“It is an honor and a challenge,” says long-time volunteer and new Board Chair, Lew Moore

Our eleven-year-old organization has drawn people in as it has grown over the past decade.  Some have heard of us through partnerships and events, while to others through a student’s success story.  New 2012 Board Chair, Lew Moore, however, has been with Youth Life Learning Centers from its start.  He knew the individuals who initiated programming in Tennessee and was there to smell our first center’s paint dry when it was built in 2001.  You can find Lew in pictures from YLLC’s beginning, helping students –some now high school graduates — with their homework.  

Although his favorite part of working with us is volunteering directly with children, he is now able to serve students in a different way as Board Chair.  This on-going experience with our students will allow Lew to bring an exceptionally personable approach to his new position, one he describes as “an honor and a challenge.”

So why has Lew been around since the beginning?  He sees the unique stance we take to serve not only the student through academic and character-building, but also his or her family and their community as a whole.

“I know that it works, as I have seen the fruits of their efforts. I’ve seen children soar to new academic heights and families uplifted. It is effective!” says Lew.  One of his favorite stories on our effectiveness from over the years is about a family who was transplanted to Nashville as refugees from a civil war.

“The YLLC staff in their neighborhood really adopted this family, became friends with the parents and assisted their children in numerous ways.  One of the youngest children, who was too young for the program, would, nonetheless, follow his siblings to the center each day.  After taking notice, the staff created a special curriculum just for him.  His speech was stilted, so they helped him with that and his English.  By Christmas that year, he sang in the annual production.  There were few dry eyes that day!  Additionally, the staff helped one of the older siblings navigate through high school with tutoring.  Youth Life helped bridge the cultural divide the parents were experiencing, as they were more accustomed to children working after a certain age.  That student did graduate from high school and was the first in her family to attend college!  The second eldest sibling is currently in college, too, and was a featured speaker at our Women and Girls Benefit Luncheon last summer!  I firmly believe the life trajectory of this family would have taken a far different turn if not for the efforts of YLLC staff and volunteers.”

We’d like to thank Lew for his on-going dedication to our mission.  We know we have great things ahead with Lew leading our board.

YLLC-Riverchase’s Abrea King is a straight-A student who dreams of becoming a doctor

Abrea King, second-grader at Caldwell Elementary and YLLC-Riverchase student since last fall, was asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  Her answer was simple.

“[I want to be] one of those doctors that give you your medicine and does surgery on you,” she replied with enthusiasm.

As an outstanding student, she made straight A’s on her most recent progress report.  In fact, Abrea was the only student at YLLC-Riverchase who did so.  It is no question that her favorite subject is science, a vital part in her pursuit for studying medicine. Not only does she lead by example in academics, students who hang around her have improved in behavior according to her teacher.  She is always a well-behaved and positive girl, who loves just being a kid on the playground, participating in track, or even signing American Sign Language (ASL).

“Abrea is a joy to have at the center.  Her smile lights up the room,” says Erin Hall, her YLLC-Riverchase teacher.

Youth Life Learning Centers’ determination in getting inner-city children off of the streets and into the classroom stems from national and statewide statistics that many of these students will not ever see a diploma or wear a cap and gown in front of their high school class.

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Center, Davidson County had 15.8% of students drop out of high school before graduating in 2009.  That same year, the national average percentage of teens ages 16 to 19 who were neither in school nor working was 9%, 13% for African-American teens.  Read more.

Some say it may be too early to be talking about high school and college to a second-grader.  But because we reach students at an early age, we’re able to better identify their needs, struggles and strengths for growth to lead them in a positive direction.  Some of our students who have been through our programming have not only made it out of high school but are now enrolled in a local college or university.  

If Abrea still wants to be a doctor in ten years, we know she can do it!  No matter if she stays with this aspiration or changes her career goals along the way, we’re just here to guide her and cheer her on.