Mission Centers of Houston is hard at work throughout the city to meet both physical and spiritual needs of inner-city Houstonians.
One of the many ways we’re seeking to bring positive change is by working with children and schools to increase student success.
Helping Kids Excel in School
One of the best things we can do for the children we serve through our Joy & Gano Kids Clubs is to help them succeed in school. Many of the children lack basic reading and math skills, so we've extended the hours of our programs to provide instruction in these vital academic areas. To help make it possible, we have been blessed by several grants from private foundations to address the situation.
Our Children's Ministries Director, Cheryl Chadwick, is a former teacher of children with Special Needs. She has been assessing the children's educational levels and planning activities for the kids that are both enjoyable and effective in addressing their academic needs. Our staff and regular volunteers have been happy to invest an extra hour each week at both centers to help our kids be more successful in school and in life!
One of the games we use to help children with numeration skills is “Racko.” Last week, one of our fifth graders enthusiastically asked his teachers, “Can we play that (math) game again?”
We received similar responses from most of the children because they were getting the kind of one-on-one attention and encouragement they needed. The simply schools can't provide that level of support.
We are praising the Lord for His provision of staff and volunteers who care about our precious children’s spiritual and physical needs, but we need additional help to be more effective.
Through the grants we received, we now have the ability to hire several individuals for 3 hours per week to increase the number of teachers needed. If you would like to learn more about this, or you can suggest someone who would consider joining our team - such as a high school or college student or a retired person who would like to earn some extra money while making a difference in a child's life, please email Cheryl Chadwick at cheryl@missioncenters.org
Increasing School Attendance with Compassion
Last month, The Compassion Center connected with Wisdom High School to help construct a plan to impact student attendance. We met with school and local leaders to see what we can do to raise attendance across the school to 90%.
As a result, we are developing different incentive programs for students to attend class as well as providing them with basic resources such as school supplies, hygiene items, school uniforms, and Metro cards. Students without these basic resources often find it hard to attend school.
In October, we will launch a collaborative plan with local church partners and nonprofit ministries to begin making a difference at Wisdom High School. We are also praying that the love and compassion we show to the students and their families will lead to opportunities to meet their spiritual needs as well!
If you are interested in getting involved in this effort, please email David Cripps at david@missioncenters.org or Jeff Chadwick at jeff@missioncenters.org.
As our churches partner together to serve our city, we can more effectively show and share the love of Christ with our neighbors. To God be the Glory!