Think Smart Outreach Center, Inc. was first thought of in 2000 while Pam Williams was a senior at Fayetteville State University majoring in Criminal Justice. While in college, she volunteered at the Fayetteville Urban Ministries Guided Growth Program (Program for at-risk youth), and Harnett County Community Service Program. She saw too many young people getting criminal records over trivial things and wanted to help them. She always wanted to help youth so they would not face the possibility of living a life of crime or behind bars. Even though she saw all kinds of programs in Cumberland County, she did not know of any in Harnett County.

She came up with a plan one day and started writing in her book daily how her youth center would be one day. She knew it was only going to be for middle and high school students (her passion). She only called it a youth center because at that time she had no name for the center. A little later, she came up with a name, "The Help Center" taken from the Jefferson (one of her favorite TV shows). That name didn't last long, so she decided to ask her sister for help. Pam loved the name Think Smart (because she thought it was powerful) and Nell came up with Outreach Center.

So on April 13, 2001, the paperwork was sent to the Secretary of State, Think Smart Outreach Center, Inc. Even though the program was incorporated on April 24, 2001, the center was still just a mere vision and seemed so out of reach. So after graduating college, Pam accepted a job as a Middle School Teacher. In May 2002 the center was still a thought, so Nell asked Pam what she was planning to do for the summer since she would not be teaching. The idea of having a Summer Camp popped into Nell’s mind. This was weeks before school ended so they had to find a location. Their father was moving from the building he had been renting, so they went to the landlord to see if they could rent the facility. They had a place and now only one week before school would let out. They started advertising to churches, grocery stores, libraries, etc., and soon had their first participants enrolled in the program the Saturday before the program was scheduled to begin on Monday (Byron McMillian and Riyen Graham). Thank you Mrs. Kim!

They received their first grant from the Juvenile Crime Commission from 2002-2005. Pam and Nell opt not to receive a paycheck from the program because they wanted to see it grow. They worked full time at other jobs and did not receive a paycheck until the program received its Federal grant in November 2005. Over the years, Think Smart has had some wonderful staff members that are/were dedicated to the cause and understand that TSOC is not just a job but it is a vision that holds people's futures in their hands. Think Smart Outreach Center, Inc. for the last seven years has been located beside C&G Country Club, local churches, Dunn Housing Authority, Dunn Pal, and South Harnett Elementary School. In January 2008, TSOC said welcome home to their first place of "their own". The land that the center is currently housed on was given to them by their father. The program went from serving 5 children a year at its after school program to serving 400 children during the 2010-2011 term.