2024 CAC Board of Directors
Clif Woodman, Board Chair
Lucy Hall, Vice Chair
Mike Boyd, Secretary
Robin Long, Treasurer
Mark Emerson, Board Governance Chair
Matt Cowman
Tom Firasek
Randy Mead
Kempton Turner
2024 CAC Team
Dr. Jeffrey Williams, Executive Director
Leslie Smith, Director of Operations & CFO
Parker Tilley, Director of Development & Communications
Mike Wiedman, Program Director
Joyce Crawford
Lisa Floore
Maggie Helm
Renaldo Helm
Talexia Johnson
Alexes Neal
Lydia Neal
Archie Parker
Karcia Robins
Kendra Smith
Go! International
Greetings, friends of CAC!
A Message from the Executive Director Dr. Jef Williams
I am blessed to be entering my fifth year as the executive director of the Christian Activity Center One thing that truly stands out is God’s faithfulness - faithful in the sense that He continues to provide that which the CAC needs in order to serve our children in East St. Louis.
Your prayers, presence, and financial provisions demonstrate your faithfulness and allow us to provide a safe space for our children to grow and develop their individual and unique gifts in spite of the daily challenges they face Some of these challenges include limited resources, uncertainty, political landscape, and other environmental forces that impact the welfare of this community.
It is for these reasons that we make it our mission “To embrace kids with the love of Christ and equip them to thrive.” The kids at the CAC are resilient and bright. They are hopeful and excited about what the future holds. With your continued support, we aim to keep that excitement alive and to bring their dreams to fruition The 2024 Survey of Academic & Youth Outcomes (SAYO) showed that the majority of the participants found CAC programming engaging and enjoyable. In addition, they reported having positive and supportive relationships with our staff. These are the results we hoped for.
It makes me smile knowing that we are meeting their needs and helping them dream big. Our kids dream of being teachers, carpenters, community activists, lawyers and so forth. They want to give back to their community As a matter of fact, a few CAC alumni have made their dreams a reality by serving as members on the CAC staff. Their life experiences convey to our kids that they too can give back and make a positive difference.
You have made a positive difference which is reflected in this annual report. As such, I thank you from the depths of my heart. I believe greater things will happen in 2025 because of what we know in 1 Thessalonians 5:24: “He who call us is faithful, and he will surely do it ”
2024 - 2026 Strategic Plan
We invested a great deal of time envisioning the next few years for CAC - and we couldn’t be more excited for the path we’re on!
Mission
To embrace kids with the loveof Christ and equip them to thrive
Academically
Physically
Spiritually
Emotionally
Vision
Healthy alumni transforming their communities
Core Values
Our core values are centered on our relationship with Christ
Love Excellence Character Resilient
Community Focused
Goal One: Deliver High Quality Programs
Survey youth to determine what programs they want and need most, giving them strong examples of what opportunities are available
Expand partnerships to broaden activities and opportunities
Develop a Performance and Quality Improvement system and use it to enhance the programs
Utilize staff mentorships and partnerships to increase high quality ongoing education and training to develop staff and volunteers
Develop property with stakeholders to expand capacity for child development programs
Goal Two: Ensure Financial Growth and Sustainability
Review and evaluate fund development and communication processes to use those results to develop the fundraising plan
Diversify giving and build a robust communications plan with individual and corporate donors, church and governmental relationships, grants, legacy and planned giving, campaigns and appeals, board engagement, and fundraising events
Generate funding and resources to sustain 12 program staff in support of 120 CAC members attending regularly
Recruit, train, and empower development staff, board, and volunteers
Goal Three: Increase Membership Enrollment and Retention
Learn more about community’s youth and families through surveys, listening sessions, and focus groups to inspire activites and drive program offerings
Grow both specialized and general volunteer support to offer diversified program activities aligned with the interest of children
Bring awareness to Allsup’s Tuition Assistance Program as a membership benefit
Goal Four:
Increase Visibility in the Community
Leadership, staff, alums, and stakeholders create a network of personal relationships and provide stories to those who have influence with the children, thereby sharing success stories on what God is doing at CAC
Bring community and stakeholders together with a meeting or event to share successes, including local churches, businesses, school administrators, directors, teachers, and youth pastors
Participate in community events and community service projects with students and members
Establish and promote Alumni Connections program to transform our community
Presentedby NorthwesternMutual FairviewHeights
Thank you to all of our sponsors and golfers!
Gold Sponsors
Allsup
LoweryBenefitServices
NorthwesternMutualFairviewHeights
Steven&ArleneKing
Silver Sponsors
C5T Corporation
Steven & Arlene King
Bronze Sponsors
BabitzFinancialGroup
BrianTieman-NorthwesternMutual
ColemanFinancial
EmpennageWealthManagement
GrossFinancialGroup
KellerWilliamsMarquee
MetroEastIndustries
OxycareMedicalSupply
UNCOMN
WallburgBaptistChurch
Join Us: The 18th Annual Golf for a Brighter Future tournament will be held in Summer 2025! Stay tuned for further details!
For more information or to become a sponsor, contact Parker Tilley (parker.tilley@cacesl.org).
Programming Highlights
Our programming accomplishments give us so much to be proud of in 2024!
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is taught to all of our K12 students. SEL is a vital part of education and human development. It enables students to develop trusting and collaborative relationships, manage their emotions, respect others, and make responsible decisions.
We continue to witness our students grow in the areas of STEM with our partner Go! International. The SOAR into STEM with Wings of Hope program provided four students with knowledge on how to fly drones, insight on aviation mechanics, maintenance and humanitarian aviation opportunities. And with no surprise, the gardening season proved to be fruitful. CAC was one of four sites in East St Louis to host a farmers market for 2024.
Foreign Languages are also taught via our partnership with Go! International. Our students are learning Mandarin, French, Arabic, and Spanish. Students learn how to pray in Spanish along with key Bible vocabulary and Bible verses. Students are able to use their Spanish speaking skills as part of the Rotating Farmers Market hosted at the Fairmont City Library.
In the areas of financial literacy and entrepreneurship, 4th-12th grader students learn basic bookkeeping, money management, retail counts, and customer service. Two Pathways students are learning more advanced accounting and data collection. They will be able to continue working on these skills and training other students virtually when they go off to college. Most exciting of all, the students also imported their first batch of chocolate from Ecuador and sold out within two weeks!
Pathways students continued working with the Alumni Broadcasting Association in downtown St. Louis on Thursdays and occasionally on weekends for special events. They learned how to produce radio, tv, music, and podcasts and honed their skills in videography, photography, and editing alongside industry professionals in a professional studio.
The annual Back to School Drive was a success. As always, your support proved to be invaluable. Your donations and financial gifts enabled us to provide enough school supplies for over 250 students in our community. In addition, your support for our annual Secret Santa Christmas drive blessed over 350 youth and their families.
Our martial arts, arts and crafts, and drama and dance programs are favorites for many of our children. These programs help develop social skills, emotional expression, discipline, focus, cognitive development, and confidence, as well as self-esteem.
Proverbs 22:6 tells us to train up a child in the way they should go: and when they are old, they will not depart from it. Our K-2 teachers do an excellent job providing grade appropriate lessons in character development and spiritual growth. A special thanks to Miss Lucy for leading the older girl’s bible study for 15+ years, and we cannot forget the various churches and their women’s ministries that support our monthly lady’s day luncheon.
The CAC partnered with the Illinois State Police and other local law enforcement agencies for the 2nd Annual Faith & Blue Fall Festival. This event enhanced the relationship between CAC, law enforcement and our with community residents. This year’s event was even larger with the help of other service agencies - and especially the Fun Food
Ministry of Dorrisville Baptist Church who provided a carnival style atmosphere with hotdogs, snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn, and more.
Job shadowing is an important program for our high school students, who visited a local manufacturing company that specializes in natural health, wellness, and care products. The company has a mission to provide for the poor around the globe which sparked much interest among our kids.
2024 was extremely successful for our Adult High School Diploma Program! As shown in “CAC by the Numbers”, enrollment and diploma attainment continue to grow. Since its inception in 2019, 694 students have enrolled with 305 successfully graduating with their diplomas. Wallace & Associates, our Program Consultant, indicated that some students enrolled in college following completion of the diploma program, while others started their own business, found new employment, gained much needed self-esteem, entered training programs, or began preparing for State exams for required certifications and licenses.
CAC by the Numbers
2024 Academic Proficiency
According to the 2024 Survey of Academic & Youth Outcomes
89%
84% of CAC members had a positive response regarding their program experience in 2024
of CAC Members felt confident in their peer relationships, academic awareness, and selfefficacy
How to Support CAC
Committed Giving
Want to amplify your impact? By making committed gifts each month, quarter, or year, you provide direct support to our students and enable CAC with the power of purposeful planning.
For more details on these opportunities or to make a gift, visit
Summer Programming
Each summer we create intentional programming opportunities that inspire learning and fun! CAC hosts Field Trips to fun places around St. Louis (including swimming, soccer, tennis, and golf), provides STEM programming and hands-on learning experiences, and sends kids to several week- long camps!
Back-to-School Kick Off
Supporters provide school supplies and uniforms for hundreds of children each year. Either shop for or collect these items and deliver to CAC by the third week of July!
Adopt-a-Child- for Christmas
Shoppers are paired with the wish list of a child and are asked to provide wrapped gifts. Not a shopper? We’ll shop for you with your donation! Email christmas@cacesl.org for more information.
Volunteer
Our youth experience the inconsistency of many adults coming in and out of their lives. To propel their ability to form safe, lasting relationships, opportunities to volunteer directly with youth are limited to those at least 25 years of age and require clearance with the IL Department of Children and Family Services. We also have volunteer opportunities that do not have contact with youth and are exempt from the clearance requirements. Email volunteer@cacesl.org for more information.
