Weekly Media Roundup: September 19, 2018

Cancer Center to Offer After-School Program for Kids, The Island Now (New York)

A new afterschool program in Greenvale, New York aims to support children who have a parent or sibling with cancer by providing them a safe place to learn life skills and meet peers who are having similar experiences. The We’ve Got Your Back program was created by the Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center’s Nancy Marx Cancer Wellness Center and will serve children ages 5-12. In addition to meals and homework help, the program will offer socio-emotional activities including therapeutic playtime and art. Nancy Marx Cancer Wellness Center Director Randy Hight told Island Now the program will “[give] children a safe space to learn ways to cope with the changes in their family’s dynamic while having fun. The program will also give parents time to either care for themselves or their ailing child.”

Learning After School, The Messenger (Iowa)

The Dodger Academy in Fort Dodge combines physical activity and academic support with engaging activities including rock-climbing, small-group book discussions and reading while pedaling on exercise bikes. The free afterschool program serves 75 elementary-school students and utilizes high-school student helpers to provide children with tutoring and mentorship. “I love it,” 16-year-old student helper McKaelyn Anderson told the Messenger. “I’m making connections and friendships that will last a lifetime.”

Ministry at 14th & Ripley Brings Hope to Neighborhood, Quad-City Times (Iowa)

In Davenport, Iowa, the Hope at the Brick House afterschool and summer programs work to keep kids safe while providing warm meals, field trips and mentorship. The faith-based nonprofit partners with St. Ambrose University to recruit student volunteers who inspire children’s love of learning and provide support relevant to their studies. In one example, speech and pathology students aid children with their speech and language skills. “I wouldn't even want to think about what the neighborhood would look like without the Brick House,” Davenport Police Sgt. Andrew Harris told the Quad-City Times. “It brings hope to a challenged neighborhood… Kids get to go places and have experiences they may not [otherwise] get to.”

Girls on the Run a Positive Experience On and Off the Track, TribLive (Pennsylvania)

Since 2001, Girls on the Run of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Pennsylvania has reached 15,000 girls with a running program designed to increase self-esteem and teach life skills. The ten-week afterschool program, which has councils in all 50 states, challenges third- to fifth-grade girls to build toward running a 3.1 mile race while emphasizing goal-setting, overcoming challenges, and developing a positive self-image. A recent independent study indicates participants sustain gains they make in physical activity, confidence, and other life skills beyond the program’s conclusion. “I became so much more confident,” eighth-grader Elisabeth Ervin told Trib Live. “I can easily express who I am. I was scared about the race in the beginning… I made a lot of friends, and it really helped with my leadership skills.”