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AmeriCorps volunteer Justine Furbeck reads to Ariella Lewis, 2, during The University Church after-school program at Reynolds Elementary School in Toledo.
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Church’s after-school program wins statewide recognition

The Blade/Lori King

Church’s after-school program wins statewide recognition

Children’s Hunger Alliance honors University Church

Tiffany Ways works for the University Church in West Toledo, “but if you go to the church, you will never, ever find me. I’m always here,” at Reynolds Elementary School, she said.

She is the University Church’s school program director, and “I’m always [at Reynolds] doing some things with our families.”

Except Sundays, noted a member of a knitting and crocheting group at the school.

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One of those “things” she’s doing at Reynolds is an after-school program, for which, in February, the United Methodist church received an award from the Children’s Hunger Alliance, which provides meals for the program, which serves 80.

“They nominate after-school programs in the different regions,” Ms. Ways said, “and our after-school program was nominated in this region and we won the after-school program of the year for the state.”

“They run a flawless meal program,” the award citation stated in the bulletin for the Feb. 25 awards ceremony in Columbus, which also marked the 20th anniversary of the Children’s Hunger Alliance. “They strive to make feeding the children in their program a priority rather than a chore.”

The University Church’s after-school program, started in 2013, meets until 5:30 p.m. and gives tutoring and homework help; physical fitness, art projects, and social and emotional learning; and dinner. Two days a week it’s for kindergarten through grade 3; the other two days, for grades 4 through 8.

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“It’s a wonderful opportunity for our students to have a safe place to go where they can continue their education and get that extra support that they need after school hours,” said Reynolds’ principal, Julie Gault.

“I like it because we get to hang out with our friends,” said Anthony Johnson, a sixth-grader. “They help us with our homework. If we have problems in school, they will talk to us about that.

“They let us know how to become friends, how to be nice,” he continued, and “when it’s time to leave a problem alone and if somebody’s messing with you, just to leave them and walk away. Be the bigger person.”

Colletta Miller, who was in the knitting circle at Reynolds and whose son Jayden is in the after-school program, said, “Most of us are single parents, and that extra help really does help. [Reynolds] is a place that we can escape to, and also learn things [about] how to better ourselves as well as our children, for their healthy growth.”

Principal Gault said the University Church also sponsors GED classes, parenting programs, and “they offer support to teach the parents about how to grow their own gardens, how to eat healthy, and providing them the resources that they may not know how to get on their own. So it’s just kind of opening those doors and showing them how to get this.”

“They’re doing so much for the parents, for the families, for the kids. My kids are so happy,” said Holly Clark, who took her GED test Thursday and is the mother of program participants Remle, Roland, and Aaliyah.

“They do everything they possibly can to put family back into the community. It’s like the biggest thing that I can say personally that hits home for me. Community is lacking family; they’re putting it right back in.”

“We have the relationship with the whole family,” Ms. Ways said. “We’re all working and we’re all walking alongside each other together.

“I absolutely love what I do here,” she added.

“These guys are totally awesome,” said school worker Diane Glanzman. “We are very blessed to have them in our school.”

Both school and church are aware of separation of church and state boundaries, “the usual question that we talk about,” Ms. Ways said.

The University Church pays Mrs. Ways and provides volunteers for the school programs, and helps with funding; the church’s school outreach is largely supported by grants.

“There's no evangelizing going on here at the school. And all of our programs that happen here, and any of our programs that happen over at the church, the families participate and it’s open to them,” Mrs. Ways said. “They’re welcome to participate, but again, it’s a free program. Anybody is welcome, everybody is welcome, and there’s no pressure.”

Toledo Public Schools “is actually inviting a lot of churches to partner with their schools,” said Mrs. Gault, “and I think that you can very easily have a cohesive balance. It’s just making sure that you’re doing what's right for the students, and I think that Tiffany and her program with the University Church does what’s right for the students.

“It’s been a really good partnership, and hopefully these partnerships will keep growing within other schools.”

Contact TK Barger @ tkbarger@theblade.com, 419-724-6278 or on Twitter @TK_Barger.

First Published March 14, 2015, 4:00 a.m.

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AmeriCorps volunteer Justine Furbeck reads to Ariella Lewis, 2, during The University Church after-school program at Reynolds Elementary School in Toledo.  (The Blade/Lori King)  Buy Image
Josh Davies, a staffer with the after-school program, plays a game with Jayden Miller, 6.  (The Blade/Lori King)  Buy Image
Colletta Miller, right, knits a scarf. From left is program volunteer Diana Davis, and grandparent Connie Crawford.  (The Blade/Lori King)  Buy Image
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