About Us

What is SOKAAT?

Gary Smith

SOKAAT, pronounced So-Kat, stands for Saving One Kid At A Time. This organization is the brainchild of Gary Smith, Sr., a retired military member.   While actively serving in the military, Gary had a storied history of community involvement in youth services at several United States military bases.

Upon his military reassignment to Langley Air Force Base in 1995, Gary became involved in the local community as a volunteer basketball coach.  In 2001, Gary retired from the military and began teaching 7^th grade science at Lindsay Middle School where he has since been.  Little did he know that these positive experiences and the ensuing relationships would lay the groundwork for the concept of SOKAAT.

SOKAAT started out as the dream of one individual, but evolved into a family affair.  This company will serve as the foundation of active community involvement for years to come.  SOKAAT will focus on fostering positive relationships with today’s youth by addressing issues that are relevant in their daily lives.

SOKAAT Principles

Check out or Vision and Mission!

Vision

To inspire, motivate, educate and mentor kids through a wide range of activities, support and programs to give EVERY kid a chance to succeed.

Mission

We will teach children that they ultimately control their future. We’ll work with them to establish several “Universal Principles of Success” to guide them in this effort.  Our principles are as follows:

• Vision – Have clear goals.
• Belief - Believing in oneself.
• Responsibility - Understanding that you are responsible for the outcome of your efforts and not placing blame on anyone/anything else.
• Affirm - Establish a consistent practice of identifying individual goals.
• Commitment - Do whatever is necessary to accomplish your goals.
• Plan & Take Action – Establish a plan of action, break it down in to individualized steps and follow through.
• Persistence - Keeping at it, but making corrective adjustments as necessary to align your efforts.