In August 2016, United Christian Academy opened in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to serve local children from low-income, financially disadvantaged households with a full-time Christian education and support system. The vision is to see our students come to know Jesus Christ as Savior and move out of physical and spiritual poverty, with the hope that one day, they can become Christian leaders in their families and communities.
Through this UCA Sowers Campaign, we are looking to raise $10,000 in monthly support to cover our monthly operating costs and allow us to add more students in Fall 2017 and on.
WHO WE ARE:
Founded by United Christian Ministries, this "Christian Education Center" grew out of a long time vision of wrapping around and deepening the support of the children served through UCM's Bible studies across the city. UCM understood that in order to really give these children a chance to move forward in life, they needed more support. After all, these are kids who live well below the poverty line, are raised in single-parent homes, and come from families that face low-paying jobs, limited opportunities for education, life in high-crime parts of town, and unsafe subsidized housing. The odds are against them at almost every turn. In many cases, these families are hopeless and do not have the resources, support base, or skills to move forward in life.
This is where United Christian Academy comes in.
WHAT WE DO:
Rather than only getting a few hours each week with the UCM kids, United Christian Academy gives us the opportunity to impact the "whole child" - socially, academically, physically, emotionally and spiritually - 7.5 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Over the last 8 months, we have been serving 7 students (in 4th-9th grade) with a Christian education and support center, 8:00am-3:00pm Monday - Friday. A hybrid between the offerings of public school and homeschooling, UCA provides transportation to/from school, two meals each day, a rigorous academic schedule, life skills development, social enrichment, and Christian discipleship.
And the results have been incredible to witness!
OUR IMPACT:
Not only have we seen significant personal development (i.e., growth in social skills, life skills, and personal responsibility) in our students, but they are also visibly healthier and have made important strides academically.
In the first 5 months at UCA, 60% of our students increased 1.5-2 full grade levels in their reading ability!
(3 x's the reading growth of the average American student)!
Children who tested in the bottom 10-20th percentile in July 2016 are now academically in the 35-70th percentile just half a school year later. We are closing their gaps!
WILL YOU HELP US SOW?
We know what UCA offers is critical to the future of our students and we want to be able to provide this important support to more children in Hattiesburg; but, we cannot do this alone.
We are looking for supporters who will commit to helping us "sow" these vital elements in the lives of our students.
The UCA Sowers Campaign is a way to build the support base needed to sustain and grow United Christian Academy. The ministry we have to the UCA students is one of dedicated, patient, long-term sowing of Christian nurturing, education, and truths. We are looking for supporters who will commit to helping us "sow" into our students with a regular financial donation.
All funds raised by the UCA Sowers Campaign will go directly to support the operation and growth of United Christian Academy in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
HOW TO GIVE:
1) You can give online right now through this website using the DONATE button above.
2) You can mail a check made payable to United Christian Ministries and write "FOR EDUCATION" in the memo line to:
3) You can reach out to Director, Jack Kennedy ([email protected]) or Principal, Callison Richardson ([email protected]) for more information about how to support the school in other ways (i.e., a bank draft, in-kind donation, endowment, etc.)
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