Firm Foundation

What Is The Firm Foundation Tutoring Program?

In 1993, New City Fellowship of St. Louis (NCF) saw the pressing need to build relationships with the many children who lived in the West End neighborhood of St. Louis City. It also became evident that many of these children needed help with their homework. In response, NCF began an after-school tutoring program for children in grades K-6.

Since then we have expanded to include middle school and high school students as well as immigrant and refugee students in the South St. Louis City area. We also offer a 5-week Summer Enrichment Program.

The primary goal of the Firm Foundation Tutoring Program is to build relationships with the children and show them the love of Christ. Children work one-on-one with volunteer tutors, receiving help with their homework and having a time of devotions. Students who do not bring homework are able to participate in other fun academic activities such as playing games, reading books, and writing stories.

The name “Firm Foundation” emphasizes the good academic foundation that children in our society need to be able to function well in our culture. Many of the children we help are not able to receive that foundation at school or home. The name also emphasizes the more important foundation we have in Jesus Christ who alone is the only sure foundation on which to build a life that is truly pleasing to God.

So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.” -Isaiah 28:16

After-school Program

Many children come to tutoring looking for love above all else. This is where the tutors come in. They take the love that God has freely given them and give it away unconditionally to a child from an at-risk community, thereby being God in a human body to that child. We have been able to pair about 50 children with tutors during the 2005-2006 school year. Each tutor chooses one day a week to come and love a child by doing a prepared devotion, praying, helping with homework and playing academic games and activities with this child. All materials needed are provided, although tutors are welcome to bring other materials if they wish. Each student has an individualized folder that specifies academic goals and games/activities that are appropriate for that child.

South City Site

Many immigrants and refugees call South St. Louis home. They arrive in the U.S. not knowing English, American culture or what is expected of them and not having a job. Many times the children live with a mother or grandmother. For the refugees, especially, many fathers have been killed in wars. School is a new thing to them, having come from a culture where school isn't required or emphasized. Many of the adults don't even know how to read their native language. It's a desperate situation for the children who are put in an age-appropriate class in the public school and expected to keep up with their peers who have been reading English all their lives.

We help children in the 2nd-8th grades with their academic work, primarily reading, math and homework completion. For many immigrant children, this is their first exposure to school and to learning math and English formally. Children who come to this country earlier are able to learn English in school and do fairly well. However, when they come at an older age they are expected to know the basics of the English language already. It's very hard for these children to do any homework because all of it requires reading. They get farther and farther behind, get discouraged and eventually give up. Our hope is to give them the extra help they need to be able to do well in our schools.

Tutoring sessions are held at our South City site (near the Bevo Mill) on Mondays and Thursdays from 5:45 P.M.-7:15 P.M.

West End Site

The West End is what many would call a typical “inner city” community, which can be full of desperation, hopelessness and despair. Most of the children are in families with only one parent or grandparent. For many reasons that parent is not able or willing to help the child academically or emotionally: because they have to work long or unusual hours to provide for the family, because they did not finish school, because they are incapacitated by drugs or alcohol, or because they are just overwhelmed by the big job of raising a family alone. But God has not abandoned the people of this community. Out of the ashes of drugs, gangs and poverty, God is raising up his people to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ through word and deed.

Elementary Program (Kindergarten - 6th grade)

We encourage the children to bring homework since many do not work on it at home. We also concentrate on reading, writing and math concepts since these are the areas that affect learning in all subjects.

Tutoring sessions are held on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:15 P.M.-5:45 P.M.

Teen Program (7th - 12th grade)

While we want to help our middle school and high school students complete their homework, we also want to help them learn the skills necessary to succeed in their studies independently--when there is no tutor around to help. We take more of a mentoring approach with the teens, helping them think through things like how to effectively study for a test they have a week later or how to manage their time so they can get a paper or project completed by the deadline two weeks away. We also want to help them think about their futures: what kind of a career they might be interested in and what it takes to do that, how to study for the ACT, and how to apply for college. These are things that many of these students do not learn at home or at school. Our hope is that a relationship will be built between teen and tutor that will spill over well past our scheduled tutoring time and affect many aspects of both individuals' lives.

Tutoring sessions are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:45 P.M.-7:30 P.M.

Summer Tutoring and Enrichment Program

This is a 5-week thematic enrichment program for children in kindergarten through sixth grade which emphasizes hands on learning and models biblical interaction with the children. We take one theme and teach reading, writing, math, social studies and science around that theme. For 2007, that theme was The Solar System.

College students from the City Lights Urban Project teach the classes of 10-12 students each. High School students from the Summer Urban Missions program are the individual tutors who befriend a child for a week.

The mornings are filled with worship, devotions and academic activities. The afternoons consist of sports, crafts (including woodworking for some of the older children), dance and other fun things. Lunch is provided.

Information on the 2008 Summer Program will be posted at a later date.

How Can You Help

Fundraising Events

Applebee's Flapjack Fundraiser Come support Firm Foundation by enjoying a delicious pancake breakfast at the Richmond Heights Applebee's on Clayton Road (by the Esquire Theatre) on Saturday, September 15th between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. Tickets are $10 each.

Volunteer Opportunities

We are always in need of volunteer tutors. If you are able to read, write, do simple math, and love, you are qualified! E-mail Laurie to sign up.

Cash Donations

All programs cost money to run. We are always in need of money for supplies such as books, paper, etc.

Other Donations

We need donations of 60 snacks per day for the after-school tutoring sessions and NEW educational software for Windows XP or Vista.

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for the power of Jesus to impact the lives of all these children, that they would get their dignity and respect from him alone.
• Please pray that children would experience success academically.
• Pray that children and their families would come to trust Jesus as their savior.
• Pray for the tutors that God would enable them to be able to love the children with God's unconditional love and that they would come to experience that love for themselves in new ways.
• Pray for the leadership team, that God would enable them to have wisdom in planning for the program as well as trusting God to lead and then following that lead.

Downloads

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 >> Click here to download this free program.

Contact: Laurie Jones, (314) 726-2302 ext. 33

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