Back to School:  Alliance Recreation Center

August 16, 2021

Alliance Recreation Center’s (ARC) AfterSchool program provides kids in need with a critical support system – and we’re proud to call them a partner.

ARC Executive Director and Snow-Redfern Foundation Board Member, Mara Andersen, is dedicated to enhancing access to quality care for Alliance children, as exemplified in the multitude of activities and programs offered through ARC.

 “ARC AfterSchool is a critical system of support for many families. At the end of their day, parents can pick their children up and go home, ready for family time”.

AJ & Jessie

AJ and Jessie joined ARC AfterSchool during summer camp 2020. Their mother was working nights while their father was also working long hours as a truck driver.  ARC AfterSchool allowed AJ and Jessie’s mother an opportunity to get some sleep and get errands done, knowing her kids were safe at the ARC.

Because of the pandemic, summer camp was the first-time children had been in a classroom in many months. Behaviors were a challenge for many, including for AJ and Jessie. It was critical that ARC staff worked with these two, not only for their own development, but because their mother needed to sleep so she could keep her job.

After experiencing the program and getting extra support, both kids are now doing well. They enjoy their time at ARC and have matured socially. Jessie branched out and joined the youth volleyball program. ARC not only takes care of transportation of the children after school, they also make sure Jessie makes it to the gym on the nights youth volleyball is scheduled.

Now she confidently interacts with the players in a totally different crew of kids and plays until mom picks her up. Her mom can rest assured knowing Jessie got to the ARC after school, ate a snack, completed her homework, and got to learn and play a new sport with new friends.

Great Progress

AJ has also matured and made great progress. During summer camp, he would act out to get attention, but now he is fully engaged in the program and participates in the activities. Mara shared that he is a kid who really loves his mom and misses her when they’re not together, so all of the art projects AJ makes are always for his mom.

“Allowing parents to stay at work, or in this case, to manage a few hours of sleep before the workday begins, means a stronger, more sustainable, healthier family unit. We are proud to partner with organizations like the Snow Redfern Foundation because we know investing in our children also invests in stronger families and communities”, shared Mara Andersen, ARC Executive Director and Snow-Redfern Foundation Board Member.

Snow-Redfern Foundation is a proud grant supporter of the ARC Afterschool program in Alliance because we know the importance that programs, such as this, can have on a child and their family. After school programs can create a sense of belonging, improve social connections, provide academic support, make learning more fun, provide safety and supervision, and build confidence.

This is a great time of year to seek out quality after school programs in your community. Help financially support these necessary programs by giving a gift at https://www.snowredfern.org/give-today/.