United Way to assist Stay Alive Past 25 in Providing Additional Staff.
CEO, Jean Rodgers has had several phone conferences with United Way and is working to fill open staff positions. "We need to get our staff established and in place so that we can move forward," says Ms. Rodgers. "We have an enormous amount of work before us. I have a lot of project ideas, special events and exciting fundraisers I'd love to get underway. My goal is to secure a building that would house free tutoring and homework assistance , teach job skills or career building courses, counseling and mentoring programs and provide a safe haven among other services, shares Ms. Jean Rodgers.
United Way has been so gracious to send volunteers that have been trained through their program. "It is a Godsend. It takes a lot of the pressure off of trying to sort through applicants and find qualified individuals who will be committed to SAP 25. It is definitely going to take special staff members to deal with participants in our program," adds Ms. Rodgers.
"I know that there are a lot of other programs out there functioning quite well. I believe the very nature of SAP 25 sheds a different angel on providing these services. We plan to intercept those who are being tagged as 'trouble'.
We want to reach out to the children that are displaying signs of high risk in juvenile delinquency, pre- ganglike activities and those who feel trapped in the cross-fire. We plan to provide education to the communities in dealing with these types of issues and also provide an avenue of support", concludes Rodgers.
We're excited about possible new staff members joining the faithful existing team members like Coach Gerald Rand, affectionately known as "Coach".
Gerald Rand is a former PE Teacher and track coach of the late Brent Rodgers, the inspiration behind SAP 25. Rand was Brent's PE Teacher and Track Coach at North Ridge Middle School. Gerald Rand continues to teach Health and PE at a private christian school and is actively involved in several community ministries. "He continues to be a faithful part and brings phenomenal strength to the team. His knowledge of dealing with troubled teens along with his ability to break through social barriers is impeccable. We feel fortunate to have him as a part of SAP 25.
Thank you United Way for all of your help in assisting Stay Alive Past 25.
