By Michael Butler

The wheels are turning on a new outreach coming to the Tallassee area. Project 4:12 held an introductory meeting on Thursday evening at the Corner Room in downtown Tallassee.

The name Project 4:12 comes from a bible verse, 1st Timothy 4:12: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. “

Jimmy Yates conducted Thursday’s meeting with community and church leaders. Yates has been involved with Project 4:12 for four years in Alexander City.

“We had this dream that we can get the athletes from our high school and the youth from our churches to all come together and help our community,” Yates said. “There are so many barriers in our town. We want to try and break down some of those barriers. There are a lot of us that really don’t know each other. There are always issues. We wanted to do something to bring everybody together.”

In Alex City last year, Project 4:12 did 27 different home construction and yard work projects, in addition to church and school maintenance and beautification projects –  all in just three days. There were 285 volunteers, primarily youth and teens.

The plan is to select a weekend to tackle some of the same type of projects in the Tallassee community.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to bring the community together and let the kids be in charge.”

A fundraiser is already set for this weekend to help in those efforts. The “Fall Frenzy” pickleball tournament will be at the Tallassee Recreation Center on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. with all proceeds benefiting Project 4:12. Entry fee is $20 per player. Contact Brandon Fomby to register at 334-391-8373.

For more information about Project 4:12 email: project412lakemartin@gmail.com.