I know that God brings growth to the seeds we plant and water, but sometimes a different kind of tree grows up than what we were thinking! That’s exactly what happened at SCYM this past fall. It was my first week on the job as Executive Director and one of the first things on my […]
It was September 2016 when Cedric, a freshman at Springfield High School, was matched with a mentor, Rich Warren, Pastor at Trinity Missionary Church in Springfield. Today Cedric is in 10th grade, involved with ROTC, and wants to join the military after high school. We sat down with Rich and Cedric to learn what mentoring […]
Fresh off the presses! Today over on the west side of Springfield, Camp Boost Summer Reading Clubs kicked off with a full house of kids in a brand new location: Maiden Lane Church of God. We’re thrilled for lots of reasons: — Kids on the west side of Springfield now have a Camp Boost close […]
When we look around our city, it’s easy to spot the things we don’t want for our children: Drug addiction. Teen pregnancy. Dropping out of school. Violence. Dead-end futures. We see a headline and shake our heads and say, “Somebody needs to do something.” The problem is, it’s not as easy as just telling kids […]
January is GirlPower month around here! If you’re new to GirlPower, it’s an afterschool program for Springfield middle school girls that started in 2006. Girls meet once a week at sites around the city to talk, laugh, learn, exercise, and build healthy habits together. But GirlPower is more than just a program! We hope these […]
Name: Anthony Something I like about Manpower: Playing sports Something I’ve learned about being a man: You’re not just born with the traits that a man should have, you have to work on them. Name: Jordan Something I learn at Manpower: How to be a man Something that you need to do to be a […]
Somehow we blinked, and it was December. You’ve probably been saying to yourself, “Why isn’t SCYM following their usual pace of blog posts about kids in Springfield, that I’ve grown to enjoy so much?” No doubt as you settle in with a cup of good coffee, maybe a peppermint mocha, and click our URL to […]
His name was James. He was about 8 years old, with a rattail haircut and an attitude. (If you don’t remember the ‘80s or ‘90s, you really should google “rattail haircut”.) I was 21, fresh out of college, and volunteering with my church’s Vacation Bible School. I couldn’t tell you exactly what led up to […]
11-year-old Alan’s father and mother are both in prison. He and his younger siblings live with their grandma, who struggles with health problems. 13-year-old Kevin’s family has been chronically homeless for years. He and his family frequently are evicted for not paying rent, then move in with a friend or family member, and repeat the […]