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Rock House Kids Celebrates 20th Year By Peggy Werner
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ock House Kids, 1325 7th St., is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. This Christian ministry for innercity kids gives them a safe and positive experience, with the goal of helping them to have better lives and better futures. “A lot of people still don’t know we exist,” says Rock House Kids Executive Director Deanna Lacny. “We’re all about building relationships and we want our kids to feel safe and cared for.” Lacny worked at Rock House Kids more than five years before being named director about 18 months ago. Her top priorities are to build awareness of the ministry through social media and advertisements, and to get more kids involved. The after-school program provides hot meals, supplies and volunteers who help children with homework, teach good values and stress the importance of staying in school.
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Smart Living Weekly
About 250 children per week, ages 6 to 18, attend from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Children can get help other times of the day, too. The evening program is year round, but in the summer there are extra activities, field trips, and camps. Safety is a top priority. The building is locked when children are attending. A security system and cameras monitor the property and the police are often present or quickly available. They also work with the kids to prove they, too, are helpful and dependable. As director, Lacny right away made necessary building repairs and received donations of two 15-passenger vans to pick up students who otherwise could not get to the ministry. More vans and drivers are needed to reach even more kids in other parts of the city, she says.
Oct. 16
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About 25 volunteers work with the kids each night, but about twice as many are needed. The only qualification is to be a caring adult with a Christ-centered belief. Gloria Visel of Winnebago is a retired businesswoman who started volunteering one night a week four years ago. Having never worked with inner city kids, she tried to keep an open mind by having no expectations, while at the same time being willing to learn about the kids and herself. “I have to admit I was a bit afraid, not for my safety, but because these kids are so different than ones I had worked with in the past,” says Visel. “I felt I didn’t really understand what these children needed, but I didn’t need to know, I just needed to be there and be encouraging. “Middle-class kids are always being built up and given opportunities,” says
