StreetLeader Program

StreetLeaders work as counselors, tutors, and mentors for our elementary-age students within the Crossover Kids program.

Growing with God

by Sarah Smith

I remember when I first came across the StreetLeader Program with Crossover Community Impact. It was a simple link to an application that took me moments to complete. Who would ever think “Crossover” would be a significant part of who I am today?! I certainly had no idea. HI! My name is Sarah Smith, and I am a StreetLeader in the Crossover Kids Program!

Pictured above: Sarah with Crossover Kid, Priest Abode.

Crossover hasn’t just helped me perform better in school, but it has also helped me grow in my relationship with God. Being with Crossover and bonding with the other Street Leaders, I am able to freely express my beliefs candidly. We are also able to ask questions to gain understanding. I even have the opportunity to teach the bible to the 4th graders on Wednesdays. I am better focused as a student, and I am even able to spend the last hour of the school day working with the Crossover Kids for my internship! I have been working with my friend, Priest, for almost a year now, and I enjoy mentoring him and helping him. He has Autism, so I have learned a lot about ways to help him understand his homework, and I have learned to keep him engaged socially with others!

I believe Crossover Kids isn’t just a place; its existence is from what dwells inside the leaders of the program who love it! It isn’t just limited to a building or a bunch of people even. Crossover for me is something that ranges from all over the world and is forever spreading and ever growing. It’s a movement!

Being a StreetLeader is so much more than just a job: it is an opportunity to celebrate every day! It’s an opportunity to learn positive ways to teach kids, to watch them grow in, and develop their skill sets! I have been amazed by their achievements, and most importantly I have had a number of opportunities to show elementary-age students that there is someone who will forever love them unapologetically and that God always has his hands around them to guide them.

Pictured above: Sarah with the StreetLeaders, College Interns, and Crossover Kids.

Crossover hasn’t just helped me perform better in school, but it has also helped me grow in my relationship with God. -Sarah S.

Sarah Smith is the Senior class Valedictorian at McLain High School, and she has worked in the StreetLeader Program since February of 2021. She was hand-picked to work with Priest, an 11-year-old who is full of energy and who happens to be on the Autism Spectrum. Sarah loves all of the children well, and she is respected amongst her peers and adults alike because of her calm demeanor and her exceptional problem-solving abilities. Anyone who meets her would describe her as sweet, and she plans to become a Teacher in the future to continue to grow in her love for teaching and working with kids.

To learn more about the StreetLeader Program, please go to http://crossoverimpact. org/streetleader/.