Against The Grain

We have been very busy over the last couple of weeks.  We started with an evening of Laser Chase and pizza with the boys and mentors (thank you Dave and Adam at Laser Chase for donating the games).  6 boys with 6 men had a great time shooting each other and then stuffing ourselves with pizza.  Last weekend we had 4 different activities.  Friday night started with a community group from Fellowship Bible Church which held a party at a home in Westhaven for the moms and their kids.  Saturday a group from Brentwood Baptist came and played at the park with the kids while the moms went to a women's event at Fourth Avenue Church.  We had over 60 kids and 25 volunteers in the park playing kickball, basketball, making gift bags for their moms and walking around the pond.  We ended Sunday night at Let It Shine Gymnastics (thanks Let It Shine for opening up your building for free).  The youth group from Fourth Avenue Church came and once again we had pizza, drinks and a lot of fun.  Sorry to all for not getting out the prayer list like I should have…as you can see we have been very busy.  Monday, May 5 we will have a picnic in Strahl park to end our schoolyear with Reach & Teach.  Last year we had somewhere around 150 volunteers and kids show up.  If you are intersted in coming, please contact Meredith at the office of email her at meredith@atghope.org. 

Friday Night in Westhaven

Saturday in the Park (Sounds like a Chicago song frm the 70"s)

Sunday night at Let it Shine

As many of you know, it was 5 years ago we started AtG.  Remembering back to April of 2003, we hired Shareta to work for Meredith 5 years ago because she couldn't get enough hours at her other job and we were watching her  boys most nights and every weekend.  Helping her with a weekday job gave her time to begin to add much needed structure to her family.  Today, we have her oldest (he had to be picked up at school because of a sore throat) so that Shareta can stay in school.  She will be graduating this fall with a degree as an Office Medical Specialist. 

Check back again for more updates.

Several weeks ago 2 men approached me and said "you all do a lot of stuff for the moms, but you don't offer anything for us".  I was a little suprised because I had never even thought about it.  After working through some of the details, we agreed to take them through our Job's for Life curriculum.  Last night, we had a celebration as these 2 men were the first to graduate from an AtG class offered to men.  In honor of their efforts, J. Alexander's provided a dinner with the students and their mentors (it was awesome, Steak Maui is my favorite).  These two men have requested additional training in other subjects and there are other men in the community who have shown an interest in taking classes as well.  I keep thinking that we don't work with men, but I am reminded of the old adage "as go the men…so goes the community".  So maybe we do need to rethink the idea of a Men's Program.  Please keep us in prayer as we consider how we will proceed with the men and continue to impact the community.

When a new non-profit begins, the IRS reviews their purpose and provides a "temporary" approval as a not-for-profit.  After 5 years the organization is required to send the IRS financial information and legal documents to support that they are, in fact, fulfilling their purpose and are supported by a broad donor base.  Today, we received the official letter from the IRS and we have been granted permanent status and a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.  Thanks to all of you for your constant support and we look forward to partnering with you in the future as we continue to change family trees…one life at a time.

The Nashville Predators have partnered with Against the Grain again this year by providing funds for Freedom School.  Freedom School is the summer program for Reach & Teach.  It is 5 weeks long and the 50 kids (Kindergarten - 8th grade) will complete a curriculum that focuses on Reading, History, Conflict Resolution, Leadership and Community Responsibility.  There are several organizations supporting this effort.  Christ Community Church, Brentwood Baptist, Harpeth Hills Church of Christ, 4th Avenue Church of Christ and now the Nashville Predators.  The cost for a child to attend this program is $200/wk or $1,000 for the summer.  This includes 2 meals a day, crafts, field trips and all the staff and volunteers.  If you are interested in providing a scholarship for a child, click on the "Getting Involved" link and then "Donate Now".  In the memo section on PayPal please indicate that you are interested in sponsoring a child. 

Easter Sunday morning I woke and laid in bed for a few minutes thinking about what the day ahead would hold.  A special church service, a large dinner with extended family and an afternoon of catching up with friends and relatives I haven't seen in months.  This was not just a normal Sunday morning.  This was Easter.  While thinking through the day ahead it hit me…today is the 23rd of March.  Why does that day stick out in my mind.  I thought for a couple of minutes and it hit me.  March 23, 2003.  That was the day that Meredith came home from a womens retreat and told me the story of the single mother she had spent the weekend with.  That was the day that I ran down stairs and wrote out the plan for the 180 program.  That was the night that we met with the single mother and offered to provide a support system around her to help her achieve her dreams in life.  That was the day that Against the Grain began!  THIS WAS OUR 5 YEAR ANNIVERSAY!!!!  
Easter Sunday ended up having a very special meaning for Meredith and I.  We have spent the last few days talking through the last 5 years.  We have talked about how we started in a 9 x 11 office in our basement and today we have 1450 sq ft, a tutoring center and a training room provided by 4th Ave. Church…there was the picnic in the park with the first 9 moms and their children and now we work with 50 - 75 moms at a time and over 150 children…there have been successes and failures.  Through it all we have been blessed by the constant support and encouragement of over 400 partners who provide the resources to make AtG possible.  
Over the next few weeks we will be recounting some of the memories of the last 5 years.  Check back often and take a walk down memory lane with us.