Category: Posts

“Books & Breakfast” Strengthens Family Literacy

Our community took a multi-generational approach to reading this summer with our “Books and Breakfast” Family Literacy initiative. Each day, as parents brought their kids to summer camp, we offered a special opportunity to enjoy breakfast and a book together with their children.  Over breakfast, families would learn a new skill for promoting literacy and creating a supportive reading environment at home.  Then, moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and siblings shared in the joy of reading together!

This strategy helps parents participate and celebrate family literacy. Research stresses the significant role a home environment that supports literacy plays in helping children develop literacy skills.  This shared reading promotion and celebration created a culture of learning and increased direct reading contact time, while positively shaping youths’ perceptions of reading and building camaraderie among families.

Even the family dog can join in the reading fun!  We brought our furry YELLS mascot to motivate our kiddos to read even more throughout the summer.  Read-alouds are one of the simplest, yet most effective ways for youth to develop reading proficiency. However, youth often feel insecure and self-conscious when reading aloud. We’ve discovered an unconventional approach to overcome these inhibitions to the point that youth beg for the chance to read!  Once each week during the summer, the “YELLS Reading Dog,” Flyer, visited YELLS for our young scholars to read to one-on-one.  Flyer made reading becomes a treat, and this will impact students’ reading attitudes for life.

At YELLS, reading is definitely fun for the WHOLE family!

Celebrating Our Beloved Mr. Tim

Mr. Tim is the embodiment of the YELLS Family and a true servant-leader.  He joined our YELLS team as one of the first two official staff members when we started our daily YELLS Afterschool program in 2011.  He’s grown in his leadership as he’s shaped each one of our programs and each one of our youth over the years.  We’ve been incredibly blessed to have Mr. Tim with us for most of his adult life, we’re thrilled he grew his family by finding his future wife at YELLS, and we’re proud of him for taking the leap to his next big journey.  During his time at YELLS he’s been involved in every program – he began as our YELLS Afterschool Program Leadership Instructor with our little ones and grew to serve as our incredible Teen Program Manager with the Community Action Cafe, and he’s volunteered at every signature event and community program along the way.  Mr. Tim has left a lasting mark on every member of our YELLS Family, and we know he’ll continue to do great things!  Check out the photos and video memories below to see just a little peak at the legacy left by Mr. Tim.

 

During Mr. Tim’s last week, he got to see three students from his very first year at YELLS. They’re now in high school and continuing to give back to their community!

Youth Spotlight: Nashely Baez

At YELLS, we celebrate our creative, industrious, and talented youth leaders!  YELLS Scholars are equipped to nurture their strengths and talents and work together toward common goals, even the fun and sticky ones!

We’re so proud of our recent Lockheed Elementary school graduate, Nashely Baez, and her entrepreneurial endeavors she launched while at YELLS.  Nashely’s creativity allowed her to spread the opportunity for others to have fun with … SLIME!  She became quite the young businesswoman, marketing her slime, fulfilling custom orders, and bringing fun and joy to her peers in the process.  In her interview, Nashely reveals her knowledge and resource base, as well as the decision-making for her business:

Nashely Baez

Nashely knows a successful entrepreneur must work and study hard!

Q: First, random question just for fun: do you prefer polka dots or stripes?
A: Polka dots because they look like donuts or something.

Q: Do you know why you were chosen for this interview?
A: Because a lot of kids like slime, and I like slime, and I like making it.

Q: Which kinds of slime do you make?
A: I make clear slime, fluffy slime, glitter slime, cloud slime, glossy slime – this type of slime called milk slime – I sometimes make jiggly slime, and I also make this slime called cream cheese slime…but it’s not made from real cream cheese but it’s called that for some reason.

Q: Do you use directions or do you have the recipes memorized?
A: Recipes memorized. It’s so easy!

Q: Describe your favorite slime.
A: My favorite slime – my current favorite slime – is cloud slime because my neighbor gave me some of this instant snow powder and I made cloud slime and it felt so good! I loved it since then.

Q: How does your business work?
A: The person will write down which slime they want and the color. They could also write the size, but right now I do not have big containers…my mom said she will buy some for me. I want to go to Food Depot that’s where I get the 50 cent containers.

Q: What inspired you to sell slime? 
A: Wait, a quick fact! When I was 8 years old I also wanted to make slime and I kept mixing shampoo. Then I asked my mom to buy me the ingredients. First time, I made it bad but then I got better, but then I wasted all my money.

Q: Why do you think people like your slime?
A: Because it’s unique and it’s really fun to play with. And they like how I put it in containers and not zip lock bags. I used to do that but since I discovered containers, my mom bought them for me and I used them since then. I get inspiration from these people on YouTube who sell slime. Their slime is perfect! Just for 6 oz. slime, they pay $13, but I do not do that. Since everyone in my school is broke and cheap, they don’t want me to sell them slime for $2, so I sell it for $1, but if I had my shop online I’d sell it for $2 or $3.

Q: Do your friends or family help you make and sell the slime? Or is it on your own?
A: On my own.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share?
A: I like selling it and I have my own slime making station at home.

Nashely is building her toolkit as a young engineer and entrepreneur!

Partner Spotlight: Life University

Life University transformed our entire Mentoring Program site back in 2012!

We’ve been blessed by the students and staff of Life University over the years.  They’ve mobilized groups to paint our spaces, help our youth turn the soil of their community garden, and serve during all types of community days and special projects.  We’ve been blown away by how supportive the team at Life University has been.  Ever since Rebecca Koch, Director of Service Initiatives, learned about YELLS in our early years, she’s connected us with just about every department and club to keep volunteers and groups of students serving in our Franklin Gateway community.  One Life University student shared, “It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a community to make a village.”  We’re fortunate to have Life U in our village!

 

 

Over the past several years, Life University has expanded our village and helped to grow the YELLS family by providing us with some of the very best college students to help support our scholars through the Federal Work Study program. The Federal Work Study program provides part-time work for undergraduate students with financial need, removing the burden of finding an off-campus job as they complete their degree. While these are often thought of as only on-campus jobs, Life University has partnered with YELLS to provide off-campus job opportunities for students to work in our programs.

 

Life University FWS student, Morgan, came out to support our YELLS Mentoring Program Bigs during the Franklin Gateway Soccer Tournament they organized last spring.

One of those amazing Federal Work Study students, Morgan Pierce, has been a dedicated, talented, and hardworking member of the YELLS family since November 2016. Although her title at YELLS is “Youth Tutor” her role here is so much more than that. She supports every aspect of our K-5th grade Afterschool Program, earning the additional titles of music, art, and outdoor choice club leader, homework room manager, summer camp counselor, and overall program assistant, to name a few. She takes on every opportunity and challenge she’s given with a tremendously positive and uplifting attitude, always being a perfect role model of core values at YELLS.  Morgan says “it’s the Ah-ha moments and the big hugs when the kids run off the school bus to greet me each day” that keep her eager to come back. You can often hear the kids loudly yelling her name, “Hi Miss Morgan!” as they excitedly meet her to share about their day.

Recently, Morgan has helped to grow our YELLS family even more by recruiting her roommate, Gillian Seibert, to join us as the newest member to the team.  Life University has embraced YELLS, and their students truly make our work a family endeavor.  Other amazing Federal Work Study students like Franchescia Conyers-Cole, or “Mama Freska,” have brought their own families into the fold – her twin daughters served as camp counselors this summer!  Netherland Joiner, another amazing FWS student, has mobilized her friends and network to connect with us as well.  Thank you, Life University, for your undying dedication and support!

Federal Work Study students, Morgan and “Mama Freska,” help youth learn and grow each day.

Funder Spotlight: GaDOE’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers

If you haven’t heard the big news, YELLS is a 21st Century Community Learning Center!  After many years of applying for this game-changing federal grant through the Georgia Department of Education, our perseverance was rewarded with funding beginning in the 2017-2018 school year.  The City of Marietta graciously serves as the fiscal agent for this five-year grant that strengthens our partnership with Marietta City Schools and positions us to move the needle for our youth’s academic success.  This collaborative, community-centered approach unites all stakeholders to bridge school, home, and community, resulting in 1) improved academic achievement for youth, 2) youth with the soft skills and positive mindset to thrive in school and career and 3) increased parent engagement in their child’s education.

Ask any YELLS student, parent, staff, volunteer or supporter and they’ll tell you YELLS is synonymous with “Being a Leader!” From our inception, YELLS has utilized our servant leadership program model to develop leaders who capitalize on their assets while building their skills, in spite of their challenges.  However, while our youth rise as servant leaders who invest in their community, they were still struggling personally in school.

Of course, we always provided homework help and creative academic lessons to help our youth grow academically. Now, though, as the Marietta YELLS 21st Century Community Learning Center, we’re supplementing our current YELLS Afterschool and Community Action Cafe programs through thoughtfully designed academic interventions informed by a stronger, more purposeful connection to school-day learning.  The 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant funds two new, innovative positions that bridge school-day learning with our work at YELLS.  A Scholar Success Specialist for our

Working hard during Genius Hour

elementary youth and Business Scholar Success Coach for our teens can be found during the school day visiting Marietta City Schools and connecting with teachers and our Scholars’ curriculum.  After school, they bring this knowledge back to inform their work with our YELLS Scholars as well as the work of an academic team, including a Reading Instructor, English Language Arts Specialist, and Math Specialist.  Academic support continues to utilize the YELLS hands-on and interactive delivery style, with lessons and interventions now targeted to better address identified student needs, in real time. These YELLS team members provide case management and support and offer academic interventions, but ultimately empower our youth to own their educational success, the same way they own their community’s success.  Check out the music video our teens made to see how community-building fuels this motivation for personal achievement for our teens:

This first year of funding has been an adventure and a learning experience for sure!  The federal reporting requirements and guidelines accompanying this funding are quite intensive, yet well worth the resources they bring to support our youth.  We’re proud to report we passed our first monitoring visit with flying colors.  The Georgia Department of Education lauded our successful first-year implementation, sharing: “Program leadership has a vested interested in providing quality programming to students and is wiling to do whatever it takes to have a successful program.”  They specifically called out our incredible retention rate of 126.67% regular attendees and long-term engagement over our promised enrollment.  Another benefit of the 21st CCLC grant is funding to engage professional evaluators to assess our programs.  This new partnership with the KSU A.L. Burruss Institute of Public Policy and Research provided invaluable feedback and data analysis to help us assess the effectiveness of our interventions and revise and strengthen our strategies.  We successfully achieved 7/10 of our objectives.  Some highlighted achievements include:

  • 82.1% (of 95 youth) improved by one letter grade (or more or maintained an A or B) in math or language arts.
  • 92.7% (76/82 surveyed youth) of youth reported improvement in at least one soft skill.
  • 77.6% of elementary-school youth reported that they have made better choices since participating in YELLS
  • 83.9% of high school teens agreed they can get what they want by working hard
  • 88.9% of parents report that YELLS helps them feel more connected to their community
  • 75.4% of parents indicated that they have learned at least one new strategy to support their child’s education at home

Keeping learning fun and engaging!

The full Summative Evaluation is available here.  Overall, these results demonstrate great progress, especially considering that 87% of our high school youth were failing a core subject at the start of the school year.  In this first year of implementation, we’ve laid the foundation to better understand the academic needs of our youth and are well-equipped to improve and grow our impact in year two!

We are so grateful to the Georgia Department of Education for their investment in our community and the City of Marietta for leading this initiative as fiscal agent for this funding, Marietta City Schools, and our dozens of other partners committed to working with us to offer dynamic, transformative out-of-school time programming to the youth of Franklin Gateway.  With these incredible partners, the Marietta YELLS 21st Century Community Learning Center is bringing together partners, parents, and residents to create a community center of learning, leading, and serving that puts our Franklin Gateway youth at a competitive edge in school, in the community, and in life.

Celebrating 10 Years of YELLS: A Look Back, May Edition

Celebrating 10 Years of YELLS: A Look Back

2018 marks the 10 year anniversary of YELLS!  My name is Kevin Keefe and I’m the treasurer of the YELLS Board.  My reflection here is one in a series of ten reflections over the ten months between now and YELLS’s October 18 Tenth Anniversary Networking Dinner. Next month’s reflection will offer a different perspective on the path of this amazing organization and the people who make it so incredibly special.

 

In 2009, just a few months after we were married, my wife told me she was going to leave her job as a teacher at Marietta High School. Laura had been running a Mentoring Program since 2008, and as the Great Recession only seemed to get deeper, decided it was time to quit her job and see where the non-profit world would take her. It didn’t take long for the need of an Afterschool Program serving Franklin Road youth from within their community to become apparent. While the need was evident, not much else was going to come so easy as funding, space, employees, and finances would need figuring out. After touring the community and listening to feedback sessions, a location for the ASP was found to be available.  YELLS Afterschool began its journey at 861 Franklin Road, Building #2800.

 

A devoted apartment manager convinced her property owners to not only donate an entire house to our cause, but also help remodel it! When we first visited the building that would become the Afterschool Program at Las Colinas, later called Woodlands Park and now demolished, it was like looking at an abandoned cabin – there was a lot of work to be done. However, the location within a dynamic community provided us with all of the resources required to bring the space to life. After quickly incorporating and obtaining our 501(c)3 status, we were left with a quick Winter season of renovating this 3,500 sq ft home into a fully functioning site for youth. There was lots to be done, and when it came time to furnish the space, both my and Laura’s old furniture from our college days became quite handy, as well as countless trips to Ikea. I even took a stab at some art projects to decorate the walls!

The first semester of the ASP was run on a shoe-string budget, and except for two employees, community volunteers made up the staff for the program. I vividly remember spending many weekends repairing furniture, painting tables, and other mundane tasks at the site. These tedious tasks, long days, and late nights became a lot more interesting as kids started showing up to help. Within a few minutes of our cars showing up, the YELLS home was always full of neighborhood kids! We quickly saw how much a community Las Colinas was, and were amazed as community members would come by and offer to help out in any way possible to get the new Afterschool program ready for their neighborhood’s children.

The building of YELLS naturally built community on Franklin Road, and what we call the “YELLS Family” grew along with it. YELLS became a family affair for Laura and I as well. It was also during this semester that Laura and I found that our dog, Flyer, enjoyed going to YELLS as well, and subsequently became a ‘reading buddy’ to students during their academic time!

As YELLS’s first home, the Las Colinas location became a magnet for community interaction and engagement among neighbors due to the support and efforts of families who had been looking for a space to make their own on Franklin Road.

Las Colinas space before YELLS.

Families bringing life to Las Colinas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Community at the 7th Annual Franklin Fair!

Community was alive at the seventh annual Franklin Fair led by our YELLS Mentoring Program Bigs.  Police, firefighters, partners, and neighbors enjoyed a day of fun celebrating their Franklin Gateway Community.

This event has been passed down through generations of Bigs each year since a group of Mentoring Program teens decided to lead a “Franklin Field Day” in 2012.  While each group of Bigs adds their own touch, this tradition continues to challenge our Bigs to learn event planning as they recruit partners, write proposal letters for supply donations, and plan a day full of fun for their neighborhood.

This year, the ever-popular Watermelon Eating Contest showcased neighborhood kids racing each other and their local Councilman, Joseph Goldstein, to devour the fruit and claim victory.

And the Water Balloon Toss had even higher stakes, as returning officers and firefighters from last year’s event were intent on besting their partners.  Kids and law enforcement and firefighters teamed up for the epic battle to see which pair would win.

Officers and firefighters enjoyed some pick-up soccer as well:

The kids won’t let the adults forget who won at Tug-of-War:

The competition was fierce, but the relationship-building was stronger.  Officers and neighbors congratulated each other on a good match and an unforgettable day.  Our Bigs on the Franklin Fair team were successful once again at uplifting community.  #WeLoveFranklinGateway!!!

We’re so grateful for our many partners who said “yes” to our students’ request to support their Franklin Fair.  Liberty Pointe Apartments once again allowed us to host this wonderful event, and partners including Amerigroup, Communities In Schools, the Marietta Police Department, the Marietta Fire Department, Marietta Parks and Recreation, Mercado de la Villa, and many others contributed to this special day.

Who will win the Golden Cup?

Join us for the Franklin Gateway Soccer Tournament on May 5, and you could win the coveted Golden Cup!  Our YELLS Mentoring Program Bigs will lead the second annual Franklin Gateway Soccer Tournament to build community through the beautiful game.  We’ll have brackets for ages seven through adult, so bring your whole family and join in on the fun!

Last year’s winners sign the Golden Soccer Ball

Sign up your team at this link.  Then, make sure your team of five players arrives at the Franklin Gateway Sports Complex (1034 Franklin Gateway) by 10:00 am to secure your slot in the brackets.  If you don’t have your own team, you can still sign up and show up on May 5, and we’ll match you with other Franklin Gateway neighbors.  So, if you live or work on Franklin, there’s a spot for you!

The tournament is a second-annual event and a follow-up to the Soccer Skills Day led by our YELLS Bigs on March 24.  This group of YELLS Mentoring Program students, aka “YELLS with the Cleats,” is working to use soccer for good.  Bigs David and Kimberly spent the afternoon with Jill Robbins from Soccer In the Streets to talk about their community events on the Soccer4Good Podcast.  Hear why our Bigs invested their year of service to build community through soccer by clicking below.

If you missed the clinic on March 24, check out some highlights below:

 

Funder Spotlight: Atlanta Braves Foundation

YELLS would not be able to touch the lives of so many in the Franklin Gateway Community without the support of the Atlanta Braves Foundation! The Braves Foundation has allowed the YELLS Afterschool Program and the Community Action Café to leverage the resources provided by our other supporters into impactful programming by allowing us to buy supplies and materials needed to facilitate our activities. With their support, we have been able to engage our youth in high-energy activities which promote health and wellness while also reinforcing values of positivity, discipline, encouragement, resilience, and empathy.

The Atlanta Braves Foundation also supported our annual Servant-Leadership Retreat, which we use to kick-off our school year with empowerment for our Café and Mentoring teens.  This retreat builds our team and prepares youth for their journey as the change makers in their community.

With unhealthy options all around our youth every day, we are proud to partner with the Braves Foundation to offer our youth healthy alternatives as we nourish their physical and emotional well-being!

In addition to contributing more than $360,000 in grants to local non-profit organizations, the Atlanta Braves Foundation also does around-the-year community outreach through annual programs such as the Atlanta Braves Foundation Weekend, Atlanta Braves Foundation Golf Classic, 50/50 Raffle, SunTrust Park Legacy Brick Program, State Issued License Tags, and auctions throughout the season.

YELLS Youth Spotlight: Grace Imariha

One of the “High-Five Expectations” in the YELLS Afterschool Program is Choose Kindness. The idea becomes a self-standard, especially for how our Scholars treat others. We support our students in the development of a greater self-awareness of how their ideas and actions affect everything and everyone around them as part of their empowerment journey.  In this endeavor, YELLS Scholars define what it means to be a “good friend” and community member. One YELLS Scholar working hard to choose kindness is Grace Imariha, who has been with us since she began Kindergarten. Through an interview with 2-year volunteer, Mr. William, meet Grace, 3rd grader from Lockheed Elementary School:

Grace Imariha

Q: Do you think helping other people is important? If so, why?
A: I think, yes, because it’s important, because if you don’t help other people they might not help you back and it’s very important in general because it just makes you feel good on the inside.

Q: If you were the president of this country, what would you change? If you were the principal of your school, what would you change?
A: … as president I don’t want any of my fellow beings to get hurt. If I was the principal of my school I think I would change bullies…they make students not feel welcome and I would want my students to feel welcome.

 

Q: What qualities do you think make a great friend?
A: I think that you have to be there for your friend and you shouldn’t talk about them behind their back. You should have thankfulness and gratitude. You should be happy when they are happy and when your best friend is sad you should cheer them up and let them know that he or she has a best friend.

Q: What are the qualities of a great teacher?
A: Teach you well and they are supposed to tell you when you are doing something wrong and give feedback. And when you get feedback you should fix it quickly and not get mad. I think that a teacher should make sure she is teaching and that you know what you are doing wrong and what you are doing right and help you fix it if you get a bad grade.

Q: What is your favorite subject at school?
A:  My favorite subject at school [is reading], because I can read and reading helps me when I’m upset and when I need to calm down. So I read and it helps me because the words calm me down. I think YELLS has helped me with reading because when I get a word wrong they correct me and that’s good because when you get corrected you know next time not to do it.

Q: What are you interested in? What are your hobbies?
A: I’m interested in basketball. I actually play basketball with Coach T. and Moonan at YELLS. My nickname is “hoops.”

Q: What are some things that you want to get better at?
A:  I want to get better at math because even though I have improved with it, I still get confused by things like fractions. I still have a few days before my Milestones so I can ask my teacher questions about things I am confused about, like at the beginning of the year with rounding. My teacher helped me a lot with rounding numbers and now I am really good at it. I also want to get better at basketball because I like it.

Q: Is there anything you would like to say?
A: I am honored, and I am very happy. Thank you.