For nine years, the East Seventh Street Center has provided direct services to youth and families in an area of Lexington with significantly low literacy and employment levels. The Center serves over 250 children, all of whom qualify for free or reduced lunches. In recent years the Center has become an anchor in the community, providing a diverse suite of programs from a variety of supporters. 

 

Kids’ Café

The Center’s most well known program, Kids’ Café, operates from 4-6 pm, Monday – Friday. During this time youth are served a hot nutritious meal prepared with love by Ms. Theresa Hardin, with food generously donated by God’s Pantry. Through this program over 120 meals per week are served to kids who are at-risk for hunger and hunger-related developmental issues. Kids’ Café is a national feeding program established by America’s Second Harvest. In addition to the East Seventh Street Center Kid’s Café, God’s Pantry sponsors the program at other sites in Lexington and throughout Eastern and Central Kentucky. 

 

The Center provides educational activities in science, math, literacy, and languages during after school hours. Activities are hands-on, and include science experiments, reading groups, theme-based jeopardy games, scavenger hunts, and collaborative art and writing activities.

 

The Center also offers individualized tutoring and drop-in homework help. Tutors are recruited from local universities, trained and matched one-on-one with students from several schools: Johnson, Arlington, Harrison, LTMS, Bryan Station High School, and Booker T. Washington Academy. The staff works with the schools, teachers, and parents to enhance classroom instruction with a structured tutoring curriculum, individualized for each student.

 

The Lexington Public Library continues to support literacy at the Center with weekly story hours. Sherry Baker will be visiting with us on Wednesday afternoons and facilitating a 6-week music and literacy program.  She will engage the kids in some hands-on experience with various instruments along with sharing books focusing on music.  At the end of the course, the Lexington Philharmonic Instrument Petting Zoo will come and visit the center.

 

Through a generous contribution in memory of Robert Kolpek, the Kolpek Computer Lab provides access to modern computers connected to high-speed internet. Equipped with Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, educational software, laser printer, scanner, and photo printer, the lab is the only public access computer facility currently in the area. It is used by parents for job searches, email, and training, and by children for homework, games, and educational software. Students have access to online tutors in a variety of subjects and languages at Tutor.com, made possible locally by the Lexington Public Library.

 

Through partnerships between the East Seventh Street Center and the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning, the Living Arts & Science Center, and the Explorium of Lexington, our participants can take classes and workshops and explore diverse interests at these other establishments at no cost.

 

Ten youth canoed down the Elkhorn River in Frankfort, KY with help from the Inner City Outings Group of the local Sierra Club. This group also provided field trips for Center participants to Red River Gorge, Raven Run, Salado Wildlife Center, and Carter Caves. Approximately 30 youth saw Southern Lights at the Kentucky Horse Park during the holiday season with the generous support of the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation. Hundreds of children had access to the only free city pool at Douglass Park. Twenty-two youth went to the Nicholasville Aquatic Center for a day of swimming and fun. Ten youth participated in Educational Activities every other Monday this summer at the Carnegie Center. Ten youth attended free movies every other Monday this summer at the Lexington Public Library. The summer weekly walking trips to the downtown area, neighborhood parks, businesses and agencies helped youth become aware of resources in their community and enjoy the numerous water fountains.

 

The Center held its first fish fry in July to raise money to take our children on a field trip to the Zoo. With the support of MSPC and Gods’ Pantry, the Center offers a variety of seasonal events including a Halloween party, Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas Dinner, and Christmas Gift Shop. With the help of the United Unitarian Church of Lexington, Gods Pantry, and MSPC, we are able to provide a monthly birthday party for the participants at the Center. Cake is usually donated by God’s Pantry. Ice cream, however, is more difficult to consistently obtain. Jan Scribner of the Mission Committee has been leading the program to provide ice cream for each monthly birthday party. If you would like to provide ice cream or donate money for one of the monthly birthday parties, please contact Jan Scribner. (See Mission Directory for contact information.) 

 

Community residents continue to support and help operate the Center through employment opportunities and the East Seventh Street Advisory Board. Marie Eldridge, Helen Eldridge, Sue Eldridge, Theresa Hardin, Tina Bellew, and Sheila Stanley have given countless hours of their time to support the mission of the Center, as program staff and as advisory board members. The board meets the second Tuesday of every other month at 6:15 PM onsite. We are seeking board members to help develop support and strategic partnerships. If you are interested in supporting the mission of the Center, this is an excellent opportunity and only requires 5 hours per month. Orientation and training are provided.