Danielle Wright has an eager curiosity for learning

Sometimes there is a student who is always seeking, wondering, and exuding a very curious nature.  This student will typically go out of their way to uncover an unresolved answer and will crave more information.  He or she simply loves the art of learning and will never stop seeking understanding.  For YLLC-Hillside, that student is Julia Green Elementary School third-grader, Danielle Wright.  In most scenarios, you can find Danielle raising her hand to ask a question, in such a way as to put her whole body into getting that hand as high as it can go with a wide, eager grin.  Sometimes difficult to stay seated, she throws herself into learning as much as possible!  In fact, she was thrilled when Mr. Grubb donated iPads, as they have allowed her to explore new areas of learning with her great, curious spirit.

As outgoing as she is, it is no wonder that Danielle not only loves to dance and sing, but also possesses a soft, caring side shown in her desire to someday become a veterinarian.  Moreover, her YLLC teacher describes her as “polite and inquisitive.”

Danielle Wright, pictured in pink, is asking Belmont student all about nursing at "Make a Major Difference."

She makes friends easily with her outgoing personality and is always friendly toward everyone who comes to Youth Life Learning Centers.  Seemingly contagious, Danielle’s enthusiasm for learning has rubbed off on some of her YLLC-Hillside friends.  During “Make a Major Difference” last year, for example, Danielle had many questions for all of the Belmont students that came to talk about their major.  She wanted to know how things worked, what they studied, and what she would need to fill their shoes.  This allows teachers, visitors, volunteers and donors to see their influence first hand and answer any questions she may have, whether it’s homework-related or not.

Genuinely grateful for opportunities given to her, she would like to personally thank all volunteers and donors for helping her at Youth Life.  Her grades have improved with their help!

If you are not familiar with our programming, start acting like Danielle and get curious.  Sign up today to answer questions and teach students who are eager to learn.

Dr. Kemp gives Youth Life students and families a reason to smile.

Dr. Phillip Kemp, DDS, Brentwood, Tennessee dentist at Kemp Dental, will be performing free dental care to our students and their families at YLLC-Kirkpatrick on April 21st through his Hope Smiles initiative.  Hope Smiles, a nonprofit, Christian organization, aims to “help individuals receive restorative and cosmetic dental work at little or no cost, made possible by community and private financial support, donated materials and volunteer dental professionals.”  Hope Smiles also gives dental students, soon to be dentists, the opportunity to work with his team.  Although this care will be provided, he hopes that his efforts will reflect on a focus for restoration and love of students and families.

Knowing Yolanda Shields,  CEO of Youth Life Learning Centers, for over fifteen years, first as a patient and now as a friend, Dr. Kemp saw a need among YLLC’s family members and students.  Taking notice of what our organization provides, he believes that we lead hope and change within the at-risk environments served at Youth Life.

“Dentistry is an unmet need in our country,” says Dr. Kemp. “Unfortunately, there are so many who experience pain and discomfort with no hope for relief. Hope Smiles is our small part of bringing a glimpse of hope to a situation that can often feel hopeless. …The need is so great. One of the number one reasons that kids miss school is due to dental pain. This breaks my heart and should not be the case. Also, not to be able to confidently smile significantly effects one’s self-esteem and can also prevent someone from securing employment. The name, Hope Smiles, was chosen because of just like it sounds, Hope Smiles. When someone has hope, he or she cannot help but smile. We love being able to help people smile. We love to share hope.”

When he reflects on lives changed, Dr. Kemp recalls a particular girl, who at one time struggled with an eating disorder.  She felt that God was able to pull her out of these times to find a new sense of peace and love.  Each time the girl looked in the mirror, however, she was reminded of this past struggle by the look of her teeth, which had eroded away.  After transforming her teeth, her new smile brought not only a physical healing, but also an emotional one by erasing a painful reminder.

Dr. Kemp wants to tell all of the students served at Youth Life Learning Centers to never give up and trust God in all that they do.  The staff and YLLC students and families members would like to give him a special thank you for his efforts that will not just provide smiles but a sense of restoration, hope and love.

Spring Break doesn’t mean a break from learning

Youth Life Learning Centers has had a busy Spring Break in Nashville, home to five of our centers.  Although many of their peers will be at home watching television or playing in the backyard with friends, we gave our students a chance to continue learning on their break.  Learning opportunities were provided to students in a variety of ways through field trips and service projects.

Youth Life’s students, who are in grades third or higher, were given the opportunity to attend a retreat at Bethel World Outreach in Brentwood.  On this Spring Break retreat, students participated in sessions focused on identify, purpose, abstinence & purity (with older group only), service, and intimacy with Christ.

YLLC-West took their Spring Break adventures to new learning levels at The Adventure Science Center when the museum donated tickets for the kids to attend.  Students made their way through the Cyberchase exhibit, which is based on the math mystery cartoon, Cyberchase from the Emmy award-winning PBS KIDS GO!  Students exclaimed, “This is fun!” while learning from “the control central,” “the grim wreaked,” “poddleville,” and many other activities.

YLLC-Easley students went to Grocer’s Edgehill to encourage 2012 voters with flyer registrations.  This allowed students to serve their community in a unique way by encouraging their community’s voice, no matter their views, to be heard.

Several YLLC-Riverchase students are apart of the Backyard Leadership team and were able to visit The Frist Center for Visual Arts on a Backyard field trip.  These students also did several projects at their site, including bead art.

Visit our  Facebook page to see more pictures from our 2012 Spring Break!

“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.

Thank you Women’s History Month readers for making big smiles and big impacts on our kids!

We would like to give a special thanks to all of our Women’s History Month readers throughout March!  We know that you touched the lives of our at-risk students by helping them learn from role models who have gone before them and challenged the norm.  Students learned about anything from the suffrage movement and famous, historical female figures to modern-day equality.  Many readers talked with the students during and after the story about what it meant to them individually.

YLLC board member, Rachel Baily, stops by YLLC-West to read "Elizabeth Leads the Way," a story about Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who helped get women the right to vote and fought for many other women's rights. "I'd be happy to come out again anytime," Baily says.

"It was fun and magical, because she was so pretty. The book was so funny, and it talked about what you're gonna be when you grow up," said Abrea King, YLLC-Riverchase second-grade student (pictured left of volunteer reader, Nisha Garner.)

At YLLC-Hillside, Lori Cain reads a story about Mary McLeod Bethune, a renowned educator, who was best known for starting a school for African-American students and being an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

YLLC-Hillside's second Women's History Month reader, Valerie Lancaster, read a poem on fearlessness by Maya Angelou. After listening to the poem, the students wrote their own poems about being fearless and presented them to Valerie and their YLLC peers.

Kim Church read the story of Dr. Mae C. Jemison, the first black female astronaut to go into space from the book, "5 Brave Explorers" at YLLC-Easley. "I had the opportunity to not only read to the kids but spend time with them and learn about their lives and dreams. We talked about their goals and what they wanted to do with their lives. The experience once again reminded me of the importance of YLLC and how we are changing lives everyday," says Church.

Visit our Facebook page to see more pictures from our reading celebrations in honor of Women’s History Month.

YLLC partners with “Unconditional,” film to hit theaters fall 2012, for call to “ACT.”

Youth Life partners with “Unconditional,” a film to hit theaters this coming fall, to express the urgent need to serve at-risk children and youth in inner-city communities all across the country in a movement called, “ACT.”  After “Unconditional” producers came to know our ministry through their relationship with the Boselli Foundation in Jacksonville, Florida, the partnership seemed inevitable.  In fact, producers shot their “ACT” video at Youth Life Learning Centers in Jacksonville.

“They really want it to be more than just a movie but a movement to action,” says Yolanda Shields, CEO of Youth Life Learning Centers.  “I didn’t realize until halfway into the movie that it was about my friend, Joe Bradford, whom I have known for over 20 years!  He is definitely an example of how one person can make a difference to impact children living in the inner-city.  Our partnership with “Unconditional” and “ACT” will allow observers to see what faith based organizations throughout the country are already doing to impact children and families and how they can help the cause.”

“What Youth Life Foundation of Tennessee (YLFT) has been doing since 2001 is a perfect model of doing urban ministry in a way that brings sustainable changes to the lives of at-risk children and youth,” says Benjamin Thigpen, Director of Community Relations and ACT for Harbinger Media Partners, LLC, Producers of “Unconditional.” “By focusing on a balanced program of education, character and life skills, Youth Life has deeply impacted kids living in Tennessee communities.  YLLC is an urban ministry that we are proud to highlight and encourage our viewers to support via donations, volunteering, partnering, etc.“

Make sure to check out “Unconditional” at a theater near you this September!  Read more about “Unconditional” and the ACT movement.

Wesley Legg, Co-Producer of “Unconditional” and Chief Operating Officer of Harbinger Media Partners, added, “We are blown away by how many people are responding to the movie and we can’t wait to see how God moves on the hearts of audiences across the country this fall.”

Student choir travels from Hoover, Alabama to serve for their Spring Break

The student choir at Hunter Street Baptist Church contacted Youth Life Learning Centers to ask if they could spend their Spring Break serving our students.  Once the connection was made and the details were discussed, we became very excited for our visitors.  Hunter Street’s 70-student choir then made the three-and-a-half hour drive from Hoover, Alabama, to sing to our students at YLLC-Easley.

From there, the choir split up to go to all five centers in Nashville to help Youth Life students in any way they could–with homework, activity time, playing outside, individual learning plans called O.P.S. (Opportunities, Procedures and Statuses) and reading.  The group even donated supplies and snacks to our programming!

On behalf of Youth Life Learning Centers, we would like to thank Hunter Street Baptist Church’s student choir for traveling all the way up from Hoover on their Spring Break to bring joy to our students– with their donations, entertainment, time and overall service.  It was such a pleasure having them!

If you are interested in donating supplies like those given to us from this amazing student choir, make sure to check out our on-going wish list for ideas.

In Celebration of Women’s History Month, YLLC Invites You to Read to Our Girls

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Youth Life is inviting local women to read to the at-risk girls living in inner-city communities whom we serve.  These women aren’t just coming to read your average children’s book, but rather will read specifically about the women’s suffrage movement and historical female figures.  Every year Women’s History Month doesn’t quite get the attention it deserves, evident by most not knowing a month dedicated to women even exists.  We hope by doing this reading project, it will bring to light not only the celebrated month, but also on the history and struggles of women, from the suffrage movement to the issues modern-day women face like pay disparity.

Education that celebrates self-esteem building, respect and empowerment, especially with girls living in at-risk communities, is crucial to their growth as women.  Some of the girls served at Youth Life Learning Centers come from a single-parent or guardian families.  It is not uncommon to see a child being raised by their single mother or grandmother in these environments.  Therefore, these youngsters will surely appreciate stories of powerful women, self-esteem, and women’s history with a newfound respect for the women who are raising them, oftentimes singlehandedly.

We have more spots to fill for our other two centers, so let us know your availability!  We’d love to have as many readers as possible.  See below for the dates we’re booked or visit our event calendar on our website at yllc.org.

• March 21st – Kim Church – YLLC-Easley
• March 22nd – Marie Garner – YLLC-Riverchase
• March 23rd – Aisling Maki – YLLC-Memphis
• March 28th – Valerie Lancaster – YLLC-Hillside

To sign up to read to our at-risk girls for Women’s History Month, please email info@yllc.org for available dates.  Volunteers must be willing to stop by between the hours of programing, which range from roughly 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., depending on the center.  We’d love to get more of you involved, and we anticipate a great turn-out.  We’ll keep our readers posted on how everything turns out with pictures and additional information.

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.

Rosa Parks play by Youth Life Learning Centers at Riverchase

For Black History Month 2012, YLLC-Rivechase students create a short play based on Rosa Parks.

Students start off with a brief overview on Rosa Park’s story during The Civil Rights Movement.  At 0:52, their Rosa Parks play begins.  Listen carefully as students use yellow shirts to indicate those who can sit in the front of the bus versus those who cannot.  In their play, “Rosa Parks,” refuses to sit in the back of the bus even though she is not wearing a yellow shirt.  She is immediately arrested.  Shortly after her release from jail, she begins a boycott.  See clip below to watch the play.

“I learned that Rosa Parks started the bus boycott.  And I learned that we need to treat people fair.”  -Dyamond Armstrong, fifth-grade YLLC-Riverchase student.

What else went on at YLLC-Riverchase for Black History Month?  The students at YLLC-Riverchase were given a choice of writing a song, making a poster, or doing this play.  When the boys decided to write and perform a song about Louis Armstrong, the girls decided to break off and put together this play.

The students were very excited to practice their performances.  No one wanted to go to activity time all week!  They begged to work on their performances longer.