The after-school program of the Center has been operating for 23 years in the Southeast Dallas community. The after-school program makes available a safe place for children K through 6th grade. Children participating in our program are provided with academic support, recreation, computer training, and spiritual mentoring. Over the years we have expanded our ministry to include K-6th graders from all three schools serving our immediate southeast Dallas community: Fannie C. Harris (K-3rd), Daniel Chappie James (4th-6th) and O. M. Roberts (K-6th). The Friendship Center is located at 1321 Rowan Street on the corner of East Grand.

Residents in this Southeast Dallas community are African American and Hispanic. Most of the residents are of a lower socio-economic status. The majority of the children in this community are members of single parent (female headed) households. These mothers are on some kind of government assistance, or have jobs that pay a low wage. In many instances, government programs stipulate that assistance is contingent on the participant enrolling in job training classes which often times conflict with mothers ability to be home to meet their child after school. Because there are few options available to these mothers, many opt to leave their children with an older sibling. Quality after-school care in this part of the city is few and far between, which oftentimes leaves far too many inner-city children alone at home (latchkey kids) until an adult is available.

The Friendship Center offers to these parents a safe alternative to the home-alone reality of inner-city children. Over the years, our children’s programming has become a fixture within the community with a strong reputation for teaching children fundamental Biblical values and practical life skills. Parents have come to appreciate and trust our approach to mentoring by teaching spiritual, academic, and life skills through discipline, self-control, and our accountability program.

There are five components that make-up the structure of our after school programs. These are as follow:

• Tutoring/Reading

• Computer Literacy

• Arts and Crafts

• Recreation

• Bible Club

Tutoring/Reading Tutoring is a daily part of our after-school format. Most parents want their child to finish their homework after school, yet they often work evening shifts or may be poorly educated and therefore struggle to help their child progress academically. The Center provides children hands-on help with their homework. (“Homework comes before snacks” is a common refrain!) Volunteer tutoring is also provided on a weekly basis for those who are struggling academically.

The ability to read is paramount to academic success--far too many inner city kids struggle to read at their grade level. Members of our after-school program benefit from many Center activities that purposely incorporate reading in formal and informal ways from reading homework assignments or library books, to playing word games, reading scripts while acting out Bible plays, or sounding out words on the computer screen.

Computer Training In addition to reading, children must be computer literate to survive in tomorrow’s job market. While most may get some exposure to computers at school, many do not have a computer at home. At the Center, children have daily access to our computer room with a growing selection of educational and creativity software.

Arts & Crafts Crafts are a positive avenue of expression suitable to any age group, especially for children who struggle in a formal academic setting. Many educational concepts are readily transferable to craft activities. In addition to developing listening and fine motor skills, some craft projects are science lessons in disguise. Children in the after-school program participate in a weekly craft or creative activity, utilizing a variety of mediums and materials ranging from cut-and-paste to complex three- to six-week projects requiring multiple steps and developing creative patience.

Recreation Play is a child’s work; every child needs a safe place to play. Every year, local children are injured or die due to careless play in streets or careless drivers. The Friendship Center’s grounds are completely fenced, and the program provides constructive recreational opportunities where every child has a chance to learn teamwork, and cooperative rather than combative skills, in games of basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, and baseball.

The Center’s program also plans regular field trips to quality and innovative parks around Dallas, which is not only entertaining but transports our children beyond their immediate community and expands their perception of the world around them.

Bible Club Our goal is to present the Gospel to every child who participates in our after-school program. This makes us unique among several after-school programs in our community. It is well-documented that the vast majority of those who accept Christ do so by 18 years of age, making children’s ministry a primary mission field.

Every child participates in a weekly or bi-weekly Bible time featuring a variety of Bible lessons and activities geared to the specific age group. (K-1, 2nd-3rd, or 4th-6th)

We believe the Fair Park Friendship Center’s program activities and structure instill three core qualities in the lives of the children who participate: decision-making, mentoring, and leadership.

Decision-making “Choose” is perhaps the most frequently used word at the Center because all of life revolves around the choices we make on a daily basis. Inner-city children desperately need a positive framework for making good choices and decisions.

We believe the Bible defines the principles for good decision-making, and that consistent reinforcement in our program teaches our children how to take responsibility not only for the choices they make but also the consequences (whether good or bad) of those choices.

Mentoring Every child needs quality mentoring outside the home front that the parent can trust, especially in an inner-city environment. Building mentoring relationships is a daily process at the Center. We affirm each child’s abilities but challenge the child to improve in areas of weakness.

Leadership Development All members are given specific areas of responsibility, designed to develop servant leaders, on a regular basis. Those who demonstrate good choice-making-ability enter a “Leadership Mentoring Cycle” in which they are trained and then entrusted with more mature levels of responsibility.

Older children in the Leadership Cycle influence younger children by setting a good example and mentoring younger children who naturally look up to them. Leaders assist throughout the week by checking homework, monitoring craft and computer activities, and lead recreation activities.