There are families all around us that on any given day are struggling to make ends meet. We want to be a Difference Maker in our community and introduce hope back in to the lives of people in need. We have several programs that we offer to help families who are in need of help.
WHIZKIDS – The Whiz Kids program exists to serve at-risk youth through one-to-one, literacy-based tutoring. Currently, there are 46 Whiz Kids tutoring sites serving over 1,100 youth throughout Greater Cincinnati and is in partnership with over 60 elementary schools and 80 churches. Here at Eastside, tutoring sessions are on-campus and last about two hours each week during the school year. Tutors spend time working one-to-one with students on improving their reading. During the campus time they also are provided a hot meal and a fun activity as part of the program.
Why do we offer the Whiz Kids tutoring program? The statistics are bone-chilling. The State of Ohio uses third-grade reading proficiency scores to project future prison capacity. “If you don’t know how to read by the end of fourth grade, the state is building you a prison cell,” says Dr. O’dell Owens, Hamilton County Coroner. According to the U.S. Census, 80 percent of prison inmates are either low-level readers or illiterate.
RESOURCE CENTER – Our Resource Center helps provide families with assistance for food, children’s school supplies and additional resources for parents – from help building resumes to parenting classes as part of the Whiz Kids program.
HELP BUILD HOPE FOR SENIORS IN CLERMONT COUNTY – We work with senior citizens who are living alone – typically widows/widowers – and need help with minor home repairs and improvements. Our goal when working with a senior in need is to ensure they have a safe, clean home to live in. The results aren’t in line with Extreme Home Makeover but they make a world of difference in the life of the person whose home is renovated. Projects include adding safety features to the home – like hand rails, handicapped accessible bathroom facilities, heating and air conditioning maintenance and repair, appliance repair and general living space improvements – from new floors to new paint to assistance with cleaning. We even have a team to help with landscaping and general sprucing up of the external parts of the house.