Middle school – the 4th, 5th and 6th grades – can be a challenging time.
“It is a real transitional age for kids,” Candice Drechsler said. She will be offering a free after-school program Children In Action (CIA) for students in that age group on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the United Methodist Church. “This program will encourage kids to explore, pray, talk, share ideas, and celebrate their triumphs.”
Drechsler moved to Eureka Springs in April from Iowa. She ran a similar CIA program in Iowa that proved to be very popular.
“When I first started it several years ago in Iowa, a few kids came,” she said. “They got so excited about it they brought their friends. And then their friends brought their friends. It was just kind of a cool place to come.”
The program starts Sept. 18. Transportation will be provided from the Eureka Springs School District and Clear Spring School to the UMC, 195 Huntsville Road (Hwy. 23 South). All children will receive snacks and, in addition to organized activities, will have free time to play games, work on crafts, do puzzles or complete homework.
There will also be a mentoring program where the older kids, sixth graders, will be helping younger students with any subjects they are struggling with.
“That works really well because the students who are having trouble with something get the help they need, and it also helps the person giving the help build up their self-worth and self-esteem,” Drechsler said. “After the activities, we settle in for a discussion. What this does is allow kids to open up about things that may be on their hearts at the time. They know it is a safe place to talk about things that may be bothering them. We also are going to be concentrating on some community projects.”
Drechsler said her purpose for the program is to make sure these children know they are loved, are appreciated and matter. Another goal is to help them to understand they pay a big part in making our world a better place.
Helping with the program will be Drechsler’s nephew, Hawk Slane, a senior at Clear Spring School.
“Hawk said the children from different schools often don’t really know each other,” Drechsler said. “This is a good opportunity for kids from different schools to get together, share their interests and form new friendships.”
Registration forms are available at the UMC between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays. For more information, call Drechsler at (515) 368-1012.
Sincere thanks to Candice for doing this. And much appreciation to my home church, the First United Methodist Church of Eureka Springs. Community outreach is a major part of our mission field. This program is another example of how communities need to look after and take care of each other.