-Greensboro and his MS from the University of Tennessee.

What We Believe

Seven core
beliefs.

The beliefs that shape the way Elevate Augusta mentors, teaches, and partners with students.
  1. 01

    We believe that every child is of great worth and has the desire and potential to succeed.

  2. 02

    We believe that long-term, 24/7 relationships with caring adults have proven positive outcomes in the lives of our urban youth.

  3. 03

    We believe that a holistic approach is essential for a strong and healthy future for our youth.

  4. 04

    We believe that full-time, salaried Teacher-Mentors who come from similar backgrounds as the students can have a positive influence and make all the difference.

  5. 05

    We believe that servant leadership, creating a culture of selflessness and service, is the foundation for leadership.

  6. 06

    We believe in the intrinsic dignity of every person and act accordingly.

  7. 07

    We believe that collaboration yields the best long-term results, acknowledging that the complex work in our urban centers cannot be done single-handedly.

Our History

The model came
to Augusta.

Summer 2020

A local conversation starts something lasting

Wayne Millar contacted Craig Macnab for guidance on the most impactful giving in his community. Craig recommended Elevate.

2020

The initiative takes shape

Jack McGill, founder and former Executive Director of Elevate Orlando, led the initiative to establish Elevate Augusta.

2020–2023

A pause, then renewed commitment

COVID delayed engagement with the Richmond County School System for two and a half years.

Summer 2023

Augusta comes together

Steven Kendrick, Wayne and Hillary Millar, and Tim McGill reengaged with Elevate USA and began the process to establish the nonprofit in Augusta.

January 2024

An official Elevate affiliate

Elevate Augusta was approved as an affiliate of Elevate USA, with plans to launch at the Academy of Richmond County in fall 2024.

Fall 2024

Our first students

The program began at the Academy of Richmond County, building relationships with the founding students who would help shape its future.

About Us · Elevate Augusta