Intangible Outcomes
Hope:
We encourage all of our students with the truth that God has “plans to prosper them and not harm them, plans to give them HOPE and a future” Jeremiah 29: 11. We speak life and purpose to them and to their parents. This is something very important in a community where there is very little hope. Too many teens die at a young age due to gun battles, and many don’t see a good future ahead of them. Many of the parents have been beaten down so much that they have lost all hope. The schools are not succeeding, and the teens need assistance and encouragement to not drop out. We are there to be a beacon of HOPE!
After attending Center for Champions, we see high school teens planning to go to college and wanting to study! They are talking about wanting to have a career, getting married, and owning a house. All things that are totally foreign to the inner city culture and even to their own family experiences. We hope to help them start a NEW generational line of success!
Salvation in Christ:
Almost
every child or teen in our program makes the decision to ask Jesus to be the
Lord of their life, accepting his sacrifice on the cross for their sins and
believing that he rose from the dead for their salvation!
Peace of Mind:
While we can’t stop all of the pain and worry that people in the inner city often face, we pray with the children, and their families, and ask for angels to protect them. We tell them God will never leave them nor forsake them, and teach them how to pray. We speak peace to troubled minds and chaotic homes. The children are off the streets and safer in our environment after schools.
We have helped parents in various ways such as helping them find better housing. We have negotiated with landlords, paid rent on an occasion for a family really trying but behind on rent, to help them not become homeless. We have helped with a water bill, or a gas bill so a family had heat. We have given grocery gift cards to help families with food needs.
We
have been a support to the parents during difficult times such as accompanying
them to court or visiting them in the hospital. We have helped with funeral
expenses, and been there for the family when they were grieving. Premature Death is too much of a
reality in the lives of these families.
Bible lessons and spiritual
encounters:
Most
of the children and families in Center for Champions do not attend a church
anywhere. Therefore, the children would not know what the Bible says if it
wasn’t for our after school program. At the Center, they are learning many
things from the Bible. We have
worship and chapels each week. We have had a number of chapel times where the
children have been encouraged to let Jesus speak to their hearts, and they have told us wonderful pictures
that God has shown them.
Vision for the need to help inner
city children and their parents:
Over the years we have touched the lives of hundreds of volunteers from the community, and college students from many local schools. Also we have had students from various ministry schools like Harrisburg Discipleship Center, Joshua School, Global Awakening, and YWAM- Fire and Fragrance.
Denise
Wendle, MSW, Exe. Director, has gotten letters and e-mails from these young
adults who point to their time at Center for Champions as being very
instrumental in their decisions to major in social work or teaching, with the
idea of working with inner city children.
Also, many in the ministry schools say their time at Center for
Champions has prepared them for the time when they helped in orphanages or
children’s programs around the world.
Tangible Outcomes
The Students:
- 50 inner city children grades K-12 attend Center for Champions attend our four-day-a week programs.
- 16 middle and high school students are attending CFC programs each week. Most after schools programs have a very difficult time getting teenagers to come to their programs unless it is a sports program like basketball.
- All 4 of the high school teens who were old enough to graduate, and who continued to attend our program, have graduated from John Harris High School. None of their parent’s had graduated from high school, and many were academically challenged students who were at risk for dropping out.
- 3 of our high school students were accepted into the Sci-Tech High School, which requires very good grades and good behavior.
- 2 of our teen girls have also been accepted, and attend the Casa Arts program. This is an extensive program that fosters artistic skills such as dance, graphic design, music, painting, drawing, etc.
- Parents report better behavior and improved grades.
- Some of the children who were really a problem have improved in their behavior.
- 4 Egyptian immigrant children received scholarships to Harrisburg Christian School due to our advocacy, and tutoring help.
- We have had an average of 75% parent participation at our monthly Family Bonding Dinners for the PAST 11 YEARS.
- 30 families receive regular home visits where they form relationships with our teachers and share any concerns they have in their lives. We often pray with the families, and some receive additional assistance when there is a need. We have seen an improvement in parents trying to live in such ways that their lives will be better. They are making better choices, and choosing better relationships.
- One mother is attending Massage Therapy School, and one mother is attending Dental Hygienist school, in part, due to our encouragement and guidance.
- Several parents are working to learn and improve their English.
- Several persecuted Egyptian Coptic Christians, who moved into the city, have received a lot of practical help from CFC, both with school work help for their children but also with other things like housing issues, visits to the hospital.
- 15 plus mothers receive ministry during our annual Mother’s Day dinner. 3 of the mothers started attending church services, occasionally.
