Cartoonist wears many hats for CHASM
Published 12:00 am Thursday, September 2, 2004
Times-Journal Writer
Joe Mills has been drawing ever since he was a child, and he loves it.
It’s in his blood.
Now he is a full-time member of the CHASM Family Resource Center staff, where he has served as art director for the past three years.
CHASM stands for Caring-Helping-Aiding-Supporting-Mentoring, which is exactly what Mills does at the center.
Mills’ specialty is cartooning, and his job in the military from which he retired after 20 years was as a graphic artist.
As a member of the small CHASM staff, Mills ends up doing a little bit of everything but the continuing theme is teaching the basic principles of art and drawing, with a focus on cartooning, and children love to draw cartoons and enjoy the ones Mills has drawn.
Mills says that he incorporates the basic mission thrusts of CHASM in classes offered at the center in the Valley Creek housing units on West Dallas Avenue and in other public housing projects around town where CHASM works.
“I wear many hats. The basic work we do is to tutor and mentor children who need it, enabling them to learn how to use the computer, offering GED, drug awareness and prevention, teaching them about child abuse, and manners and abstinence,” he said.
“I try to raise (the children’s) self-esteem in everything I do,” he said.
A native of Arizona whose father served in the military, Mills has lived all over the world. And then Mills himself went into the service and followed the same kind of life path.
Mills retired in 1996 and came to Selma. He had lived here before and graduated from Selma High. Mills’ father came back to retire in Sardis where the family had its origin.
Mills parents are Simon who is deceased and Maggie who lives in Selma.
“I love Selma,” Mills said. “I just wish there were more job opportunities here. So many of our young people leave because there are not jobs for them here.”
Mills has high praise for the Rev. Carl Rawls and his wife Marilyn, founders of CHASM Carl Rawls is executive director and Marilyn assists as a member of the staff.
Mills knew Rawls when he was a youngster and immediately gravitated to him when he returned to Selma. Mills and his family also belong to Rawls’ church, Hopewell Missionary Baptist, in Beloit.
“It’s such a blessing to work here at CHASM because of Carl and Marilyn,” he said.
“We’re very close friends.”
The Rawls and Mills got together aftet they had simultaneously but independently been thinking how nice it would be to get Mills in CHASM and to use his many artistic talents.
Mills has high hopes for Selma, while recognizing the problems. “The potential here is so great. If only we could unite our dreams and work together. We haven’t begun to realize the potential for Selma,” he said.