Hello from Kids Club!
We hope you're having a happy and safe December. As we close out our year here at Kids Club, we'd like to spotlight some of our favorite things that have happened in the past month!
We've had a number of exciting program partners this academic school year, including Sparks United, Girls on the Run, and Music Production.
We are thrilled to see such growth in our scholars and happy to see their excitement as they work hard to meet their goals. On Thursday, November 17, we took our first field trip of the school year to the Atlanta Fulton Central Library. Our music production students had the opportunity to record a track to a beat that they spent time creating, and our younger students got to learn about and explore the library. We have been expanding our focus on daily reading, and are excited to announce that we will be opening our very own East Atlanta Kid Club library in the new year. Each child will receive their very own library card with us! Also, if you live in Fulton County, please remember to fill out the application for the Fulton County library system so your child can check out books within the county.
Girls on the Run finished their first season at Kids Club by participating in a culminating 5k event!
For those of you that don't know, these amazing ladies, with their running buddies, led by their team of volunteer coaches, completed a 3.1 mile fun race. They had an incredible time and we are so proud of them for all that they've accomplished in the past couple of months! Girls on the Run is SO MUCH FUN! Check out the girls on their race day!
Our Girls on the Run also elected to host a canned food drive as their Community Impact Project, to help feed people in our community.
The girls would like to give a huge shout out to the EAV community and @oxfitnation for supporting their canned food drive. The girls collected canned food from Monday, December 5th to Monday, December 12th. At day’s end on the 12th, they had collected nearly 300 canned items, surpassing their 200 can goal, to donate to @blessingbagsofwarmth and donations are still coming in! Thank you from our girls for helping them to host a successful community impact project! The girls’ efforts helped to support the food pantries at @eastsidechurchatl and #olio! Did you get a chance to check out their commercial? Lastly, the girls we featured on Girls on the Run International's blog!! Read more about our incredible ladies here!
Present Palooza will be a three-day celebration (December 14-16, 2022), of the spirit of giving that propels us year-round.
We are able to procure $70,000+ worth of gifts (toys, home goods, kitchen wares, shoes, clothing, and more), and we create a “shopping” experience for our EAKC kids and families for two days during afterschool programming, before opening our space to the broader community for a full day of “shopping” on Friday. We are able to put 2,000+ gifts into the community. This event ensures that our kids and families not only receive gifts for the holidays, but are able to give to their friends and families. Please click the links to volunteer for Present Palooza on EAKC Day and/or Community Day! Check out our preparation reel here!
We will be closed for the Christmas break, following the Atlanta Public Schools calendar.
Our last day of programming for the year will be on Thursday, December 15, 2022. We will open back up in the New Year, on Tuesday, January 3, 2023!
Is your child interested in a joining a robotics team?
Please join Cascade United Methodist Church for an open house on Saturday, December 17, 2022, from 10 am - 12 noon, for their new robotics program! At the open house, feel free to mention transportation needs to encourage the church to provide transportation for students. There will be three unique teams, based on grade level. Please click here to register for the open house! The open house is located at 458 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE.
East Atlanta Kids Club is entering into our 25TH YEAR OF SERVICE!
We have sought to provide youth, who otherwise would have limited afterschool and summertime opportunities, with a safe and stimulating environment to play, learn, and express themselves, since 1998. We will be launching a number of campaigns and new programs to commemorate our 25 years and our growing program! Our goal this year is to build our monthly and recurring donor base to ensure Kids Club's sustainability for years to come. In order to do that, we are looking for 385 new monthly donors to join us in giving set amounts ranging from $10 - $250 a month. We need all of our families' help to keep making East Atlanta Kids Club even greater! Please view our 25th Year campaign, here!
We will be hosting our first event for our kiddos on Monday, January 2, 2023, called "New Year, New You!"
The event will take place from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, the day before Atlanta Public Schools returns for the second half of the school year. Coming off of break, it will be so important to our Kids Club members to be able to get their hair done at no cost to their families. Other members of the community are invited and can pay a $10 fee for styles. We are only offering simple styles including simple braids, loc retwists and cuts. We will not offer feed in braids, and we ask that children come with their hair washed and blown out before arriving for their scheduled appointment. Watch your emails over the holiday break for a link to scheduling!
We are launching a new program in 2023 called "Family Cafes!"
This program will serve the purpose of bridging the communication between school, home and community, by helping families get the information, help, resources and support they need to ensure their child's academic and social success. We are beginning this program with the understanding that many of our families are unaware of ways that they can get involved in the success of their child, and we would like to make that easier by providing opportunities for students and families to grow and to form a tighter community amongst each other. We will be creating a Parent Leadership Council (PLC) to help aid us in this new endeavor! We have awesome families here at Kids Club and our goal is to keep you all engaged and active. We truly couldn't do this without you!
Join the Center for Visually Impaired (CVI) for peer resources!
We are wishing you a happy holiday season and we will see you next year!
With Love, EAKC Staff
Credits:
photos courtesy of East Atlanta Kids Club