The seed of a vision begins to sprout…
“Have you ever considered opening a new Promise Neighborhood in Maryvale?”
I’ve been asked to consider starting a Promise Neighborhood in hundreds of places over the years, so I didn’t think much of the question at the time.
I gave my usual answer of “Sure. If we had the right partner, location, staff, and funding...and if the neighborhood residents were on board...I’d love to.” Little did I know that less than 4 months later we would be launching a summer program in Maryvale!!!
Through a series of meetings, conversations, and prayers we were introduced to an amazing church partner (Unidos en una Vision) in the heart of a Maryvale neighborhood that has the highest poverty rate in the entire Cartwright School District (which serves Maryvale). Unidos en una Vision Church moved onto its new Maryvale campus near 67th Avenue and Indian School Road (west Phoenix) in October of 2021. It has a vision to reach the local neighborhood through youth and family programs. They were looking for the right partner to kick things off.
We hit it off immediately and decided to take one step at a time, asking God to confirm this decision by opening doors (or closing them). God provided summer program funding through a grant from the First Baptist Church Foundation and our Annual Golf Event (more details on that below).
The church mobilized its congregation to provide staff. Our team designed the summer program and trained the staff in record time. Church leadership recruited kids in partnership with the local school (Heatherbrae Elementary School) and neighborhood residents. The result? A summer program in Maryvale for 50 children in grades K – 6th lasting from June 20th to July 14th.
It’s happening!!! The seeds of a new Promise Neighborhood are being planted!
25 years ago, our founder, Orv Krieger, said “yes” to God at age 75 and started MentorKids. 25 years later, we seek to say “yes” to God every day as He invites us into deeper relationships with kids, families, and (new) neighborhoods.
I'm looking forward to seeing how God moves you to engage more deeply in the work He is doing through MentorKids. Thanks for being part of it.
Until next time -
Aaron Parrott, Executive Director