Alyssa Braxton sees the talents and abilities of YLLC students

Alyssa Braxton, a Masters of Education in Child Studies student at Vanderbilt University and a native to Collierville, Tennessee, has been volunteering at YLLC-Kirkpatrick since October 2011.  After hearing the need for volunteers through Bethel World Outreach Center, she gave Youth Life a try.

An artistic mind, Alyssa brings some of her loves–for drawing, painting, and salsa and swing dancing– to YLLC.  She even taught the students how to draw a three-dimensional room!  Alyssa was surprised how many of the students shared much of her drawing talent!  Now, two particular students regularly ask for her to help them to draw different things.

“I love having the opportunity to teach what I know… I get inspired when I see talents and abilities that these kids have. I love their personalities and how they view life. Each one of them is unique and special and has so much to bring to the world.  I love being a part of their lives,” says Alyssa.

Volunteering at Youth Life can also be filled with laughter.  Alyssa laughs when she thinks about a six-year-old YLLC student who is always jumping up and grabbing volunteers by the neck.  One afternoon at the center, she noticed him quietly following another volunteer’s every move on his hands and knees.  Right as he jumped toward the volunteer, Alyssa swung in to pick him up in mid-air!  The other volunteer kept walking, completely oblivious that the six-year-old almost attacked her.

We look forward to seeing the many more young lives touched and inspired by her special gift for the arts and teaching in the years to come.

Local college students “Make a Major Difference” at YLLC

Hillside and Easley students came together to listen to local college students talk about their major and career path as well as do a short, related activity.  Before we began, we asked students what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Answers ranged from “teacher” to “policeman.”

Presentations started with Hailey Wickles, Belmont University junior and nursing major who dreams of becoming a traveling nurse or doing nursing in missions work.  Hailey taught YLLC students not only about what she studies in and outside of the classroom, but she also showed the students the importance of washing their hands using glitter!  She also shared a trick with students.  If you sing, “Happy Birthday” twice while scrubbing, you have washed your hands for a proper length of time.

William Switzer, studying music business and pre-law at Belmont University, wants to pursue a career as a musician or entertainment lawyer.  A bass player for his band, William shared with students that he has written over fifty songs!  He also taught students a little about entertainment law, such as what copyright means in a way students could understand.

Jonathan Butler, Belmont University junior and music business major, immediately put smiles on students’ faces when he brought out a bag of candy!  Jonathan, who one day wishes to own a multi-media company, asked students to act like they were filming a movie, reading a book, and recording music to demonstrate what the company would entail.  He then asked students to answer some trivia questions regarding movies, books, and music for some candy!

Lastly, we welcomed Katherine Richardson, Belmont senior and international business and social entrepreneurship major.  She wishes to someday work with entrepreneurs on creating businesses that employ people who may not otherwise be able to find jobs.  Once we taught students what entrepreneurship meant, Katherine was ready to create her own business with students.  Students gave her the idea to create a movie-watching hair and nail salon!  She separated students into two groups to represent the items that they would need, the first group being the items that would cost money for their business while the second group represented the items that would create a profit.

We’d like to welcome all of our students for making a major difference among Youth Life students.  Our hope is that you will continue to inspire kids in this community to work hard and pursue dreams.

For more pictures from “Make a Major Difference” day, visit our Facebook page.

Anthony Wright is a “delight to have in the classroom.”

Anthony Wright, November's YLLC student highlight

Anthony Wright, this month’s student highlight, moved from Memphis to Nashville this year.  Although moving cities can be difficult for anyone, he has easily adapted and made a great deal of friends in a short time.

“[Since attending YLLC Kirkpatrick,] he’s starting to open up from being shy,” says Keatrice Wright, mother of this sixth-grader at Bailey Middle School.

Not only is he coming out of his shell, Anthony demonstrates a maturity like few other kids his age.  The eldest of three children, he takes great pride in ensuring his sister and brother are home safely before he arrives at the center each day.  Anthony is also extremely helpful and respectful to all adult figures who walk into the Kirkpatrick center.

Acting responsible hasn’t stopped this YLLC student from just being a fun guy to be around, though. You can always find him dancing and telling jokes to his peers. Anthony Wright is this month’s YLLC student highlight, because, according to his YLLC teacher, “he is simply a true delight to have in the classroom.”

Why Tennessee Needs You to Care

The state we know and love recently learned some news in education that may have been difficult to hear.  However, it is important that we understand why services like Youth Life are needed in this community.  If you aren’t sure what I might be talking about, please read the article below.

According to 2011 National Assessment of Education Progress, Tennessee dropped one to seven places in the national ranking, putting the state in the bottom ten for reading and math among fourth and eighth grade levels.  Read more.

Although this is our present state, it does not have to be our future.  Articles like this make you realize why Tennessee needs you to care and make a stand for a change in academics.  Services like ours provides students with the right tools to complete their homework, learn what they may not have understood in the classroom, and receive one-on-one time strengthening their academic weaknesses.  This is why it is critical to support services like Youth Life for not only the future of these students’ lives, but also for the sake of our state.

If you haven’t made the decision to change the future of Tennessee, start today.

1. Give $10 to Youth Life through our $Ten for Tenn. Campaign!
2. Help students with their homework
3. Become a mentor to a student living in the inner-city

YLLC-Riverchase volunteer, Maddy Daniels, can’t stop smiling.

Maddy Daniels, 19-year-old sophomore and Belmont nursing major from Fleming Island, Florida, admits that she cannot leave YLLC Riverchase without a smile on her face.  Whether the smile is caused by the tickle battles with students or the genuine impact she made that day, it is a smile she hopes is contagious.  A volunteer each Thursday and Friday, she first learned about Youth Life Learning Centers after participating in a service project for Belmont University’s “Welcome Week.”

“I figured I had nothing to lose by at least trying it out.  After my first day at the center, I knew it was where God wanted me, and I fell in love with each of those kids… The love these kids are seeking is tremendous, and to be able to show you care seems to mean more than we know.”

Maddy Daniels can't leave Riverchase YLLC without a smile.

Maddy finds herself constantly raving about these smiles from Youth Life to her family and friends.  In fact, she recently brought her mother, visiting for Belmont’s parent weekend, to our Fun Friday.  That Friday kids were instructed to write a fall recipe involving apples, then help prepare the snack by making their own apple with up to fifteen toppings!  As you can probably guess, students got very creative with their recipe to say the least.  Maddy also remembers a student whose parents could not provide her needed school supplies.  The child’s face lit up when Maddy brought her a full bag of school supplies the next day!

Maddy quickly learned that every person who can be a positive influence on Youth Life students can make a difference.  It didn’t take much of her time to pick up apples with her mom or school supplies for the young transfer student, but there was a major impact made.  She insists that assisting youth in the journey to find their gifts and help them discover self-confidence is a gift in and of itself.  Now isn’t that something to smile about?

“I feel like a father figure for some students,” – says YLLC volunteer, Chris Sax

Chris Sax helps YLLC Easley students with their homework.

Chris Sax, recent music business graduate of Belmont University and employee at Mix 92.9, first discovered Youth Life Learning Centers through Barry Lee, Missionary at Every Nations Ministries and ENCM Campus Director for Belmont and Vanderbilt Universities.  After volunteering only a few times at Youth Life, Chris felt God was calling him to serve and give back more in this community.  He now volunteers at Easley on Mondays and Wednesdays and at Hillside on Tuesdays for a total of 5 – 10 hours per week, where he has grown to truly love the students.

“When I get to Youth Life, a couple of the younger kids will grab your hand and say, ‘You need to help me with homework,’ or jump on me.  Being young and single and not always being surrounded by that, [and] in a sense, feeling needed is very rewarding…You don’t have someone saying, ‘I need you’ in your everyday life.”  -Chris Sax

Whether he is playing games like Apples to Apples with students, reading stories to the younger students, or helping the middle school students with their homework, Chris feels a powerful inspiration to volunteer at Youth Life.  Chris says, “I feel like a father figure for some students.”  When he overheard several students talking, he realized that although some students had great fathers, many YLLC students did not have a true male role model in their lives.  “Kids need more male figures in their lives, especially students living in inner city neighborhoods.”

The Youth Life family would like to give a warm thank you to Chris Sax for his many hours of volunteering each week at Youth Life.

$Ten for Tenn.

Donate as little as $10 each month

Whether you are supporting three children, are constantly on the move for meetings or are hoping you can go out this weekend with your friends, those of us in the volunteer state may find it nearly impossible to volunteer.  You then turn to donations.  You think to yourself, “I can’t give a major donation; I have a trip to save up for and bills to pay!”  Luckily, Youth Life has the answer!

In celebration of its tenth anniversary, Youth Life Foundation of Tennessee (YLFT) is approaching donations a little differently.  You may have noticed our Ten for Tenn. logo in our e-newsletter.  We’re making it easy for those who want to support our cause by encouraging them to donate as little as $10 each month rather than in bulk.  Because YLFT depends on donations to continue our after-school programming, you will be directly supporting our centers, and in turn, our cause.  Still not convinced $10 for Tenn. is for you?  Well, allow me to provide you with several reasons you should sign up to give!

• It’s for tight schedules.
• It’s for tight budgets. 
• It’s easy!
• You can stop at anytime.

Your $10 will go further than you think.  With your participation, we will be able to continue to serve our YLLC youth.  Click here to start donating and select monthly over the “Frequency” drop-down menu.  Make the next ten years even better and pass the word on to ten friends!  If at anytime you want to stop your donations, just contact us at Youth Life, and we will take care of it immediately.  So what are you waiting for?  Try it out for a few months and see that it doesn’t cut into your banking account at all, but that over time your donations will make a great impact on this community.

Donate for a worthy cause.  Donate for worthy at-risk youth.  Donate for education.  Donate for opportunity.  Donate for Tennessee.

Seventh Annual Golf Classic

Yesterday was our Seventh Annual Golf Classic at Westhaven Golf Club in Franklin, TN.  Golf clubs were swinging in support of at-risk youth in our inner-city neighborhoods.  On behalf of the Youth Life Foundation of Tennessee board of directors, staff, teachers, parents and students, I want to thank our donors, sponsors, volunteers, golf participants and Titans football players, Marc Mariani and Jake Locker, for supporting our Golf Classic this year.  Joined by some of the wonderful kids we serve at Youth Life, golfers were able to put some faces to the cause they were supporting.

Much like the game of golf, we aim for a hole in one with each student.  We aim for the success of each student to reach his or her academic, character building and spiritual development goals.  We know that sometimes the red flag seems difficult, but we believe that it is through Youth Life Learning Centers that we are able to play with more strategy and receive a much better result for each of our at-risk youth.

• In the past year, 92% of YLLC students have been consistently reaching their reading goals, while 87% have been consistently reaching their writing goals.
• In the past six months, over 80% of YLLC students are performing at or above grade level on report cards; about 75% are earning Honor Roll standings.

It is with your support that these numbers are possible, their goals are attainable and their dreams are feasible.

Youth Life would like to thank our sponsors, Melvin Malone, Miller & Martin, Fifth Third Bank, AXA Advisors, HSN, GolfNow, U.S. Imprints, Burger King, Pepsi, Frito Lays, Corky’s and Kodak, for all their support.

For additional pictures of our seventh annual Golf Classic, visit our Facebook page.

Youth Life Girls Learn Etiquette for July’s Luncheon

To help prepare for our July luncheon with women leaders and Dr. Bernice King, Sandy Houston welcomed Youth Life girls into her beautiful home this past Saturday for an etiquette lunch.  Elizabeth Claybaker, Sandy’s daughter, was kind enough to hold an etiquette class for the girls, while providing a lovely lunch for them.

Girls were taught rules on:

• Posture, both walking into a room and sitting at the table
• Table manners such as placing her napkin in her lap, taking small bites at the table and how to indicate she is finished with her meal
• Engaging in conversation with the other ladies at her table, such as asking the right questions and being genuinely curious about others

Claybaker advised all the girls attending the lunch to make everyone feel comfortable, the first and most crucial role of etiquette.  Being genuinely curious about others and making them feel at ease is key to conversing with women leaders that will be in attendance at our Women and Girls Benefit Luncheon on July 28th.  With the help of Claybaker and our small lunch, the girls are now prepared to meet Dr. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and women leaders in this community.  It is important that they can engage in small conversations and build relationships with volunteers and donors.  These relationships will truly prove that she can do anything if she sets her mind to it.

We would like to thank Ms. Claybaker for all of her hard work in holding this class for Youth Life girls and to our volunteers for assisting us in making this lunch on manners possible.

For additional pictures of our Etiquette Lunch session, visit our Facebook page.