The Washington area is blessed to have several organizations making a difference in the lives of its people, especially its children and young adults.

Take the Purpose of God Annex and its Outreach Center for example. They provide after-school programs and summer programs to help children improve their academic prowess. Volunteers work with students by helping them with homework and providing tutoring to students who have problems with certain academic subjects.

The nonprofit’s Project New Hope provides just that — new hope for young adults who need a second chance in their lives so they can become productive members of society, not a drain on society. Project New Hope is a yearlong program designed to educate and teach job and life skills to those trying to overcome past criminal convictions.

Bishop Samuel Jones Jr. and others closely associated with the Purpose of God Annex continue to positively affect the lives of area children and young adults. That’s a blessing.

Take the relatively new Beaufort County Police Activities League, with Al Powell and others providing opportunities for other area youth and young adults. In its short existence, BC PAL has focused on enhancing the science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills of those involved in its programs. That focus is geared toward exposing youths to careers in fields that require such skills, such as aviation-related careers — avionics, aeronautics, military pilots and commercial aviation.

Earlier this week, the Washington City Council gave the green light for BC PAL to build a multi-purpose center that would expose area youth to careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and aviation. The goal is to have the center operating by early June.

These two organizations are helping area youth do more than dream. They are helping turn those dreams into realities. That’s noble work that deserves the community’s support.