Teens on TASC

Year-To-Date Highlights

The 2011-2012 year has been an exciting time for our TASC program, due in a large part to our amazing volunteers. Here are a few of the year’s highlights:

Music program run by Cantor Tom White of Ebenezer Lutheran, where the students learned about different aspects of music and even got to seee what it’s like to play a church organ. Here are some photos from the Christmas Party Cantor Tom hosted for the group:

Sewing and Cooking Classes from The Auntie Karen Foundation have made it fun for the children to learn valuable lifeskills. This group has blessed us by coming in weekly to teach the children how to sew buttons and mend garments as well as prepare fabulous meals.

Learning to sew:

And making dinner!:

Learning about life in Madagascar: In January, the TASC program was fortunate to have Jennifer Krushas speak about growing up in Madagascar. Our kids really enjoyed learning about the country and people there.

Life in Madagascar in the mid-70s was a delight for Jennifer, a child of missionaries. Her parents ran a boarding school for about 75 kids whose parents were missionaries in areas of Madagascar that did not have an English-speaking school for their children to attend. Here are some of the wonderful pictures she shared.

These are just a few of the many exciting things we have going on this year. We also want to thank our other invaluable volunteers who show up regularly to help with meals and tutoring and assist with fun and educational activities.

TASC Newsletter

Successful Year!
We have completed our third year as a Teen After School Center. This year was successful due to the leadership of Director Queen Burroughs-Bonaparte, the dedication of the board members and the faithfulness of the volunteers, Columbia College and Southern Lutheran Seminary was a great help with people, programs and equipment. In addition to Ebenezer’s volunteers that have been featured in recent months, other regular volunteers were Ebenezer’s Lydia Circle, Pastor Doug Graul and Bishop Herman Yoos.

This year the average age of our children was younger than in the previous two years. We have more elementary aged children than middle or high. Recruiting and retaining high school students has been a problem since the program began. We feel, however, that by working with these younger high-needs students, we are not only helping them in school now, but hopefully, we are giving them skills and experience that will keep out of trouble as they get older.

We thank all of our volunteers and well wishers and want them to know that they are really appreciated.

Our award-winning “Teens on TASC” Teen After-School Center is accepting employment applications for the new school year!  Teens on TASC will be hiring one Director and one Coordinator for the 2011-2012 academic year.  If you love kids, have good group management skills, and have a desire to help our next generation, fill out an application!  You can view the position descriptions and download/print the application here.

“Teens on TASC” (“TASC” stands for “Teen After-School Center”) is an after-school program designed to meet the needs of Columbia’s young people.  In 2007, Community CME Church and Ebenezer Lutheran Church came together to create an after-school program in the Eau Claire community of Columbia.  Through support from both churches and the Friends of Juvenile Justice, “Teens on TASC” provides students with homework help, field trips, martial arts lessons, health & wellness information, and more–and it’s all FREE!

“Teens on TASC” is housed at Community CME Church, 4317 Ridgewood Avenue, in the heart of the Eau Claire community.  The program is open to students of all ages.  If you are interested in enrolling your child in the program, please contact Mrs. Queen Bonaparte, Director, at qbonaparte@communitycme.org.