About Us

To foster personal growth and development of children so that they become productive citizens, OK4Youth, Inc. provides resources to youth in dire need who reside in Cobb County, Georgia.

For three years, Opportunity Knocks in Cobb was a local mission supported by the Department of Labor and Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church.  By the determined efforts of a Board of Directors, Opportunity Knocks for Youth was incorporated as a nonprofit 501(C)3 corporation.  The Mt. Bethel Missions Committee continues to partner with our organization by providing a percentage of our annual budget.

As a faith-based organization that serves all religious, racial and ethnic groups, we are privileged to benefit from the willing support of a variety of nonprofit partnerships.

In addition to regularly scheduled meetings, mentoring, and tutoring, our youth enjoy the benefit of community interaction though taking purposeful field trips and completing service projects.

Our organization relies upon the work of dedicated volunteers and private contributions. If you would like to learn how you or your group could make a difference, please contact us.

Please take a moment to meet our Board of Directors:

Dale Champion, President & Executive Director

Dale grew up in Pittsburgh and graduated from Penn State University with a BS in Industrial Engineering.  He has held numerous management positions in industry and also owned his own company.  He has been a Youth Sunday school teacher,  "Big Brother" and board member, Mt. Bethel UMC Administrative Council member,  President of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers, and has coached youth sports for 20 years.  In 2003, he began working with disadvantaged youth by developing and delivering programs that would help children prepare for their adult lives.  Key areas addressed in those programs have included leadership, teambuilding, diversity, conflict resolution, and a number of life and work skills sessions His commitment stems from the fact that a dire need for help exists in the at-risk population as less than 20 percent will graduate from high school. Such children absolutely require additional support with opportunities for them to be successful citizens in their communities.

Sam Smith, Treasurer

Born in raised in the Wichita, Kansas area, Sam graduated from Wichita University (now Wichita State University) with a BS in Business.  After serving as an officer in the military for two-and-a-half years, he entered business as a private accountant. During his career, he worked for Boeing Aircraft, Santa Fe Railroad, and Cabot Corporation. In 2002, he retired from Cabot after 28 years of service.  Sam has since been active in a number of ways—teaching Sunday school; volunteering with Mt. Bethel United Methodist Men and Habitat for Humanity; serving as a church advocate for Samaritan House of Atlanta; volunteering with Mt. Bethel Older Adult Center. For the past 4 years, he has mentored two young men with Opportunity Knocks for Youth.

Anne Schrock, Secretary

A business owner and advisor for healthy lifestyle Anne is also involved in her community through faith-based organizations. A member of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church, she serves on Mt. Bethel’s Great Day of Service Steering Committee for Home Projects. Anne is an Executive Board Member of a Christian lifestyle community for women and serves on Best Buy Women’s Leadership Forum.  Anne also serves as supporter and volunteer for Ministries United in Service and Training (MUST Ministries); supporter of Samaritan House; supporter of Center for Attitudinal Healing, which benefits support groups and youth outreach programs in the Sausalito, CA., community; and a supporter and volunteer of Habitat for Humanity. Having mentored for OK4Youth while supporting the group, she is a strong advocate for the children who benefit from the programs.

Bill Spell, Director of Mentor Recruitment

Having begun his broadcast career in 1969, Bill retired on December 31, 2007 as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Cox Television, Inc. He previously served as Director of Sales for WSB-TV Channel 2, Atlanta, from 1990 to 1996. Among his professional activities, Bill is a member of the Atlanta Ad Club and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He is past president of the Atlanta Broadcast Advertising Club. Active in the community, Bill is a member of the Cobb YMCA, of which he is a former director. He is past president of the Izaak Walton Conservation League, and he was a member of the1992-93 Class of Leadership Atlanta. He is also a member of NATAS, The Flint River Sportsman Club, and the Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church. A native of Wrightsville, GA, he earned his BBA and MBA from Georgia State University. Bill enjoys hunting, fishing, gardening, tennis and reading. .

Mike Burgett, Director of Fundraising

As the President, Managing Partner, and Founder of CIO Partners, Inc, Mike has been named a “Top 40 under 40” by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The award recognized 40 successful Atlanta business leaders who have achieved significant career success while demonstrating a strong commitment to civic and community causes; such responsibility is evidenced by CIO Partners’ policies. All employees, for instance, receive twelve hours of company time to volunteer for their charities of choice. Also, ten percent of the corporation’s net profits are donated to charity. CIO Partners was further distinguished among the “Best Companies to Work” in Atlanta by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and listed among 5000 of the fasted growing privately held US companies by Inc. Magazine. In addition to serving on the board of Opportunity Knocks for Youth, Mike is a member of the Mount Bethel United Methodist Church, where he has previously served on its Administrative Council, and has contributed to the @Home and Global Missions Committee. His mission trips include traveling to the Gulf Coast to assist in the rebuilding and rehabilitation from Hurricane Katrina and building food kitchens for the poor in Peru. Mike is also a member of the Young Entrepreneur's Organization (YEO), an organization comprised of business owners under the age of 40 who have created businesses with revenues larger than one million dollars. He has previously served as the Chairman of the National Restaurant Association Executive IT Organization and as a Board of Advisors member for Community Bank of the South.

Mike lives in Marietta with his wife Kim, and daughters Emily, Merrill and Audrey.

Josh Champion, Director of Grants

Josh grew up in Atlanta and graduated from Walton High School in Cobb County. At the University of Georgia, he received a BA in Real Estate and works for Prudential Mortgage Capital in Atlanta as an Investment Analyst. Josh likes any activity involving the outdoors— golf, tennis, fishing, camping and hunting to name a few. He is an Eagle Scout and a member of the Association of Young Real Estate Professionals. He is an avid supporter and contributor for helping disadvantaged youth succeed in life.

Marjorie S. Preston-Ward, Co-Director of Programs

Marjorie is an Information Technology (IT) consultant with over 25 years of experience in various industries and roles. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, traveling, reading and participating in outdoor activities with her son and daughter. Marjorie has volunteered as a Sunday school teacher, a tutor, an IT mentor, and mentor for Opportunity Knocks for Youth.

Joyce Buehner, DFCS Liaison

Joyce was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, and graduated from Ball State University with her B.S. in Psychology.  She then moved to Atlanta, GA to earn her M.A. in Educational Psychology with a focus on Adolescent Socialization and Development from Georgia State University. Joyce has worked with disadvantage youth and their families in several capacities over the past eighteen years with such organizations as the Indianapolis Parks and Recreation and Devereux Adolescent Treatment Facility. Her responsibilities have included DFCS Foster Care Case Manager and DFCS Regional Independent Living Coordinator. As the regional ILC, she provides basic skills and resources to assist young adults in transitioning from foster care to adulthood through programs that focus on employment, housing, post-secondary education, health and life skills training. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc and continues to serve her community through local service projects.  Her interests include reading, music, outdoor activities, and spending time with her nephews.