News

When Andria and her sons left Dallas in 2018, she was desperate but determined. To earn money for her trip, she donated plasma for $54, then packed up her sons and belongings, and hit the road. A good Samaritan at a New Mexico truck stop, sensing the seriousness of her predicament, gave her $280 and bought the family food and gas.

In Seattle, she faced a three-day waiting period for shelter housing. There, a case worker also helped her find a job at a grocery store and enrolled the boys in school.  “The shelter was helpful and stressful at the same time,” Andria recalled. “My boys were scared and missed their family and friends. Months went by and we finally learned we were on the list to find permanent housing, but first we had to undergo a housing assessment.”

There was a lot riding on the assessment interview. A Seattle CARES team member attended the meeting with Andria and helped her understand and respond to the questions. It worked: Andria and her family moved into an apartment and started receiving other services as well.

Andria wanted her children to participate in The Rising because she knew the skills they would learn would help her boys understand and prepare for life’s challenges. She was delighted when her sons were assigned a mentor, as well.

“The impact I’ve seen since my children were assigned a mentor is amazing,” Andria said. “Phillip takes time out of his busy schedule to visit my children or takes them to do something special, spending one or two hours with them each week. He’s been a role model, letting them know when they’ve done something inappropriate. I see more determination in my children since Phillip entered their lives.”

Andria’s sons, both enrolled at Meany Middle School, have participated in The Rising since they arrived in Seattle in 2018. Last spring, when The Rising sessions moved online, Through a partnership with InterConnections, Seattle CARES provided the family with a laptop, Internet and WiFi access. Additional support, such as gift cards for groceries and supplies, was provided by 4-C Coalition.

But it was not just the children who benefited. Andria also gets weekly support from the Seattle CARES team. It might be a home visit or simply a telephone call but the regular outreach makes a difference.

“Racism is embedded in our day-to-day lives,” she said, “and these programs offer a place where we can let off steam or ask questions. For my sons, having a mentor makes a big impact. Children need someone outside the home to keep encouraging and guiding them. The Rising program is good for them. Their grades are good because their mentor makes sure they keep up with their school work.”

For now, Andria is grateful that her move to Seattle offered the support she needed and a new start for her family.

Sometimes, just having a safe space to share, vent and heal without being judged is worth its weight in gold. That’s true for LeChelle, a Metro bus driver, who participates in regular community wellness circles, part of Seattle CARES’ Positive Family Connections. This program, funded by King County, was designed to help parents, primarily moms, de-stress, share problems and work on healing themselves.

LeChelle values her participation in the virtual meetings each week. “I look forward to discussing the topic at hand,” she said. “The platform provides a judgment-free space where I can share my thoughts without being given advice. It feels good just to be heard.”

LeChelle’s son Evan (photo, right) takes part in another Seattle CARES program, The Rising, aimed at middle school students. Evan has been a Rising scholar at Seattle’s Denny International Middle School for two-and-one-half years and LeChelle has seen the “tremendous impact” the program has had on her son. “It has helped him stay on track and keep his grades up so he can receive all the incentives offered,” she said. “He has become more accountable and more comfortable reaching out and asking for help. I hope to see him gain even more confidence in himself and to mature.”

A recent report showed the value of participating in The Rising. In a study conducted by the Bethune Institute this past school year, researchers found that 92 percent of students in Seattle CARES’ The Rising program had increased self-confidence. Racial identity and racial pride also improved as did social and emotional intelligence. The Rising is supported by King County’s Best Starts for Kids program.

When Seattle CARES transitioned to a virtual format in the spring of 2020 because of the spread of Covid-19, additional support was needed to make sure no families were left behind. Seattle CARES turned to its partners, 4-C Coalition and InterConnections, to help out. “Transitioning to the video conferencing this spring was unexpected but made possible by the technology my family received through the program,” said LeChelle. “All we had to do was turn it on and we were able to connect. The virtual sessions were amazing. They were fun and it was great for my son to see his classmates on a weekly basis. They really kept him engaged!”

LeChelle has had such a good experience with Seattle CARES that she hopes to have a mentor assigned to work one-on-one with her son soon.

Seattle CARES Mentoring Movement recently received a grant from the Washington Youth Development Nonprofit Relief Fund, administered by the Washington State Department of Commerce and School’s Out Washington.

The grant acknowledges the financial and programmatic challenges faced by Seattle CARES and other youth development organizations during the coronavirus pandemic. Not only did Seattle CARES have to move quickly during the spring of 2020 to adapt its youth mentoring program, The Rising, to an online platform when Seattle Public Schools closed its in-person classes, but it also had to arrange for laptops and computers for youth who did not have them and help families get internet access.

“We reached out to our community partners to supply computer equipment, financial and technical support,” said Seattle CARES Executive Director Don Cameron. “If families needed rent support or food, we linked them up with agencies that could help. We were determined not to let our students or families down.”

When the school year resumed in September, Seattle CARES added a weekly online tutoring session to provide The Rising students with additional support in math, science and language arts as well as provide tips on how to study more productively and how to take tests. The Rising is a three-year mentoring program for boys enrolled in Denny International and Meany middle schools.

Seattle CARES goes beyond just serving youth; it also reaches brothers and sisters and parents, too. For families with older children struggling academically or socially, Seattle CARES now offers an online high school group-mentoring program that meets twice a month and targets young men and women in grades 8-12. Regular wellness circles to support moms, dads or other family members are offered remotely, as well.

In all, the Washington Youth Development Nonprofit Relief Fund awarded $9.4 million to 421 youth development organizations across the state, focusing on groups that serve priority and at-risk populations. Award amounts ranged from $10,000 to $50,000.

This week, Seattle CARES and some of its partner agencies are launching tutoring sessions for core subject areas for students in its Rising program, a three-year group mentoring program that works with about 45 boys enrolled at Meany and Denny International middle schools.

Tutoring is one of the additional services young people themselves say they need, particularly during the pandemic, according to a recent article in The Seattle Times. In the Road Map Project, a youth-led survey to improve education in South King County, The SeattleTimes reports that students requested tutors, more individualized learning opportunities and more support from adults they trust – all elements of The Rising program.

Read the full Seattle Times article.