Another End to a Great School Year

It’s hard to believe that we’ve already made it to June and there are only a handful of days left in the school year! It seems like only yesterday we were in September preparing for the year ahead and now we’re tying up all the loose ends before saying goodbye for the summer months. In times like these I deeply feel the saying, “the days are long, but the years are short."

​This year, as in years past, we experienced lots of fun times mixed with occasional difficult moments, but through it all we saw lots of growth in the students both individually and collectively as a group. One wonderful aspect of our RISE After School Program is the kind and inclusive environment that’s been created over the years. More than half of our students have been attending our program for at least two years so there are deep friendships that have been formed. 
 
With well-established, long-standing relationships among students, there is the risk of becoming clique-y and not welcoming to new students who enroll. This has not been the case with our group of students at RISE After School and that has been so refreshing. In a time where bullying and exclusivity are running rampant throughout schools, social media, and the wider community in general, it’s been inspiring to see how welcoming our group of young students are. We saw a lot of new faces this year, and each new student that enrolled was warmly welcomed and able to quickly find a couple of good friends in the program.
 
We’ve worked as a staff over the years to embody the four pillars of our organization:

1. Create healthy family culture
2. Encourage high character
3. Train future leaders
4. Invest in personal relationships

In their time here, the students begin to grow and develop in these areas as well. Seeing this type of fruit after years of investment into the lives of youth in our community makes me confident in knowing that our mission to build strong, young lives is being accomplished!
 
Reflecting over the past year, I am aware that our success in moving our mission forward is very much dependent on the prayers and financial support of our amazing donors! Through your commitment to the organization and our mission, know that you are making a lasting impact on young lives in our community. Thank you so much for your support!

Anna Jennings

Anna is the Program Manager and RISE After School Director at SouthSide Youth Outreach. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development and Family Science and loves working with kids, baking, and reading.