Brighter Days offers an after-school tutoring program of one-on-one relationships with children in the Edgehill neighborhood.Pray.
- For the Edgehill community to provide activities for young male youth ages 9-14 years old.
- For Edgehill single-parents to find daycare and early childhood learning opportunities.
- For safe places for children to play daily.
- For clean and healthy grocery stores.
- For children to have equal education.
Brighter Days After School, September—May, help Monday through Thursday; 3:30-5:00 p.m.
- Help for 1 hour or 1.5 hours Monday through Thursday.
- One on one tutoring with K-6th graders, homework assignments, reading and math skills
- Provide special fun educational activities 3:10-3:35 p.m. (Choose a day Mon.-Thurs.)
- Help with educational activities. Monday-Wednesday 9:45-11:15 a.m.
- Help with basic skills in basketball/baseball and soccer. 1-2 hours a week
- Help with swimming lessons. Monday or Tuesday morning 10:00-10:45 a.m.
- Help with presentation/activities in Early Childhood Learning.
- Provide a healthy lunch for Moms.
- Provide nursery care.
Give.
Funding Goal: $5,000.00
The Edgehill United Methodist Neighborhood Ministries began in 1966 with the church developing relationships with its neighbors. Over 50 years later, through of the neighborhood has changed, the relational approach to ministry continues to be the same. We continually ask the question, how can we serve as a caring and positive agent in the lives of our immediate neighbors? This has been the vehicle on which our organization has acted and reacted to issues throughout our existence. We believe the children of the community represent its future, so we are always willing to answer questions by saying, “Let’s look into this... What can we do? Let’s try.”
The Neighborhood Ministries continues to work together with neighbors to provide a positive environment with wholesome activities that promote positive self-images, enhance the likelihood of success, lead to responsible decision making and motivate children to succeed.
Our first step in was to walk in the community on Saturday mornings to meet our neighborhood and neighbors. As we launched Brighter Days, our after-school tutoring ministry, we walked the neighborhood to register children and youth. During the summer months, we repeated the same process, offering activities Monday through Friday.
Today, Brighter Days continues to provide after-school program for children K-6th grade, Monday through Thursday, 3:00-5:30 p.m. during the school year.
Each summer Brighter Days offers a seven-week summer program Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. to 40 children. The cost of this program is $1558 per child. At a time when children are most vulnerable due to lack of planned activities, Brighter Days provides breakfast and lunch, educational skills reading/math, weekly outreach field trips, multicultural activities, community gardening, and life and social skills.
Our ministry aims to establish a positive relationship not only with neighborhood children but also with their families. The Moms of Edgehill Group provides times devotion and prayer for mothers, Early Childhood Development activities parents can use at home with their children, and child care for children six months through 5 years old. Financial support for Moms of Edgehill provides lunch and gift cards for necessities like medicine and baby formula. The Moms of Edgehill group meet 3rd Wednesday of each month.
Men of the Future is a new project of Brighter Days. This program, which currently under planning, will serve boy’s ages 9-14 years old. The group will meet Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
As we continue to expand the possibilities to children in our community, we are currently seeking coaches and fan support to start R. B I. Return Baseball to Inner City. The season will start soon; therefore, volunteers are need to help with K-6th grade children to learn basic baseball skills.
Other ways to help:
- Volunteer to dance (ballet, tap, etc.) or drama (putting on play at the end of summer).
- Volunteer to teach swimming lessons, baseball and basketball skills.\
- Donate healthy snacks or fresh produce.
- Teach parents and activities and ideas they can use at home.