John Bell began a career of service first as a Boy Scout and eventually an Eagle Scout, and then as a part of the Tuscarora Council of the Boy Scouts of America in Sampson and Duplin counties. The Mount Olive native, who is now a ranking member of the state House of Representatives, has always believed in working for the best interest of children.

Raymond Smith, a Goldsboro native, has been a member of the state House of Representatives, serving a portion of Sampson and Duplin counties, and, like Bell, has always had a heart for helping children.

Carol Worley, a long-time member of the Clinton City Board of Education, has that same passion, on which was ignited long before she ever ran for her first term on the local school board.

It’s no wonder the three of them now find themselves on the same side as they work to provide a nurturing environment for young people, a safe place that offers them a chance to connect with other youth and find a way to thrive, free from fear, hurt or danger.

Most of those words are offered in the mission statement for a fledgling program aptly titled Safe Space for Youth, a non-profit formed thanks to efforts from Bell, Smith and Worley.

A story in our Tuesday paper outlined what Safe Space is and what it offers, noting that Smith came up with the idea after the shooting of a 15-year-old girl in Wayne County. A senseless shooting that injured five others, all who were just trying to engage in a little fun at a local pool, the murder caught Smith’s attention and ignited a will do change the pattern so many young people fall into.

Smith and Bell, colleagues at one time in the General Assembly, connected after that shooting, with Smith pleading the case of young people. Those early talks starting a chain of events that led to Safe Space.

Worley entered a short time later, connecting the dots between Sampson and Wayne counties.

The end result is a program that has provided a safe place for kids while offering them opportunities at educational, recreational and cultural experiences.

Right now the United Way of Wayne County is the funding source, but the benefactors are coming from Wayne and Sampson, with hopes of expanding to reach more children across more counties.

We like the concept of providing a safe space for kids to learn, thrive and grow. We hope as more lawmakers review the program and see the need to grow it, organizers will find ways to enrich the lives of young people in even more ways, teaching them why joining gangs and hurting those around them isn’t a good life path.

Like Safe Space, we have other strong advocates for helping children right here in Sampson — the Child Advocacy Center and Janice Faye’s Ranch. Both are equally as responsive to the needs of children, albeit in different but just as needed ways.

We hope lawmakers here in Sampson will take Bell’s lead, finding money to provide our own United Way to help children through not only Safe Spaces but also through Janice Faye’s Ranch and the CAC.

As cliche’ as it may be, children really are the future of our counties and our nation. Doing what we can to ensure they grow up free from the negative influences that feed the cycle of abuse is vital.

Doing what we can, much like Bell, Smith and Worley have done, helps everyone.