Annual Report 2017
empowering families inspiring dreams
Who We Are Kids on Campus (KoC) has been in operation for 21 years serving at-risk youth in rural Appalachia by providing valuable services that extend beyond the normal school day and academic calendar through afterschool programming and summer camps. The KoC staff consists of highly qualified coordinators, dedicated teachers, Ohio University students and members of the community working as a team to provide the best possible support for area children. KoC uses proven strategies designed to support at-risk youth in reaching their desired academic and non-academic goals in a safe and enjoyable environment. KoC offers targeted academic support, and personal growth services and interventions that align with the school districts in the community. KoC provides working parents an educational space for their children to attend before and after school, and a highly acclaimed summer camp packed with both fun and educational activities. This is all offered at no cost to families who urgently need these services.
mission
goals
The mission of Kids on campus, a community-university partnership, is to empower underserved, at-risk children and their families in the realization of their full potential through educational, nutritional and recreational opportunities.
Educational Improvement Goal • • • •
Assure that afterschool and summer camp opportunities are available to at-risk youth at no cost to parents, including providing adequate space, programming and transportation. Provide healthy afterschool snacks and meals during the summer so hunger does not interfere with learning. Demonstrate a multidisciplinary curriculum and a multicultural approach to enhance afterschool and summer learning. Explore career and college opportunities with youth and provide assistance in developing the plans necessary to achieve future goals.
Youth Development Goal •
• •
Mentor youth by providing high-quality afterschool programming that combines academic support, lifestyle mentoring and exciting enrichment activities. Provide a high-quality and fun summer program that engages youth in academic achievement, nutritional support and development activities. Demonstrate healthy food choices for youth and deliver crucially needed nutritional support.
Community Involvement Goal • •
Establish and maintain partnerships with local communities and organizations that improve our ability to provide high-quality, continuous programming for underserved youth in the region. Secure the necessary funding to maintain excellent afterschool and summer programming for at-risk youth and their families.
Check us out online! ohio.edu/kids
Annual report design by Sarah Roush // Photography by Lauren Dickey
KoC provides quality afterschool programming for multiple school districts in Athens and Perry counties. KoC focuses on providing excellent academic support with a focus on literacy and math skills, engaging KoC Program Manager and entertaining programming, and a warm and safe environment. For the past 21 years, KoC has offered the region’s premier summer camp focused on academics, nutrition and recreation. Both KoC afterschool and summer programming is offered at no cost to participants, making afterschool care and summer camp possible for hundreds of children. These programs are critical for families in our region who have limited opportunities for affordable afterschool care and summer camp.
Jo Ellen Sherow
The year 2017 marked the end of my first year with KoC. The year was an exciting and rewarding year for our programs but not without its challenges. The 21st Century Community Learning Center grants were targeted for reductions, which impacts afterschool programs supported by those grants. We were fortunate to receive continued funding for many of our programs, but sadly not all. We continue to strive to find alternate means to fund programming and to that purpose we submitted and received two new awards. The Ohio University 1804 Fund provided funding to pilot a program to increase our volunteer base and provision of transportation to sites. We believe this will allow our Ohio University (OHIO) students to better engage with our community and assist in providing more resources to our programs. We also were awarded an Ohio Community Connectors Mentoring grant for programming at Tri-County Career Center in Nelsonville, Ohio.
We continue to benefit from the Beck family endowment that allows us to bring children to summer camp who KoC would otherwise not be able to support. Support from local donors is critical to our mission and we were grateful to the Athens Foundation and the Rocky Community Improvement Fund for their continued support of our summer camp meals. We are privileged to have the support of OHIO College of Health Sciences and Professions faculty, staff and students, and our extended OHIO family who have graciously donated hundreds of warm clothes, shoes, boots, mittens, hats and meals to KoC kids and their families. In 2017, we formed an exciting partnership with the Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities and Beacon School to provide an integrated and expanded summer camp for children served by the organizations. This new initiative was a resounding success! We are eager to continue working together to provide opportunities for all area children.
Last, but not least, we are also grateful for the many individual donors. Your contributions make a difference for us and the opportunities we offer KoC children. We know that you have many choices when it comes to supporting local organizations and we are so very thankful you chose to support KoC. Each of you impacted a child directly with your contribution and we are appreciative of your support. We face many challenges in 2018 as we seek new, sustainable funding that will allow us to continue providing much needed services to underserved children of our region. Please review our annual report detailing our programs and our success in 2017. We hope that you will join us in our efforts to provide unique and necessary resources and experiences to these special, young people. We are looking forward to 2018 and the many more incredible moments!
In 2017, KoC staff worked through many challenges. We had personal challenges and weathered everincreasing funding uncertainty but we got through it as a team. We said goodbye to two of our coordinators, Dan Hinderliter, who worked with Trimble Local School District, and Jessica Funovits, who worked with Southern Local School District in Perry County. We wish them the best in their new career paths and have great memories of their time with us. We are pleased to introduce three new coordinators, Philip Hutchison, Courtney Morefield and Susan Chabot to the KoC team. Hutchison is a graduate of Alexander Local School District and returned to work with that program. His familiarity with the district allowed him to hit the ground running. Previous site coordinator, Morefield, returned as program coordinator for Trimble Local School District. Her experience and knowledge of the school and the community made the transition of coordinators easy. Last, but not least, Chabot joined our team as an experienced teacher from California. She joined KoC during summer camp and is now working with the Southern Local School District in Perry County. The new members joined continuing program coordinators Crystal Smith, Jennifer Moore and Holly Brooks. In 2017, Smith was a great asset in assisting Federal Hocking Elementary in the adjustment of the loss of 21st Century funding. Moore took on a new role as coordinator of our Tri-County Community
Portrait of KoC staff (left to right, front to back) Philip Hutchison, Jo Ellen Sherow, Holly Brooks, Jennifer Moore, Amanda Brooks, Courtney Morefield, Susan Chabot and Crystal Smith.
KoC Staff
Connectors mentor program along with her program at The Plains Elementary School. Brooks had a challenging but very rewarding year taking on the planning and management of our first joint summer camp with Beacon School, which was a definite success. Along with Amanda Brooks, assistant program manager, and Jo Ellen Sherow, program manager, KoC has a strong, diverse and energetic team with several innovative ideas and plans for 2018.
Afterschool Programs
KoC
operated in nine schools in Athens and Perry counties in 2017, reaching more than 1,000 of the region’s most underserved children. Activities • Archery • Art • Book clubs • Career exploration
• Computer programming • Cooking classes • Cultural/environmental awareness programming
• Health/fitness activities • Social/behavioral awareness • Music • Wilderness knowledge • Peer mentoring • Writing clubs • Science Olympiad and more!
Alexander Local School District, Elementary and Middle/High School Albany, Ohio Highlights for this year included hosting the Columbus Zoo at school, an activity for both parents and children. The implementation of the Cookie Climate Committee was a great new activity for the middle/high program that combined culinary talent and community service. Each week, a unique treat was baked and students picked a department or grade level of teachers, custodians, administration, aides or bus drivers to surprise. The reception from the staff was overwhelmingly positive. An English teacher said “Thank you, thank you, thank you for the delicious treats waiting for me this morning. They were a much needed pick-me-up for the day and they were yummy. Please pass along my gratitude to your KoC crew.�
Each program provides a healthy snack, academic intervention, homework help, enrichment activities and physical activities to promote academic growth and healthy behaviors.
Afterschool Programs
Athens City School District, The Plains Elementary The Plains, Ohio This past year the program participants showed their support by making gifts or providing resources for local service providers including police and fire professionals. Several events were held that allowed parents to engage in activities with their children and each child was given the opportunity to take home books to read. The Athens program is always high-energy and lots of fun!
Federal Hocking Local School District, Elementary and Middle/High Schools
Southern Local School District, Elementary and High School
Stewart, Amesville and Coolville, Ohio
Corning, Ohio
Federal Hocking hosted an elementary program for the first half of 2017 and the middle/high program for the entire year. Unfortunately, the elementary program was not awarded a 21st Century grant and afterschool programs at Coolville and Amesville for fall 2017 could not be implemented. KoC continues to work with the district to identify funding that can re-establish afterschool programming for these elementary schools. Highlights of the year for students included creating canvases that were donated to cancer patients at Camden Clark Hospital and visiting Cedar Point to celebrate the end of the school year.
Southern Local has both an elementary and a high school program. The elementary program has a strong literacy focus including a storybook club. The participants also engaged in a pen pal project with one of the OHIO student groups. Elementary school children were able to work on literacy skills in a creative and engaging way and OHIO students were able to connect with the region in a new and impactful manner. High school students developed a wilderness skills club, allowing them to apply basic science, math and literacy skills to reallife scenarios using a fun and novel approach. This school also participated in an archery program that was a helpful tool for teaching patience, control and self-discipline as well as math to achieve accuracy.
Tri-County Joint Vocational School Nelsonville, Ohio Through a state grant, Community Connectors, we were able to initiate a mentorship program in fall 2017 for this school. This program incorporated credit recovery and one-to-one mentorship to explore careers, college choices and life options. This exciting new program for KoC allowed us to reach a population of students and a section of the region we have not been able to engage with for a number of years.
Trimble Local School District, Elementary and Middle School Jacksonville, Ohio In an impressive demonstration of school and community engagement, KoC partnered with the Ohio University Student Social Work Association to provide a Thanksgiving dinner for Trimble school district families. Our kids helped make decorations and invitations, set tables, assist with cooking parts of the meal and cleaning up. The event hosted several hundred people and was a high point for the year. Other highlights included a joint activity between the two programs that paired middle school students with elementary students to improve reading and vocabulary skills. “Reading buddies� allowed students to build relationships with other students while increasing literacy skills in a fun and rewarding setting.
22
nd
p m a c r e summ
Summer camp was fast-paced and included children from all sites who had lots of fun while learning. We were awarded a NASA Glen Education Summer Center STEM educational grant to implement science programming, which we incorporated throughout the summer. A new friend, Mr. Pig, joined our campers and kept all of his friends up-to-date on summer camp happenings via social media. We partnered with Beacon School to offer an integrated summer camp that allowed Beacon students with varying levels of abilities to participate in the same summer camp enjoyed by other children in the region. During the summer, each child received transportation to and from camp, breakfast and lunch, literacy support to prevent summer academic decline and fun recreation. Campers swam, took a train ride, gained insight about careers on the river while riding an Ohio riverboat, visited the Chester Hill produce auction, learned about recycling and nutrition, built gliders, worked with robotics, played games and held two carnivals. Our teen camp successfully planned and implemented a carnival for the younger campers at the end of the first session of camp.
5 weeks 250 campers OHIO campus
KoC has been in existence long enough for some of our previous campers to have grown to become adult volunteers.
Testimonies
“I really like the en richment session — which is quite important for me — and meeting other kid s in the program. KoC inspired learning and teaching in me, so I have always wanted to give back to the program. That is why I volunteer in the KoC program ; to give back to my community.” Kathlyn, a volunteer and
previous KoC kid
“I began the KoC program at six years ol children with d. They have homework inte a great staff rvention, cook love to see mor who help ing clubs and e staff in the pr st aying healthy. og as a whole. I vo ram because it I would lunteered beca is really helpin use I love the g the commun improve educat program and he ity ionally.” Nevaeh lping other ch , a volunteer an d previous KoC ildren kid
Our kids love us for the fun, but parents love us for the assistance we provide by creating a safe place before and after school as well as for the growth they see in their children.
“I feel my child has become more
social.”
“He has made more friends and has found new activities he enjoys.”
“KoC helps build more self-confidence in my son and he enjoys the aft erschool program a lot .”
“Homework has improved their overall grades.”
Supporting our Kids
We were fortunate in 2017 to have a number of events that supported our kids, including a new event for us — the local charity Elmo Memorial Golf Tournament. Also in 2017, OHIO faculty/staff and area businesses provided an overwhelming number of school supplies, including backpacks, notepads, pencils, glue and other items requested on back-to-school lists that helped our kids have a great start to the academic year. In December — with support from AFSCME Local 1699, Rocky Boots and Oakview Dermatology — more than 300 coats were collected for our area children and their families.
We would be remiss not to thank Jenni Young, OHIO College of Health Sciences and Professions executive assistant, for her unwavering energy and support in helping us with these valuable drives.
$5000+
Charles and Judy Beck Endowment
Donors Partners Supporters
$1,000-$4,999
Athens Building Industries Association WATH Inc
$500-$999
A.F.S.C.M.E. Local 1699 Mr. Gregory K. Cramer The Drugstore at O’Bleness Ms. Myrdith H. Sherow Sunday Creek Ministerial Association
$100-$299 KoC is grateful to the many dedicated supporters of our kids and programs! We give a special thanks to OHIO College of Health Sciences and Professions for providing office space and infrastructure. Our programming is almost exclusively funded through external grants and gifts. Without community and individual support, we could not exist. So, from our KoC family to yours, we thank you for your continuous support!
Cuckler Insurance Agency Inc. OhioHealth Race for a Reason Mr. Duncan H. Brown Mr. G. Kenner Bush, Jr. Mrs. Margene Gilson Bush Ms. Judith A. Daso Ms. Bridget Eastep Dr. Jennifer Horner Mr. Thomas Johnson Ms. Evelyn N. Koska Mr. Joe Manda Dr. Dale T. Masel Mr. Roberto McClin Mr. Paul W. Moy Mr. Barry J. Oches Mrs. Kathryn B. Oches Ms. Jenny Rebekah Stotts Ms. Beth E. Williams Ms. Jennifer B. Williams Mr. John and Mrs. Teddi J. Williams
Ms. Susan H. Williams Mr. Kevin Lee Witham Ms. Patricia Wright-Stover Ms. Jennifer Young
$0-$99
Dr. Carl Brune Mrs. Claire M. Carson Mr. Herbert Carson Ms. Ruth Q. Hiler Mrs. Christine B. Knisely Ms. Roxanne Male’-Brune Mrs. Barbara K. Russ Mash Mr. Ronald L. Mash Jr. Ms. Janelle Mitchell Mr. David O. McCoy Ms. Sharon L. Parsons Mr. Thomas M. Parsons Dr. Gary M. Schumacher Mrs. Kathleen S. Schumacher Dr. Alexander Sergeev
Funding Partners
Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities Athens County Foundation NASA Glenn Research Center Ohio Department of Education: Community Connectors Grant Ohio Department of Education: 21st Century Community Learning Center Grants Ohio University 1804 Fund Rocky Community Improvement Fund USDA Summer Food Service Program
Thank You Community Partners
Americorp/VISTA Rural Action, Inc. Athena Grand Athens County Children Services Athens County Emergency Medical Services Athens County Sheriff’s Office Athens Soil and Water Conservation Services Big Brothers/Big Sisters Chesterhill Produce Auction Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development (COAD) Foster Grandparents Donatos Pizza Glouster Eagles Habitat for Humanity members Hocking Athens Perry Community Action Program (HAPCAP) Hocking College Hocking Valley Scenic Railway Hopewell Health Centers, Inc. Insomnia Cookies Kentucky Fried Chicken Lake Hope State Park Division of Parks and Watercraft Little Caesars Live Healthy Appalachia Logan’s Roadhouse Milo’s Whole World Gourmet Oakview Dermatology
KoC continues to seek external grants to support our programs but with federal dollars becoming less available for these types of programs, the support of our community continues to be essential. If you would like to make a donation to KoC to help make afterschool and summer programming possible for our area children, please go to www.ohio.edu/kids and click on “donate today”. Again, thank you for your support of KoC!
Ohio Alpha Chapter of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women Ohio Association of Foodbanks OhioMeansJobs – Athens County Ohio River Museum Passion Works Studio Rio Grande Community College Rocky Boots Shade Restaurant Shoe Department Encore Smile Programs – The Mobile Dentists SunPower, Amesville Southern Ohio Copperheads Sunday Creek Ministerial Association Texas Roadhouse The Dairy Barn Arts Center Ohio State University SNAP-ED Program Walmart WATH Power 105 Wayne National Forest
Ohio University Partners
College of Health Sciences and Professions College of Business Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Patton College of Education Russ College of Engineering and Technology Air Force ROTC Army ROTC BobcaThon Culinary Services Division of Student Affairs Intercollegiate Athletics Meterology Club Office of the President Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs
NONPROFIT ORG
PAID ATHENS, OH PERMIT NO. 100
Connect with Us! Write us a letter. Grover Center W129C 1 Ohio University Drive Athens, Ohio 45701
Email us. kids.on.campus@ohio.edu
Call us. 740.566.8543
Learn more at www.ohio.edu/kids
Kids on Campus Grover Center, W129C 1 Ohio University Drive Athens, OH 45701