CAC Family & Friends,
Each day we are reminded of our mission of embracing kids with the love of Christ and equipping them to thrive! Love is something we do well at CAC because in John 13:34-35 Jesus states “a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Our goal as a team is to maintain a culture of love where children can feel seen, valued, and appreciated. Unfortunately, many of our students live in communities where various forms of trauma prevent them from building trust with their neighbors. To help mitigate the impact of trauma, CAC promotes and reinforces social emotional learning (SEL). SEL is an educational process that we incorporate to teach young people how to understand their emotions, develop positive relationships, make wise choices, and succeed in life.
We fundamentally believe we are making a difference. We served 82 youth during our summer programming. Of that total, we had a 92% student retention rate which is an all-time high compared to an overall rate of 68% during previous summers. Slightly over 65% of our students were classified as regular attendees (attended at a minimum 3 times per week). We were also impressed that, on average, our students spent 14 hours out of 22 “program” hours per week in our care. We believe having a safe space and that providing engaging programming is key.
This summer our children had a plethora of activities to explore, including swimming, martial arts, financial literacy, STEM, life-saving skills, drama, dance, arts and crafts – just to name a few. In addition, one of our gracious volunteers provided an opportunity for several students to complete job shadowing. These types of activities exposed our students to various opportunities that possibly await them.
Prior to the close of our summer programming, we hosted our annual Back to School Drive. As always, your support proved to be invaluable. Your donations and financial gifts enabled us to provide enough school supplies for over 250 students in our community. It was gratifying to see their faces on the first day of school. Staff participated in several “Welcome Back to School” receiving lines where we witnessed firsthand their smiles as they saw someone from the CAC there to greet them. These are the types of moments that make a huge impact.
Collectively, we are making a positive impact on our students. You have an impact on our mission through your volunteer work, financial donations, and fervent prayers. Part of our strategic plan is to establish an alumni and volunteer connection program where former attendees have the opportunity to give back to the CAC. We look forward to sharing more on this program in the future!
Your financial support enables us to provide a safe space where staff can equip our youth to thrive. In the coming days you will receive additional information on how you can support our annual Secret Santa drive – as you consider how you will support CAC between now and the end of year, I hope you’ll prayerfully consider this opportunity.
We remain steadfast in the work that God has called us to do in ministering to the youth and families in our community. The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Your prayers encourage us to be un-moveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, realizing our labor is not in vain.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts! May God continue to bless you beyond measure!
Dr. Jeffrey Williams
Executive Director
Christian Activity Center