Akuyoe Graham

Spirit Awakening Assists At-Risk Youth

Twenty-one years ago, while attending worship at Agape International Spiritual Center, Akuyoe Graham received a word from God directing her to help at-risk youth. Armed with faith and encouragement from her pastor, the Rev. Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith, Graham established the Spirit Awakening Foundation (SAF), a nonprofit charitable arts organization dedicated to “building character and raising self-esteem, one child at a time.” SAF programs utilize meditation, dramatic improvisation and creative writing to help at-risk children transform their lives, both spiritually and literally. “What we are doing is taking a stand and creating a space for children and teens and saying