Weekly Media Roundup: May 13, 2026

Former Professional Football Player Inspiring Next Generation with Afterschool Program, Spectrum News 13 (Florida)

Former professional football player Jonathan Jones is giving back to the Orlando community by mentoring and inspiring students at the Levy Hughes Boys & Girls Club’s afterschool program. Through fitness drills and mentorship, Jones encourages kids to stay healthy, engaged and focused on graduating while sharing lessons from his own athletic career. Club Director Tasha Robinson-Banks told Spectrum News 13 that she appreciates “just the gentleness in his voice, the opportunity to connect with someone who has loved sports, has played sports professionally and in school. For our kids who are endeavoring to do so themselves, it has given them someone else to admire.”

American Precision Museum Reaches $3M Goal for Renovation, Valley News (New Hampshire)

The American Precision Museum in Windsor, New Hampshire has raised $3 million to transform its building into a new STEM+M (science, technology, engineering, math plus manufacturing) learning space for afterschool programs, camps and workshops. The renovations feature classrooms outfitted with hands-on manufacturing equipment including milling machines, lathes, lasers, 3D printers and fabrication equipment, aimed at introducing young students to careers in manufacturing. “Our goal quite simply is to instill in young learners that manufacturing offers great careers and opportunities,” Executive Director Steve Dalessio told the Valley News. “We know from studies that kids in fourth, fifth and sixth grades begin to formulate ideas of what they want to do, so by instilling thoughts of manufacturing at that early age we hope to help with the workforce pipeline later on.”

Advocates Rally at Pennsylvania Capitol to Push for More After-School Programs, Fox 56 (Pennsylvania)

Hundreds of students, parents, afterschool professionals and advocates rallied at the Pennsylvania State Capitol last week for Afterschool Action Day, organized by the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN). After the rally, students met with more than 60 state House and Senate offices to share how afterschool programs have helped them reach their goals and prepare for careers, urging lawmakers to increase funding so more students can access out-of-school time opportunities. “Our core message to the Pennsylvania General Assembly is that, if Pennsylvania is serious about strengthening its workforce, then they have to be serious about investing in out-of-school time programs for the students that are preparing for it,” PSAYDN Director Contrell Armor told Fox 56.

Feed More Driver Works to Feed Hungry Kids in Central Virginia After-School Programs, WTVR Richmond (Virginia)

For more than a decade, Stacy Huthinson has delivered fresh, healthy meals from the nonprofit Feed More’s Kids Cafe to Oakland Connect and other afterschool programs throughout central Virginia. Kids Cafe partners with afterschool programs in school zones where more than half of students qualify for free and reduced-price meals at school. “There's kids that go home from these sites we go to, they don't have a meal when they get home,” Huthinson told WTVR. “And this is their meal and it makes the parents feel good that at least they've had a hot meal for the night and they can go to bed and get up the next morning."