Empowerment Center for Children, Youth & Families (501(c)3)
The Empowerment Center for Children, Youth & Families (ECCYF) serves as the 501(c)3 funding arm for LAUNCH. Formerly the Park Place Child Life Center, Inc. (PPCLC) 2004-2021, was renamed the Empowerment Center for Children Youth and Families in 2021. PPCLC was a community empowerment organization positioned to offer programming to support children in the area of fine arts and literacy. Primarily serving the inner-city community of Park Place Norfolk, PPCLC has been honored and humbled to serve children found in some of the most difficult situations for many years.
Given recent visionary changes in leadership and direction, The Empowerment Center now seeks to support Children and Youth and Families in a broader capacity, with broader cooperative-based staffing and with broader programming. Among many goals, we aim to assist children with reading deficits and homework, and to provide social and spiritual support in both social-distancing formats and virtual formats.
Our programming aids Children, Youth and Families in their efforts to sustain a healthy home, a healthy school year and a healthy community. In light of the negative impacts of COVID-19, the healthy balance of home, school and community has been further jeopardized. In what was already severely strained in at-risk minority communities, children, youth, and families are suffering setbacks at alarming rates. Our cooperative (of hundreds of volunteers, a dozen partnering organizations, and 2 staff members) is ready now more than ever to provide the additional emergency support to assist children, youth, and families with making better homes, schools, and communities – one child and parent at a time.
Recent Accomplishments
During the COVID19 Pandemic, PPCLC was able to meet its long-term goal of moving its fine arts education program to a sustainable organization for that purpose, ForKids. Resources and a lead artist from PPCLC transferred to ForKids to help initiate its Arts Elevates program targeted to over 150 children from South Hampton Roads experiencing homelessness.
Also during the pandemic, the PPCLC 501(c)(3) entity was renamed ECCYF and repurposed to support the LAUNCH (Learning, Access, Unity, Nutrition, Careers and Health) collaborative. LAUNCH has been active in the Park Place neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia since 2016 sponsoring an annual large attendance resource fair and other events to bring awareness of resources in its six focus areas to families in need.
Due to the need for social distancing, LAUNCH pivoted its annual large fair and events to more frequent distribution of resources. Up to 2000, the annual community mega-fair attracted 3,000 to 5,000 families. Back to School and Christmas events served approximately 600 families. In summer and spring 2020 LAUNCH began weekly distribution of groceries, household essentials, hygiene aids, personal protective gear, ready to eat meals, take home art kits supported by virtual tutoring and literacy materials. Distribution frequency was changed to semi-monthly in fall 2020 and continues monthly through 2021. During summer 2021 three mini fairs were held during monthly distributions. The mini fairs featured fitness (June), jobs (July) and back to school (August). ECCYF supported the annual LAUNCH summer camp for 10 weeks, serving over 200 children. LAUNCH Team Churches continued to offer individual family counseling and support. Daily afterschool reading and tutoring is underway in the fall of 2021.
Situational Factors – Explain both the opportunities and challenges currently facing the applicant organization.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and budget constraints, the city-funded Park Place Recreational Center is currently closed permanently. As a result, the Park Place Community is without after-school, literacy and recreational support for children, youth and families. As such, children have extremely limited opportunities to receive social, academic and recreational support outside of the school day. This void can have a tremendous and detrimental impact upon children’s emotional health, physical health, self-esteem and overall well-being.
The Empowerment Center for Children, Youth and Families (ECCYF) is responding to this crisis to with daily after school and weekend COVID pandemic recovery.
ECCYF is well positioned organizationally to leverage a broad range of volunteer talent to implement its mission. However, ECCYF needs financial stimulus.
Overall Goal
The overall goal of the Empowerment Center for Children Youth and Families (ECCYF) is an expanded out-of-school programming to help elementary school age children reach full potential for successful secondary high school achievement and prepare to be responsible adults.
ECCYF plans to sustain and expand out-of-school programs for: Sentara Scholars, daily after school program; the Saturday Academy weekend recreation themed early career exposure, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math), mentoring and athletics; and Sunday Funday cultural field trips, faith training and family enrichment.
For Staffing
The target population is families of elementary school children from grades K-5 residing in or with ties to the Park Place Community of Norfolk.
The target families are predominately African American with incomes below 200 percent of current Federal poverty guidelines.
Students from the target families participating in the proposed ECCYF out-of-school programming are experiencing academic progress below average grade level expectations of the Virginia Department of Education Standards of Learning.
Target families are challenged by multi-job employment or unemployment, as well as limited access to health care.
Listed below are a few of the organizations who partner with the LAUNCH Team.
LEARNING
- Project Light, Inc.
- Freedom Schools, LLC
- Park Place School, Inc.
- Oasis Christian Academy
- Bridge Camp
- Youth Outreach Urban Resources Services Ministry (YOURS)
ACCESS
- Our Dreams, LLC.
- Norfolk Public Transit
UNITY
- The Christian Broadcasting Network
- The Bridge of Faith Family Church
- Victorious Living Church of God In Christ
- Second Presbyterian Church
- Immanuel Presbyterian Church
- Big House Church
NUTRITION
- Operation Blessing
- Mercy Chefs
- Feed My Sheep Folks
- Smoked Biscuit Inc. Food Concession
CAREER
- Norfolk Works
HEALTH
- St. Columba Ecumenical Ministries, Inc.
The following are some of the many resource providers brought to LAUNCH events:
- Norfolk Public Health Department
- Norfolk Public Transit Department
- Bike Norfolk
- Leaque of American Bicyclists
- Norfolk Police Department
Board of Directors
- Rev. Joseph McDaniel, Jr. ~ President and CEO
- Rev. Nathan Butler ~ Vice President
- Mrs. Sherri Crawford-Wells ~ Secretary
- Mr. Anton D. White ~ Treasurer
- CAPT William E. Armstrong ~ Director
- Ms. Cheryl Doles ~ Director
- Ms. Oneika Loudon ~ Director
- Mr. David J. Klemt ~ President Emeritus
Key Staff
- Mrs. Latisha McDaniel ~ Education Director
- Mr. Christopher W. Snyder ~ Program Coordinator
- Mr. Joseph (Joe) N. Morgan ~ Administrator (volunteer)
Our Testimonials
It’s a spiritual awakening by y’all coming outside of the church to support communities because it shows the church ain’t just the church, the church offers a helping hand in the time of need. I’m a grown man…
In order for us to build relationships with our families – our community, we have to be present to show that we really do care for the children and we care for the whole family. And so events…
I like the gathering of the community coming together and becoming one – we are family and we can all do something to help each other and this is a great community event!
My favorite part of this event today is the bounce house, the food and Gizmo…and Superbook! I like that it tells you about what God does when you’re in need of help.