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southwest mississippi multiplex

For Early Innovative Intervention Studies

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    Welcome to the creative place.

    Our mission is to grow the creative capacity of Southwest Mississippi residents, children, families, and citizen-artists by encouraging innovation and cultural appreciation in early phases of life.

     

     

     

    OUR ORGANIZATION

     

    SMMEIIS is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization based in McComb, Mississippi. We offer programs and integrated services that are designed to inspire, inform, uplift, and nurture vulnerable communities. Through the promotion of responsible citizenship and authentic representation, our mission is to grow the creative capacity of Southwest Mississippi residents, children, families, and citizen-artists by encouraging innovation and cultural appreciation in early phases of life.

     

    As a community center, we provide access to incubation and meeting/rehearsal space. We host workshops, professional/gift development, and training for visionaries, educators, youth developers, social entrepreneurs, and future leaders.

     

    As an art commons, we provide opportunities and access to incubation space for youth and adults who are historically underrepresented in the fields of literary, visual, media and performing arts.

     

    As a research agency, we measure our impact, reporting ways in which cross-pollinating arts, social innovation, and child/family focus can boost self-esteem, reduce educational barriers, encourage leadership, create workplace and home happiness, promote unity, and transform communities.

     

    OUR VISION

     

    ​We envision a safe community where marginalized people embrace their social responsibilities and are compelled to use their voices and talents to empower themselves and others. We envision an aware community where people understand root causes and can speak truthfully about the past to improve multigenerational relationships and combat systemic racism.

     

    OUR FOUNDER

     

    The late Jacqueline Nobles Dillon had a B.S. (1970) and Master’s (1977) Degree in Special Education from the University of Southern Mississippi. She was a dedicated teacher in the McComb School District who retired twice, once in 1996 and again in 2003.

     

    Jacqueline remained busy throughout her retirement, becoming Director of D & D Learning Center where she tutored (assessed, remediated, and diagnosed) children between 5 and 15 years of age. In 2003, she started her own non-profit organization called the O.N.A. Foundation (Operation Noah’s Ark). More than 15 years after its founding, O.N.A. developed a new identity and became Southwest Mississippi Multiplex for Early Innovative Intervention Studies (SMMEIIS).

     

    Jacqueline was a two-time recipient of The Outstanding Elementary Teacher of America Award. She was also Teacher of the Year for the McComb School District eight times and was once Substance Abuse Teacher of the Year. Jacqueline was honored by the Mississippi Association for Children with Learning Disabilities for her invaluable service and cooperation. She was also received the Outstanding Woman in the Community Award by the McComb Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club.

     

    Her legacy lives on through her family, loved ones, and former students.

  • Jacqueline N. Dillon

    founder

  • Blog

    Providing educational, social, familial, and communal resources/guidance.

    Get Back to School in The Best Way
    August 13, 2022
    August is here. The weather is hot, and the store aisles are full of back-to-school supplies. There is always that exciting feeling in the air between parents and kids. We want to start the school year off as best as possible and set our families up for ultimate success. There are a few ways that...
    The "Spring Forward Struggle" Is Real
    March 29, 2022
    Spring is here and recently we set our clocks one hour forward, resulting in an hour less sleep. I don’t know about you but it seems like it takes me days, if not weeks, to get adjusted to the time shift from standard to daylight saving time. Unfortunately, the impact of Daylight Saving Time on...
    Showing Your Love When Valentine’s Day is Over
    February 15, 2022
    Valentine’s Day, to most, is the day that we celebrate the love between us and those around us. You don’t have to be in a relationship to celebrate Valentine’s Day. You can celebrate with your family, friends, coworkers, and even your pets. It’s the day that we stop what we are doing and take a...
    More Posts
  • Literacy Across the Community

     

    Don't miss our annual celebration of literary arts and oral lore.

  • artist-in-residence

    Meet Maleah Dawn, Our Summer 2022 Artist-In-Residence

    Bio

    Maleah DAWN is a singer-songwriter, college student, and self-proclaimed oatmeal aficionado. Hailing from the birthplace of American music, Mississippi, she creates R&B, Soul, and Pop songs about insecurities, pursuing purpose, and growing into who she’s meant to be. With hints of Hip Hop in her style, Maleah DAWN found inspiration in artists like Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah, and Floetry, and the modern likes of SZA, H.E.R, and Alex Isley.

     

    Her voice carries a softness and power that penetrates the soul. Whether she is speaking or singing, Maleah DAWN has a vulnerability flowing through her every time she steps onto the stage. One of her most memorable performances is opening at Jackson State University’s Homecoming Concert for Lil Durk and Flo Milli in October 2021. Recently, Maleah has performed at McComb School District’s Arts Alive Fest, Jackson State U’s THEE I Love Bash, and Third Coast Radio’s The Kickback; additionally, she’s interviewed with Vocalo Radio (Chicago) after her single, IN MY HOME was aired on their 91.1 station.

     

    Join her on this musical journey by connecting with @maleahofthedawn on socials & look out for upcoming music and collaborations from the songstress.

     

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maleahofthedawn/?hl=en

    Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maleahofthedawnn

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/maleahofthedawn

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maleahofthedawn/

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxp8AzV09wuhXocRE_FPoUA

     

    Read the Vocalo Radio Interview:

    https://vocalo.org/maleah-dawn-feature/

     

    Watch Maleah DAWN’s Performances:

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5eENg5Ns5GEt6-oIsbJbZa5XChlNBHse

    BookSong: "Do you see the clouds?" By Maleah Dawn

    BOOKSONGS are an educational resource for elementary teachers and learners. We take educational texts/ literature and make the information/ stories appealing to the youthful ear. In this BookSong, Maleah Dawn makes a musical adaptation of the children's book, "Cloud Dance", by Thomas Locker.

     

    BookSong: "I am water" By Maleah Dawn

    BOOKSONGS are an educational resource for elementary teachers and learners. We take educational texts/ literature and make the information/ stories appealing to the youthful ear. In this BookSong, Maleah Dawn makes a musical adaptation of the children's book, "Water Dance", by Thomas Locker.

  • community

    A place with resources is a place for growth.

    Professional Development

    Stay tuned.

    Building and strengthening the skills of our community is a pressing priority. We offer training in the areas of artistic practice, racial equity, justice and human rights, innovative entrepreneurship, technology-based learning, and organization-building or "writing the vision".

    Community Connections

    2021 Health Equity Series: Grief and Trauma-Related Coping Responses among Black Families and Communities with Aspen Hardges, LCSW

     

    Grief and loss are universal human experiences, but how unique are Black people's grief-producing experiences? Do the often negative or traumatic ways in which Black people experience loss create unique mental health and wellness issues? In this health equity program, SMMEIIS explores grief from the lens of coping with the loss of people to the loss of safety in instances of racial injustice.

    The Creative Camp

    Coming Up: June 2022

    Young visionaries who participate in our summer program grasp concepts in STEAM, idea/gift development, creative/critical thinking, innovative leadership, and social entrepreneurship by way of creative play, team-building, and project-based learning.

    Sankofa Dialogues

    Episode 1 Now Available!

    Through interviews/conversations/panel discussions, our elders share their experiences about growing up in the south and how past race relations have shaped our present socio-political/educational views. Dialogues are recorded and made available to the public via podcast.

     

  • Arts & culture

    The Arts are an expression of culture and culture reflects people.

    EMERGE Theatre

    Our theatre program exposes underserved audiences to transformative, educational, and inspirational theatre. We stage stories and live performances that raise awareness and provide opportunities for youth and adults to learn techniques in playwriting, acting, directing, and theatrical design.

    The PIZZAZZ Dance Troupe

    Our non-competitive, performance-based dance education program is for girls ages 4-18. We teach self-esteem, character development, and basic dance concepts centered around the following genres: modern, contemporary, theatrical, experimental, lyrical, jazz, and liturgical/praise. Parents and the community can follow PIZZAZZ on Facebook. Family Accounts can be managed through the PIZZAZZ Member's Only portal on this website.

    Literary Celebration

    Our celebration of literary arts and oral lore promotes local writers/ authors and historians/ storytellers through a community book fair and publication Q & A. In addition, young writers from the Southwest Mississippi region are invited to submit creative pieces (prose, fiction, plays, essays, or poetry) that promote racial justice and healing. Their work gets developed through a mentoring process, shared with the public, and published in an anthology.

    Artist Residencies & Enrichment

    We collaborate with cultural workers, creative professionals, actors, directors, designers, choreographers, and hybrid artists who are passionate about doing meaningful work in Mississippi. Artists may be invited or may apply when applications are available. SMMEIIS also sends teaching artists out into the community to provide arts enrichment to school districts, organizations, civic and church groups, and educational entities.

  • meet the executive-artistic director

    Clinnesha Dillon Sibley, a native of McComb, Mississippi, is a published author, community leader, and educator. She promotes creative-mindedness—believing that visual, performing, and literary arts can change the way we think about some of life’s most important questions.

     

    A writer of plays, poetry, essays, and prose/fiction, Clinnesha has received numerous awards including the Holland New Voices Award, the Arkansas Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship, and the Mississippi Theatre Association Adult Playwriting Award. Her writing has also appeared in national literary journals, anthologies, and various publications and anthologies. She is also on the Mississippi Humanities Council Speaker's Bureau.

     

    Clinnesha received her B.A. at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, where she was a 2003 initiate into the Gamma Psi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and was the 2005-2006 Miss Tougaloo College. She received her M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts Degree) from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. As both a student and an Assistant Professor at the U of A, Clinnesha was a diversity champion and a key woman educator in the arts. She proudly served the College of Charleston in South Carolina as an Assistant Professor of Playwriting where her mission was to empower students to cultivate their unique voice and write fearlessly, without limits. After teaching at the college/university level for seven years, she moved into secondary residential education. She has taught at The Historic Piney Woods School and is currently the Literary Arts Instructor at Mississippi School of the Arts.

     

    Clinnesha was selected as one of twenty-four "change-makers" across the United States for the 2017-2018 National Arts Strategies Creative Communities Fellow Program. This program was her springboard into the non-profit sector and social entrepreneurship. A 2019 recipient of a “Rise Grant” from Women on the Rise Network and a 2020 recipient of the Arts Institute of Mississippi (AIM) Award, Clinnesha is a literary artist who believes .in order to reach total fulfillment, one must "replace [their] pursuit of success with the pursuit of contribution".

     

    She is married to her high school sweetheart, Keith Sibley, and they have three children: Kaylee, Karlee, and Keith Jr.

     

    Hear from Clinnesha!

    "Sign up and I will send you monthly greetings! Follow my blog here."

    Submit
  • the quarantine cookbook

    Proceeds from our cookbook sales will go directly to gun violence prevention and education programs in Southwest Mississippi. The deadline for recipes is August 31st!

    SUBMIT A RECIPE
  • key partners

    Our work would not be possible without these amazing collaborators.

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    Future Sponsor

    Future Sponsor

  • Thank you!

    Your generous donation will go a long way in helping us realize our dream of making southwest Mississippi a great place for developing innovative ideas and practices.

    get your name added to the list!

     

    Seed Sowers

    (monetary and/or in-kind value)

     

    purple Sowers: $1000.00 and above

    Clintes and Jacqueline dillon

     

    orange Sowers: $500.00 - 999.00

    keith and clinnesha sibley

     

    Green Sowers: $250.00 - 499.00

    semoune ellis-taylor

     

    Black Sowers: $100.00 - 249.00

    SURBRINA CAMERON

    latanya green-coney

    CARTRELL JACKSON

    JESSICA WELLS-MAGEE

    triasha patterson

    STEPHANIE NOBLES ROBINSON

    ELAINE TERRELL

    ELIZABETH THOMPSON

    marta youngblood

     

    red sowerS: $99 and under

    JUSTIN & KAYATTA BROWN

    Willyerd collier

    ANGELA DILLON

    desiree Dillon

    MONICA DILLON

    Ashley drakes lowe

    Judith Johnson

    JOYCE N. MCGEE

    kristy mcmorris

    jokeda nelson

    Dionne nobles

    EDITH PARKMAN

    ANGELA SIMMONS

    joan vorderbruggen

    Cynthia wells

    rokeshia wells

    stacy wells

    GWENDOLYN NOBLES WILLIAMS

    MARIBETH PORTER WILLIAMS

    CRYSTAL LOWERY WOODS

     

    make a $50 contribution to our "send a child to camp fund" and become a red sower!

     

    you may Sow into our organization as a whole, a specific program/ community initiative, our literary festival, summer camp, or one of our sub-brands (the creative place, pizzazz, emerge). contact us for giving options or click the donate button to access Givly and sign up to be a smmeiis donor. all contributions are tax-deductible.

     

    DONATE THROUGH GIVLY
  • connect with us

    Have a seat at our table. Ask about our vision. Ask about our goals. Ask about our core values. Ask about collaboration. Or just say hello.

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