2019 First Quarter Report for Christian Activity Center
The following Report snapshots the impact of your giving since the beginning of the year. I hope that you will feel the significance of what you continue to accomplish in the lives of so many children.
To set the context of this report, let me reiterate why your work here is so vitally important:
Here is an excerpt of the accompanying article for graph above:
“Rich kids and poor kids are now growing up in separate and unequal America’s, with their fates increasingly and unfairly tied to their zip codes. Poor and working-class children increasingly grow up in fragile families and communities where food and housing are insecure, crime is higher, relationships are volatile, and stress is toxic, leaving them too isolated to develop the skills, knowledge and social networks crucial for success. Over the past 40 years, high-income parents increased their spending on kids’ enrichment activities tenfold when compared to parents in low-income communities. Art, music, and sports all contribute to higher achievement. Children born into poverty get the least exposure to these opportunities and are too likely to enter adulthood unprepared for college or careers. This is in small part due to less time in the classroom during the pre-K years, but the bulk of this disparity comes from a lack of access to enrichment learning that happens beyond the traditional school day. After all, kids spend 70% of their waking hours outside of school.” (based on a seven-hour school day, 180-day school year.)
Taken from The Learning Gap: ExpandED Schools
As part of its overall transformational strategy, (entitled “increasing opportunity in and out of school, grades K-12) the Christian Activity Center exists to bridge this “opportunity gap” through its holistic approach for children and families in this underserved community.
First Quarter Numbers:
295 children served. 177 attended at least three days each week. In spite of harsh weather and unusual closure days for ice and snow, we opened 58 days, representing 290 hours filled with beyond school activities. 116 of those hours were reading and math; 96 hours were recreation. 78 hours were “extracurricular” activities which included languages, STEM, music, dance, martial arts, chess, soccer, and clubs from which to choose. Every child had access to hot meals and evening snacks. Every child had hours each week focused on social-emotional learning and health education. Every child had daily time in spiritual development. Each child averaged 4 field trip hours this quarter, expanding their world with new experiences. Soccer games, chess tournaments, dance performances, educational trips, and college visits were just a few of those experiences. Two of our language/martial art students traveled to serve in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya in March! (Be sure to check out News and Notes on our website).
What happens here is driven by this network of support and it is to you I write. This support also allows for an amazing array of volunteers to serve. This quarter, work teams invested 383 hours in physical projects that save thousands of dollars for direct programming. Volunteers also gave 648 hours in direct face time with children. The increases you see below are reflective of their outstanding work as well as the front line staff you provide daily through your giving.
While this report breaks down different parts, we know each part work together and each are vital in the healthy development of a child. This is why we define our mission as “holistic,” because all things relate to each other. Healthy bodies equal healthy minds, healthy minds are open to learning, and our very environment is as important as the activities that happen within. You allow us a total package of health and growth.
Your Impact:
As you can see, your impact continues to grow. You are critically important in the lives of many children. You give us time and resources to invest in their lives. You help us make every hour count. The ability to invest daily, weekly, consistently matters so much. Thank you. Thank you for walking with us, for allowing God to work through you here. In the final analysis, we know that it is God who gives us all the ability to give. We believe God has placed a yearning in our hearts to serve others, and that CAC is a place where “the call of God connects with the need of our world.” The prophet Micah says this: “God has shown us what is good. And what does God require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Gratefully yours,
D. Chet Cantrell
Christian Activity Center