“Timothy” began attending Second Story in the Community’s Safe Youth Project when he was in the fourth grade and quickly became a familiar face at the program. He came every day, and he was always helpful to the program coordinator and kind to his peers.
The program coordinator got to know Timothy better the longer he was in the program. She noticed that he struggled a lot in school, and his teachers explained that his work was below his grade level. She also learned that the reason Timothy was so eager to come to the program was because his parents were rarely at home due to their busy work schedules, which left him home alone much of the time. At the program he felt safe, and he always had friends to hang out with and fun things to do.
The program coordinator created opportunities for Timothy to improve his grades by communicating with his teacher and tutoring him at the program. She also reminded him that he would always have a safe place to come to after school when there was no one at home to look out for him.
Timothy began to improve – both in his demeanor and at school. His grades came up each quarter, his reading and writing skills improved, and his teachers began to compliment him on his work.
Nearly three years after Timothy found the program, at his sixth-grade graduation, Timothy was awarded the President’s Award for Educational Excellence. This award is given on behalf of the President, the Secretary of Education, and the school’s principal, and signifies “high academic goals through hard work and dedication to learning.”
Timothy was thrilled, and his mom and the program coordinator are very proud of him. Everything changed for Timothy when he began coming to our Second Story in the Community, and the people who care about him are delighted to see him rewarded.
