Videos

So the after school program is a 41 week program that goes throughout the school year, gives them a place to come to.
A lot of the kids, most of them may have been not welcome to other ones because of behavioral issues, but sometimes other places aren't equipped or can't handle that.
And so we say, hey, we can come alongside them, we'll take them.

So our kids are very good, though. They're amazing. We love them. And our youth director, Mary, especially, loves them.
The parents work a lot, especially if it's coming from a more low income area or they have job hours that don't reflect the normal 9 to 5 job hours.
They need time in that afternoon to be able to work at home and prepare for whatever.
And so we provide them with the time to both have fun to decompress from school

and then after that time do their homework so that way they don't fall behind.
Here, we allow them to have fun. We allow them to spend time with friends, make new friends, be social, allow them to do their homework, and be able to assist in reading, spelling difficulties, math.

The kids are excited to come here. They love coming here.
They often ask their parents and say, Mom, dad, when can I go back? When can we go back after school?

The way we meet that need is the support of the community.
The community is what drives us. Everything that we get is from the community, from the food, from the support through donations or red kettle season that comes to the community, from corporations, donating from individuals, donating and volunteering their time to support us.
And so we meet the need with the help of the community.

It's to see them light up when they are improving and things that they were struggling with.
I count that as success and to see the smiles on their faces is really the true marker of success.