BLAST Youth Center

A NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDER

IT'S AMAZING WHAT WE CAN DO WHEN WE COME TOGETHER!!!!

As a product of a before and after school, I have very fond memories.  At the age of 11, my family and I migrated from the Island of Jamaica.   As you can imagine, I was both happy and afraid.  Happy because I am now living in the United States but afraid because I had no idea what awaits me at the new school I would attend.  I remember that my siblings and I were welcomed by some of our classmates and, yet, some were not as welcoming.    However, we were fortunate to attend a before and after school program where we were welcomed by not only the staff but our peers.  This is where we received the foundation to grow through knowledgeable programs and exciting skill sets that we otherwise would not have had the privilege to participate in.  Today, I still reminisce on my time spent at the center.  I often find myself conveying these memories to my children, friends and loved ones and thinking "one day, I will have a center of my own".  I love what it stands for -- a place where children are educated to become well rounded individuals.   I believe that a good foundation is where it starts and that a child with a good foundation will always remember what they learned.  Increasing center availability is very important because there are so many children who are looking for just one person to show an interest in them -- someone who is willing to give them that foundation.  

Today, more than ever, our children are in need of before and after school programming and parents are looking for a place where they know their children are safe and learning.  Below is the staggering data showing why most children cannot attend a center:

• Ø  1,607,533 kids in New York would participate in an after-school program if one were available to them (66%).
• Ø  340,053 kids are on their own during the hours after school in New York.
• Ø  32% of children in afterschool are from low income households
• Ø  49% lack of available programs
• Ø  58% of parents say that the programs are too expensive

BLAST Youth Center is a before and after school program incorporated to offer enrichment programs for children from low-income families, ages 6 to 13.  It  will offer an array of activities (i.e., arts and crafts, homework help, games, etc.) and disciplined programs, such as Health Awareness, Etiquette, Creative Arts, Mentoring and Financial Awareness.   It will also offer a summer program which will include trips, games, community service, outdoor activities, etc.  BLAST believes that every child deserves a good foundation.  Therefore, its motto is:  "Train up a child in the way he or she should go; and when he or she is old, they will not depart from it:. Proverbs 22:6

In addition to providing needed niche service of enrichment programs, and serve as an affordable day care provider with extended care hours for working parents, BLAST will:

• Improve educational benefits of the students that it serves.
• Improve social skills of the students that it serves.
• Improve health of the students that it serves.
• Inspire friendships, social skills, career development and promoting life's accomplishments to our children.
• Empower our youth and teach them the foundation of how to be a model citizen - through education, humility, love, respect and peace.
• Nurture and give the youth an environment filled with respect and knowledge they can carry with them throughout their lives.

Our center is here for you. We are working hard to be a useful  and resourceful tool for our community. Have any ideas or skills that you feel would be beneficial for the children?  Please let us know!  Send us an email  at jackie@blastyouthcenter.org.

BLAST'S acronym means BUILDING LIVES AROUND SOUND TRUTH, so why don't you join BLAST in the fight to build our children's future by donating.  The funds will be used to purchase the needed equipment and supplies for the programs we offer.  Now, more than ever, is the time for us to take back our communities and empower our children because they are the future.  We can't accomplish our goals without the help of supporters like you.  

COME HAVE A BLAST!!!