Foundation helps The Refuge offer tutoring program over summer

The impact and growth were evident to everyone at The Refuge.

Throughout the year, students from Northeast Elementary School in Greenwood had come to the ministry’s offices after school for the Drop. The program offered tutoring, mentoring and activities for children who might need a little extra help.

Though the changes were slow, the kids started opening up to the tutors and teachers. They showed more confidence, saw improvements in their school work and blossomed socially.

But organizers wondered — would the summer break dampen that development?

“The year was so successful. Everything went great; we had great mentors, great volunteers, but the feedback we got from the school and grandparents was, not only were they exceeding academically, but also socially and emotionally,” said Kerry Carmichael, executive director of The Refuge.

With the help of an unexpected source of funding, The Refuge has been able to extend the Drop all summer long. Twice each week, four Northeast students come to the offices to play games, read books, show off their creativity and work on school skills recommended by their teachers.

The program was made possible with a donation from the Chad Neiman Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit group memorializing a former Greenwood Community High School graduate. Being able to help more Greenwood students succeed made the donation an easy decision, said Corey Elliot, one of the foundation’s leaders.

“The Refuge is a glowing example of the good that exists in the Greenwood community and the perfect partner for the Chad Neiman Memorial Foundation,” he said. “Every conversation and idea we’ve shared since our first meeting has been concentrated on how we can collaborate to support existing initiatives and create new opportunities, to change lives. Contributing to The Drop is just the beginning of so much more to come.”

The Refuge was formed in 2007 in an effort to focus resources on helping people within the local community. Organizers found that while many churches wanted to address issues such as food insecurity and poverty, each individual congregation did not have the ability to develop and run its own food pantry.

But with area churches providing the resources they could, The Refuge would be a hub to address hunger in the county.

As The Refuge grew, it started offering additional programs to area families and individuals in need. The organization offered special Thanksgiving meals and gift opportunities for families at Christmas. Leaders have helped people navigate available resources to get the assistance they need.

And in recent years, they’ve offered the Drop.

For the past decade, about 50 kids from Northeast have come to The Refuge to work with volunteer mentors on homework and school projects for part of the time. Then, they transition to play — doing crafts, flying kites, having a paper airplane contests.

“The whole idea was pouring into kids at a young age, to equip them to be successful. So many kids get down when they fall behind academically, and that just spirals. Parents and guardians just don’t know what to do,” Carmichael said.

The program is designed to give struggling students some extra help with their schoolwork. At the same time, it’s an opportunity to have someone to talk to, to share with, and to be a friend.

Extending it into the summer could bring even greater benefits.

“Academics-wise, you lose some of the things you learned over the summer. They need to keep doing something academically to keep that brain going over the summer so they start out the school year in a good spot,” said Missy Jacobs, director of the Drop.

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Adding a summertime component has been a goal of Refuge staff for years, though lack of funding had held it at bay. Earlier in the 2023-24 school year, they applied for a grant to keep Amy Steiner, the Title I teacher from Northeast, on board for a small group of students in June and July.

“Our vision has been to expand the program, and we had talked about doing a summer program,” Jacobs said. “Some of the grandparents of our kids were really looking for something for them to go to in the summer.”

The Refuge was denied the grant, but serendipity showed itself. Shortly after learning they had not received the grant, staff members had a meeting with Elliot to discuss needs and ways the Chad Neiman Memorial Foundation could help.

Neiman graduated from Greenwood Community High School in 2006 and was a staunch supporter of the entire Greenwood community. After his death in 2022 at age 34, his friends and family processed their grief by starting a scholarship fund in his honor.

Since May of 2023, the group has awarded $11,000 in scholarships to Greenwood students. They’ve also branched out into supporting other local causes, including The Refuge.

When they learned The Refuge was searching for funding to extend the Drop, they offered $1,000, Elliot said.

Carmichael and Jacobs were taken aback.

“For us, it was incredible that we’re all coming together to try to do something more for these students to try and help them succeed,” Carmichael said.

With the added funding, four Northeast students have been able to spend two hours on Mondays and Wednesdays working on a blend of math, writing and reading skills, as well as play games and complete enrichment activities.

On a recent Monday morning, second-grader Donnie Hatfield, fourth-grader MaKenna Hussion and third-grader Jaxon Wilhite started the day working on a coloring project or figuring out a puzzle. They moved on to an ice-breaking activity, where each child, as well as Jacobs and Steiner, had to say their name and an animal that starts with the same letter.

Structured activities like this have helped the students blossom, Jacobs said.

“It’s so important for them to have a place they can go to be active and do things other than just sitting around,” she said. “During the school year, we don’t have a lot of time just to play games. Kids need that.”

The team at The Refuge is been so grateful to be able to provide this summer program to kids. Having a partnership with the Chad Neiman Memorial Foundation has been nothing short of monumental in supporting it, and other ways to help the Greenwood community.

“Their passion for wanting to help kids. Our vision is so similar, and we’re so thankful they want to pour into this community and these kids,” Jacobs said.

AT A GLANCE

Chad Neiman Memorial Foundation

What: A nonprofit created in honor of Neiman, a 2006 Greenwood Community High School graduate, to provide opportunities for Greenwood students and the local community

How to help: Go to chadneimanmemorial.com/donate. Links can be found on Facebook and Instagram to donate, as well as get information on upcoming fundraisers and events.

Tried & True Alehouse, 2800 S. SR 135 Suite 100, Greenwood, is also offering 10 cents from every tenderloin and 25 cents from the specialty drink, Chad’s Washington Apple, are donated to the fund.

Information: chadneimanmemorial.com