PEACEMAKERS

Freedom School student Lyric Bibbs raises her arms and sings the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus during the Harambee morning motivation at Peacemakers of Rocky Mount.

Like many organizations, Peacemakers of Rocky Mount pivoted its well-laid plans when the coronavirus pandemic struck last year.

The nonprofit had just moved into its new South Rocky Mount facility a month earlier, nearly doubling their space and facing the need for extensive renovations. Located at 2221 West Raleigh Blvd., the building was formerly South Village Nursing Home.

“When we said we had great expectations for how God was going to use this new location to advance His kingdom in South Rocky Mount, we had no idea those plans would begin with a pandemic,” Peacemakers Executive Director Jesse Lewis said. “Being a Christian community development organization serving a lowincome neighborhood, it was only fitting that our plans shift as the needs of the area increased.”

Peacemakers’ programming supports community members in the areas of education, job preparation and community events to help empower people with knowledge that leads to successful, sustainable lives.

“The governor’s executive order prevented us from opening at full capacity, so we did all we could do to support parents and students virtually in their new normal with children learning from home,” Lewis said. “We shared daily read-aloud videos, parenting workshops and exercise videos on our social media platforms.”

Online parent support groups launched with teachers and mental health professionals as facilitators. Morning one-on-one tutoring began for elementary school students needing extra support and Peacemakers continued providing tutoring for its existing After School Program participants.

“Children being out of school unexpectedly created a significant financial strain for a number of families,” Lewis said. “Being the hands and feet of Jesus means that we respond where we are needed. So Peacemakers prepared weekly food boxes for

24

more than 70 Williford Elementary families in need.”

The organization also continues its annual Freedom School in the summer. The sevenweek, full-time enrichment program helps young students fall in love with reading, increases their self-esteem and generates more positive attitudes toward learning.

Traditionally, many students start the academic year with achievement levels lower than they were at the beginning of summer break. This is especially true for disadvantaged students. The COVID-19 pandemic not only hampered their learning, but due to closures, many of these students also have lost access to services that were offered by schools.

At Freedom School, students participate in high-quality STEM clubs providing an in-depth learning experience in their area of interest. The scholars engage in a wide variety of learning experiences, including the exploration of career paths, learning about higher education and participating in community service and social action projects.

“The biggest change to Freedom School in 2020 was that we had to move to two half-day sessions instead of having the same scholars all day as we normally do,” Lewis said. “However, in the end, it was more than worth it. Our scholars still improved their average reading scores by one full grade level over seven weeks last summer.”

On average, scholars who attend Freedom School will raise their reading levels 14 months or higher, Lewis said.

“We will need to work even more efficiently this summer to ensure students are up to grade level by the fall semester,” he said.

While continuing to follow guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Freedom School made adjustments to its usual curriculum.

Whether virtually or in small groups, scholars still will have opportunities to engage in a wide variety of learning experiences, including interacting with professional guests representing various career paths, visiting museums and science centers, touring college campuses and participating in community service and social projects, as safety guidelines allow.

“We as a community must take ownership of our children’s education and not put it solely on teachers,” Lewis said. “It’s up to all of us to ensure our children succeed.”

A few strategies have helped Peacemakers staff pull off the tremendous task of supporting their community during the pandemic.

First, they made safety a priority. CDC safety protocols like social distancing, maskwearing and extra cleaning is in place. The enrollment application process includes COVID testing.

“We also hired people from our neighborhood as instructional leaders and neighbors who could be here to encourage students, assist with scheduling and Bible study,” Williams said.

“It is incredibly rewarding to see the great progress the students are making,” Williams said. “This would not have been possible without the strong collaboration with Nash County Public Schools. They have worked very closely with us to help the students stay on top of their studies.”

“We saw early on that we had to address more than the academic needs. When children do not go to school each day, they also miss out on vital support services,” Williams said. “We stepped in to cover those needs as well.”

Peacemakers has access to a mental health counselor and a speech therapist onsite.

“The lack of intervention programs meant that we needed to provide cognitive and behavioral therapy in order to make the best of their academic experience,” Williams said.

The nonprofit staff and children agree that they have turned difficult circumstances into an opportunity in more ways than they ever could have imagined.

“Helping our neighbors by equipping them with the skills they need to move forward despite adversity and to persevere through challenges is exactly what we do,” Lewis said. “That has always been our mission. To show people there is a way. We can only hope we have done that through the pandemic.”

In addition to the educational programs for young scholars, Peacemakers has also continued its Hometown Hires program, a holistic job training and employment program that helps move families out of generational poverty despite barriers like criminal backgrounds, racial inequality and history of drug abuse, domestic violence and homelessness.

Additionally, through a partnership with Nash Community College, Peacemakers offers a large selection of adult education and job readiness courses and partners with local companies to help neighborhood residents find employment.

To learn more about Peacemakers or to schedule a tour of the facility, call 252-2125044.

Freedom School student Tameia Alford laughs while working on a phonics worksheet with volunteer tutor Alex Stanley at Peacemakers of Rocky Mount. Students work on computers at Peacemakers of Rocky Mount.

25

Able Home Health Care is locally owned and operated in-home health care service employing quality caregivers to assist individuals and families in living dignified independent lifestyles in their own homes.

Proudly serving the clients of Nash, Edgecombe, Halifax and surrounding counties, we provide innovative, high-quality home care services and respite care to our clients.

Since our beginning in 2000, we’ve made our clients a promise, based on our family’s values and commitment to excellence.

1701 Sunset Avenue #107 Rocky Mount, NC 27804 1078 Hwy 48 Roanoke Rapids, NC 27870