The Colorado Trust

After-School Initiative

What started off as a small component of Washington Elementary School's after-school program has blossomed into an award-winning and growing service learning program. The students who take part in Cañon City's Project L.E.A.D. (Leadership, Education and Advancement for student Development) after-school service-learning program were named Colorado's Outstanding Youth Group for the 2004 National Philanthropy Day.

With many of his classmates on stage at the awards ceremony in Denver, 11-year-old Connor Levin ticked off a long-list of their accomplishments: cleaning up Cañon City's River Walk, using the collected trash to create a Christmas tree for the Community Art Center, making Easter baskets for residents of the local senior center, putting on a talent show for the seniors, volunteering at a soup kitchen and collecting $4,000 for an orphanage in Nepal. The students learned of the extreme need for food and clothing at the orphanage after exchanging pen-pal letters with students in Nepal. "Helping people makes me feel better about myself," said Levia. "It also gives me a different view of the world - one of giving and not receiving. It makes me grateful for what I have that others don't."

Project L.E.A.D. is one of 32 grantees under The Colorado Trust's five-year After-School Initiative. The $11 million initiative, which concludes this year, serves children between fourth and ninth grades across Colorado. The various programs provide youth with social and recreational skill-building, such as leadership development, mentoring, sports activities, academic support and development of computer skills.

The students who participate in the service-learning group "learn to be independent thinkers and become aware of the community around them. They also gain public speaking, planning and organizational skills that will help them in their future schooling and careers," said Jessica Evans, Project L.E.A.D. Supervisor.

Collectively, the Cañon City youth brainstorm and vote on the service projects they will take on. For projects to be approved, they must provide a service, involve some type of learning and strive to empower the people they're helping. The students meet one day a week to work on their projects. "There is some oversight by the teachers, but the kids really do most of it," said Evans. "They plan all aspects of the projects, make arrangements and do the work. And they learn from their mistakes. One time they forgot to reserve a bus for one of their projects and they ended up walking all the way there. They never forgot to reserve the bus after that!"

The students, whom Evans calls "simply amazing and inspiring," are working hard now to raise money for the Southeast Asia tsunamis victims. They also have plans to raise money for victims of the 2004 Florida hurricanes, hold an art show for senior citizens and aid soldiers in Iraq.

"I have seen so many of the students bloom in this program," said Evan. "I'm excited about the difference we can continue to make for the kids and the community."