A man named Mo: Morganton’s family hero

MORGANTON, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Taped to the door.

Drawn on Computer paper.

Hung on the wall.

“Coming by just always felt like home,” said Mo Beam.

Every corner of Mo’s 150-square-foot Children’s Home Services office in Morganton is covered.

“There’s Daddy’s picture. Daphne’s picture. A young man that I knew,” pointed Mo.

Each cutout, school picture, and newspaper clipping is his homemade way of decorating his small space with those he loves.

“There’s never been anything out of the ordinary,” said Mo.

While Mo is anything but small, he’s 6’5″; by the way, he’s quick to say that what he does isn’t that big of a deal.

“We know as grownups, life doesn’t necessarily care about your circumstances,” said Mo.

But Mo cares.

About Jayden and his parents, Chuck and Laura.

“I don’t know that we would have been able to get through the whole process without him,” said Laura, who adopted Jayden.

He also cares about Chiareek Thomas.

“It was a shocker, actually, because I just aged out. He technically didn’t have anything else to do with me,” said Chiareek.

For over 30 years, Mo’s helped kids in foster care find family. He has no idea how many kids he’s helped.

“I’d be lying if I guessed, I don’t know,” said Mo.

Though he has his kids with his wife, Daphne, Mo took in countless children when they didn’t have anyone. Chiareek was one of those kids.

“After I aged out, he let me into his house. We just bonded,” said Chiareek.

Mo and Daphne were married for 33 years until January 2021, when she was killed in a car accident.

“But Daphne was perfect. She was a perfect person,” remembered Mo. “Somedays, it’s like the first day it happened.”

Mo went to the only place he knew would help- his ‘work’ and back to helping kids.

“But my mind never turned off, so this was the place of solace. This was a place of calm,” said Mo.

His small office is where those who needed love finally felt it.

“It’s been my world. This is my world,” said Mo.

A world that’s not small at all, thanks to the kindness of a man named Mo.