1. Breanna Sommers, Summer Service Fellowship, Agape Child and Family Services
I spent this summer at Agape. Our goal is to
build stronger families and neighborhoods. Our
partnership with the Achievement School
District provides mentorship and wrap around
services to students in Frayser. Wrap around
services are considered to be community
services, interventions, and interpersonal
support to aid students from underdeveloped
communities in their non-academic needs.
I picked Agape because I wanted to see a
complete picture of wrap around services and
gain insight into the best practices of
development, programming, and delivery. I also
wanted to see two organizations collaborating
and effectively coordinating ground level
solutions and implementation to support
underserved families.
My roles in Agape varied drastically, but I
think that deepened my experience with the
organization and gave me a realistic look at the
non-profit sector. I developed, implemented,
and evaluated a literacy program for two
neighborhood summer enrichment camps. I
created a Frayser specific resource guide for
Connectors based on helpful partnerships and
connections. I created and complied a student
survey based on their likes and dislike about
their communities. I presented research based
practices on improving school attendance to
staff.
My definition of service now includes the
word "servant." The word 'service' can be
misleading. As a Christian organization, Agape
embraces the word servant through the Bible
with a positive connotation. Before SSF I
would hesitate to ever use the word servant or
service in work with neglected neighborhoods.
I now see the value in both words it motivates
Agape to steadfastly pursue economic and
social justice.
Non-profit work is messy, wonderful, life-
changing, and soul searching work. Emphasis on
the the word work. No two days looked similar
and many of my projects evolved over time. My
favorite moments were playing with the
awesome kids in the Raleigh and Frayser
neighborhoods. Our Connectors are asked to fix
emergencies and change lives on a daily basis
and they pull off such a daunting task with
relative ease. My relationships with my
coworkers make all of the bumps much easier to
move forward.
I now consider Raleigh, Frayser, Whitehaven,
and Hickory Hill as communities that are a part of
Memphis. Before working with Agape, I had no
idea that they were major contributors to
Memphis' history, economy, and social fabric.
What do we do? What did I do? How did it work out?