teen-center-brochure-for-web-site-2016

LIVE who they are and embrace who they can become;
GROW in academic, leadership and relationship skills;
SERVE others to create a better tomorrow.
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St. Luke
Teen Center
“There are no words to express my gratitude to all the staff and the program itself for their patience, dedication,
persistence and hard work. We will never forget the impact that was made on our lives the last 4 years!” – Lachisha Baskin-Sherrod
Health & Wellness
complete over 50%
of formal sexual
decision making
programming
of homework at the Center
Academics
are first
generation
$282,469
Enrichment
Activities
PROGRAM
PARTNERS
14
college students
Post Secondary Prep
comprise the
unique mix
of activities at
the Center
Student/Family
Services
needed access
to the Center’s Student/
Family Services
Alumni
97
graduates still
turn to the
Teen Center
for guidance
The Value of Collaboration
St Luke:
Contributions from members
In-kind Facility
St Luke:
Administrative$11,219
Programming$100,974
In-kind Facility
$37,276
$20,750
$37,276
Community Contributions & Grants:$91,443
Burke High School: $83,000
Teacher stipends and transportation
Nebraska Methodist College: $50,000
Upward Bound
Burke High School: $83,000
Teacher stipends and transportation
Nebraska Methodist College:
$50,000
Upward Bound
INCOME
$282,469
TOTAL
EXPENSE
TOTAL$282,469
Programming
Our programming is goal-oriented and student focused. We work to address
the whole student and set a foundation for their future.
Academics - We move students from D’s and F’s to A’s and B’s. This
cornerstone program builds both confidence and skill within our students.
Post Secondary Preparation - Higher education is a pathway out of
poverty. Yet, understanding and navigating the system limits their access
to this. We work one-on-one to create a pathway that works to their
strengths including military, trades, careers, and college options.
Alumni Support Services – College and the real world is a scary place.
The culture shock is even scarier if you’re the first in your family to
graduate high school or college. As our students graduate and continue to
pursue their goals, we are right there with them.
Health and Wellness - Many of this generation will not outlive their
parents. Our teens face enormous pressures, bullying, poor nutrition, and
risky behaviors, we work to keep them healthy, active, and educated.
Enrichment Activities - Success is more than just good grades. Exposure
to arts, understanding other cultures, building leadership skills, giving back
to the community and spending time together is just as important.
Student/Family Services - Our students are only as strong as their
support system. These services are aimed at our students by including the
whole family.
Ann is “Granny Annie” to our Teens.
She has fun with them (beware if
you are challenged to a funky shoe
contest), gives them nuggets of
life encouragement, and reminds
them every week to “Remember
that nothing good happens after
midnight so at 10 o’clock put your
jammies on, have your bowl of
Cheerios, and go right to bed so I
don’t have to worry about you!”
Emily*
When Emily first stepped into the Teen Center as a freshman, she was surprised – and suspicious. “I grew up
with a mother and four half-siblings,” she explains. “I had to do almost all the care giving. My mother taught me
that people were never to be trusted, but to be used. I learned from her that if someone was nice, they wanted
something from me. I always kept to myself and didn’t trust anyone.
“But, everyone was so nice,” she says. “They actually listened to me. I slowly learned to trust them. When Abbey
[Teen Center Director] learned how isolated I was and how hard it was to get to where I needed to be, she picked
me up herself to take me to school and arranged for others to help me get to where I needed to be.”
“There were so many resources – tutoring, college-prep program, warm meals, study time, and recreation time. Whatever I needed, I
could find at the Teen Center,” she says.
She began to see herself, not through the distorted lens of a dysfunctional home life, but with the clear, uncluttered vision of who she
was and who she wished to become.
She graduated high school with honors and earned full-tuition scholarship to UNO.
Emily has a 3.0 GPA and is two classes away from finishing her general classes. She lives on campus and excited to be a part of
campus life. She volunteers as a facilitator and spoke for the Humanitarian Brunch for Inclusive Communities and helps mentor/ teach
Spanish to students at Fontenelle Elementary School.
She plans to become a secondary education teacher with the endorsements of English, Spanish and English as a Second language.
Emily decided that if “I want to truly give back to my community and help others who were in the same situation I was, then there is
no better way than becoming an educator.” She knows first-hand how difficult it can be to have problems at home and to try hard at
school. “One feels like they’re drowning in stress and doesn’t know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Craig
I was late to teaching – I was 31 when I earned my certificate. I did it because I saw it as a calling. For me, it is about
making sure kids become a whole person. I get to do a lot of this during the school day.
I’m at the Teen Center because at school, I have responsibility for a lot of kids and I know that there is a group of
them needing help outside the classroom – most have help at home, some find it in study groups, and others just
don’t want help. But then there are others, that want the help and can’t ask – there is nobody to ask or worse, there
are too many more important things they are worried about like “Am I going to have dinner tonight?” “Where is my
little sister going to sleep?” or, “Is my dad going to hurt me because I didn’t have time to do dishes this morning?” At the Center, I have
one on one time with a struggling student, I can learn what their roadblocks are, and we can all help them.
We get to help them solve their bigger problems so they can do well in the classroom, and their futures.
When we help a student here, word gets around and I can help not just the kids here but I get more students knocking on my door for
support during the school day. By the end of the year, the Center’s teens are the ones raising their hands first.
Ciara
Mrs. Benzel from the Center is one of my biggest motivators even though I’m in my third year of college. She
constantly pushes me to do my best and still is there for me no matter what I need.
I started at UNO on a full-ride scholarship but lost it when I couldn’t balance two jobs, pay the bills at home, and
cope with some tough family issues. College just ended up coming last. It was the first time I failed.
I’m now at Metro finishing my general courses. I didn’t stay at UNO because I’m terrified of the debt – I saw what
debt did to my parents. I plan to go back to UNO this fall and I’m applying for every scholarship I can. I want to be a
Social Worker because I believe everyone should be able to achieve their dreams. Just like the Center did for me.
I will always do my best to make Benzel proud - she has gone above and beyond in supporting me with everything I have
encountered. I do not know where I would be today if I didn’t have such great influence in my life.
Stephany*
Stephany graduated from Burke in 2010. She grew up with an alcoholic father prone to rage and fluctuating
between poverty and temporary prosperity. “Life was pretty unpredictable during the years of my life where I
yearned for structure and consistency. I found it at the Center”
Not sure if she should leave town for college or stay to protect her siblings, she turned to the Center for support.
Ultimately she decided to set an example for them and left for Arizona State University. Medical school was always
the end goal.
Stephany graduated from ASU in 2014 and took the next year to prepare her medical school application. She served as a lab
technician at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, volunteered in the Pediatric Emergency Room at Maricopa Integrated Health
System, and volunteered at a domestic violence shelter. Whenever she is in Omaha, she spends time with the teens and encourages
them to go far.
Stephany was accepted to the University of Nebraska Medical Center and is returning to Omaha. We can’t wait to see her chase her dream!
Rout
Rout, one of nine children, came to America when she was 4 years old and only has faint memories of the refugee
camp. She and her family looked to the Center for guidance so she could be the first in her family to go to college.
“I began to grasp what it meant to be poor here. Looking out the window on my way home from a trip to the
hospital, I saw clean, mansion-like houses with lights almost reaching the sky, mimicking stars. How come the
streets weren’t littered with trash and filth? The closer we were to home, the darker everything became. Eventually
we got to my neighborhood, where it always seemed to be dark, even during the day. I knew my parents wanted
more for me, I knew I wanted more from me.
“I believe that had it not been for the staff, I wouldn’t have mustered the courage to apply for the QuestBridge scholarship”. The
Center staff, the UpwardBound team, and her parents, are excited that Rout will attend Bowdoin College on a full-ride scholarship
covering tuition, room and board, and fees and books.
*Name and photo changed for privacy.
2015 graduates - 96% (24 out of 25) are committed to post-secondary institutions or military.
One year post-graduation: 18 of them are still enrolled; 3 have jobs in their dream career area; 2 are
unknown; and 2 are in transition with no current plans but working.
98% know 1-2 adults at the Teen Center that can help them in a crisis.
Teen Center Mission
To maximize the potential of youth within our community
through the development of positive relationships, motivation for
academic success, and safe environments.
Teen Center Vision
The Teen Center is a collaborative effort of St Luke, the schools
and the community, where teens discover and pursue their
potential while working towards self-sufficiency.
402-333-6886 • www.stlukeumc.com/teencenter
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St. Luke
Teen Center