New van for SOAR
Many thanks to Variety of ET who graciously provided SOAR with a newer van (a 2007!). Everybody loves it, especially the kids, and we all feel safer!

We could still use one more van. We gave away our old van to a local church. They are happy to have it and it will still be serving our neighborhood!

SOAR Store items needed
Our store needs lip gloss, fingernail polish, school supplies, throw-away cameras, and toys. No toy guns please.

Our SOAR Store is a small store where our kids use SOAR Bucks they have earned to make purchases. SOAR Bucks are a means to inspire, motivate and teach the discipline of financial planning to our youth. To receive SOAR Bucks they must attend the PREP Program. PREP stands for Providing Real Educational Possibilities. It is an after-school program aimed at enabling and equipping young people for success. There are three four-hour periods per week that our 1st - 8th graders can earn their SOAR Bucks. Our kids have the opportunity to go shopping at the SOAR Store once a week.

A child receives nine SOAR Bucks when they attend a day of PREP. They may earn more SOAR Bucks by doing service projects, being a teacher’s helper, or kitchen duties. SOAR Bucks can also be taken away because of bad behavior. By going to the SOAR Store each week, the children are motivated to strive to do their best. Items purchased in the SOAR Store can be for personal use or as presents our kids can give to their family.

SOAR Volunteers needed
Would you be interested in volunteering at SOAR? We need volunteers to help in classrooms, electives, field trips, bible study, and to help prepare meals. If you can’t come the whole time it’s ok. Every little bit of your time helps out tremendously.

These children are in desperate need of your time and attention. They need to feel loved and cared about. They need to know there are good people in this world and they need people to show them there is hope for a better future than the one they can see. Their environment is heartbreaking and miserable. Violence, drugs, and shootings surround them throughout their daily lives. None of these things are new to the kids at SOAR.

Thanks to Reformed University Fellowship (RUF)
We are pleased to have many great volunteers this semester from the RUF chapter at UT. These young people have helped tremendously and are a great addition to SOAR. Thanks, Brett Harriman (RUF Leader)!

Please contact Steve Ritter (544-5881, ext. 23) for more information on becoming a volunteer.