afterschool impact summary
LIFT Youth Center is providing free afterschool programming for middle and high school Catoosa County students. We invite you to join us in creating opportunities for students to be Loved as they are, Inspired to be more, Found in community, and Trusted to make a difference. You can help make LIFT’s vison of building a community where students discover and achieve a healthy, successful future come true.
As you read through this report you will see how the 2024-2025 school year went and the impact that is continuing to grow in Catoosa County. We track our evidence-based goals to get a snapshot of how well LIFT is implementing our mission and vision and the impact it is having on our students.
The past four school years have made it clear that LIFT’s mission and vision are needed by so many students and families in our county. Over that time, we have served 1,083 different students with 1,779 hours (659 days) of afterschool programming. LIFT is excited to share that we are removing barriers to service for students county-wide! LIFT will be opening the R. Randall Rollins Youth Center for the ’25-’26 school year and adding transportation to this location. For the first time LIFT will be able to truly say that we are providing programming for the whole county.
We are thankful for the opportunity to work with these amazing students, and we hope that you come along side us in this journey of supporting our community’s youth today so they can have a better tomorrow.
lift’s evidence-based goals
GOAL 1: Give students the opportunity to experience a diverse range of R.E.A.C.H. programming.
RESULT: We used a database to track student attendance at the center daily and which students attended workshops. During the 2024-2025 school year LIFT offered 500 workshops and:
224
147
• Basketball, soccer, volleyball, handball, football, kickball, etc.
• Outdoor Games: 9 square, gaga ball, ping pong etc.
• Indoor Games: card games, board games, pool, air hockey, puzzles etc.
• Gaming Days with Ringgold High Schools G-Society students participated in Recreation programs such as
students participated in Education programs such as
• STEM workshops
• Financial literacy workshops to discuss topics such as budgeting and investing
• Career Exploration
• Practical life skills workshops: Public speaking, interviewing, coding, how to shop for groceries and understanding prices, entrepreneurship, etc.
• Mini-library and classes co-hosted by Catoosa County Library
• Free tutoring and homework help
GOAL 1: Give students the opportunity to experience a diverse range of R.E.A.C.H. programming (cont.)
174
students participated in ART programs such as
• Daily art projects
• Photography
• Guitars for Kids, students learned how to play the guitar with an end of the year student performance
• Sew What, a local group that partners to teach sewing workshops monthly
• Improv, Theater, and Comedy workshops
• Creative writing and poetry
208
• Monthly service projects:
• made blankets for the animal shelter,
• made coloring books for DFCS,
• created crafts for Veterans,
• planted trees with Limestone Valley,
• volunteered at Providence Ministries,
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• helped pack snack packs for Nourishing Children in Catoosa,
• put together motivational bracelets for cancer patients at Tennessee Oncology,
• painted and delivered Easter Egg signs for our neighbors,
• made valentine’s cards for Nursing home residents,
• volunteered at Dolly Days, and
• Tribe building workshops
• Student Leadership Program students participated in Community programs such as
• Clean Catoosa, an annual, city-wide Earth Day-inspired event.
• Monthly LIFT OFF meetings with all students attending that day, to help celebrate the past month
students participated in HEALTH programs such as
• Biweekly cooking workshops
• Social-Emotional Learning workshops where students discuss a different mental health topic each time
• Physical Fitness
• Health classes led by local practitioners
• Music matters: The connection between music and the mind has long been researched and scientists say that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory.
• Movies matter: Students share movie clips and discuss why they have significant meaning in their lives.
• Yoga/Mindfulness
• Men Not Boys: a weekly guys’ group offered to high schoolers
• Girls Empower Girls: a weekly girls’ group offered to middle schoolers
• Social Media Self-Care: education on using technology and social media in a responsible, healthy way.
GOAL 2:
Students have a wider variety of experiences and opportunities that will increase their asset development, building their repertoire of creative, practical, emotional, relational and problem solving skills.
RESULT: Students at LIFT have access to a wide range of workshops that give them the chance to have new experiences and opportunities. As one student stated, “I’ve become more open and confident in myself. I love LIFT!” Another student said, “I find LIFT fun and educational.”
percentage of students who said:
“their confidence level went up since coming to LIFT”
percentage of students who said:
“they have discovered new interests, talents, or skills at LIFT”
GOAL 3:
Students are given tools and resources to cope with life challenges and build resiliency.
RESULT: When a student or family finds themselves dealing with a conflict or crisis LIFT staff can ask and report on the effect their participation at the center has had in their ability to bounce back from that crisis. LIFT has set policies and guidelines in place to help ensure the center is a safe space which is being felt by our students. “I could be me at LIFT, not a fake me, I felt like I could tell the staff things that I don’t tell other people,” said one student. Other students said “It makes me happy and calm” and “I know I can always talk to someone at LIFT.”
percentage of students who said:
“LIFT was a safe space”
percentage of students who said: “they know that they can find help at LIFT”
GOAL
4: Students without sufficient social networks build the web of support and connection needed to thrive.
RESULT: LIFT encourages social network growth at the center through our daily interactions. Staff and volunteers at the center also make it a point to take the time to get to know students. Students are making positive connections at LIFT. One student said “At LIFT this year I’ve made many new friends and strong health connections with both friends and adults.” When we asked students about their favorite memory from this past school year students said their favorite memories included a staff member or a volunteer, “play cards with Morgan,” “when Lilian timed me and my friends doing handstands,” “my favorite thing to do was to go to art and talk to Sherry,” and “cooking with Terry.”
percentage of students who said:
“they have made a new friend at LIFT”
percentage of students who said: “they have made a connection with a trusted adult, volunteer or staff”
* The data for goals 2, 3, & 4 were collected via LIFT surveying 113 students during the 2024-2025 school year.
Mental Health survey
LIFT Surveyed 106 students DURING the 2024-2025 school year.
Fostering positive mental health outcomes continues to be a huge need among teens today. Catoosa County middle and high schoolers are experiencing struggles and challenges firsthand. LIFT conducted a survey to see the impact our students involvement with LIFT is having on their mental health.
Students said their mental health improved
We
asked them to tell us where they saw improvement:
students said they have seen improvement in their problem-solving skills
students saw an improvement in their empathy for other people
Students saw an improvement in their Depression level
Students saw an improvement in their stress level
of the students stated that they have seen improvement in their happiness!
students saw an improvement in their communication skills
Students saw an improvement in their anxiety level students saw an improvement in their anger management
Partner organizations
Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office – The Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office leads workshops afterschool, they partner with LIFT in collaboration on local teen events such as the Free Your Feels Teen Summit, and support LIFT’s staff with safety training.
Catoosa County Public Schools Transportation Department – CCPS will be using their buses to provide transportation from Lakeview Middle School to the new center in Fort Oglethorpe. This is the only school fully requiring that level of transportation support. The Administration from each of the schools we serve also works with us to facilitate communication with their students and caregivers.
Bridge Health – Our area’s Community Service Board, Bridge Health partners with LIFT by providing monthly Mental Health Workshops during afterschool, which their Counselors and Peer Support Specialists facilitate. They also participate in our community events and have collaborated on community initiatives like the Free Your Feels Teen Summit - a new 4-county mental health event.
Catoosa County Family Collaborative – LIFT has presented to the Collaborative to share the work we do at the Center. LIFT’s Executive Director also sits on the Collaborative’s Steering Committee. LIFT will work closely with the Collaborative with their new focus on Teen Mental Health dealing with teen anxiety and depression.
Catoosa County Fire Department – The Fire Department held CPR and AED training for LIFT staff and partners with us to host a community event for families called the Ringgold Creek Regatta.
Catoosa County Public Library – The library leads workshops at the center monthly, they are a resource for events, and they are a community partner.
City of Fort Oglethorpe – They provide materials and staff support for LIFT’s yearly county-wide environmental clean-up event, Clean Catoosa.
City of Ringgold – LIFT partners with the City of Ringgold on a number of service projects for the city. We have partnered with them for various community events (such as Clean Catoosa and the Ringgold Creek Regatta) and fundraising opportunities (such as the Haunted Depot and Dolly Days). The City of Ringgold acts as a promoter of the Center and an advocate for our work in the community. They are also a partner in Strength for Catoosa.
Department of Family and Children Services, Department of Juvenile Justice, and Juvenile Court – All three partner with LIFT with client referrals. DFACS also partners with LIFT on Strength for Catoosa.
Georgia Center for Child Advocacy – They provided “Not a Number”, a monthly workshop given over the course of a semester to LIFT’s high school students afterschool. It is an interactive child trafficking and exploitation prevention curriculum. The program was delivered by a certified facilitator
Northwest GA Hope Over Suicide Coalition - We are honored to partner with many local and regional agencies with this group. The Coalition aims to reduce stigma and empower individuals to play a role in suicide prevention, to build community advocacy for those at risk or affected by suicide, and to build capacity for support services across the Northwest Georgia area.
Nourishing Children in Catoosa - Our students are included in the weekly distribution of Snack Sacks by this ministry. We bring students to volunteer to fill the sacks a couple of times a year. And often the group will provide us with snacks for the Youth Center.
Sexual Assault Victims Advocacy Center, Children’s Advocacy Center, and Catoosa County Parks and RecreationLIFT collaborates with these local organizations to provide to support LIFT students.
LIFT Resource Center - inside the facility where students and families can easily connect with a wide range of resources. To facilitate this, we will continue to form partnerships with additional local providers.
• creating three full time and six part time jobs in catoosa county.
• providing a safe and supportive free afterschool option for middle and high school students on the west end of the county.
• hosting local organizations as they deliver resources for the community.
• providing a resource center for students and families.
The Need for More
r. randall rollins Youth Center
LIFT is opening the R. Randall Rollins Youth Center this fall.
• Short 1/2 mile walk from Lakeview Fort O. High School
• Partnering with CCPS Transportation Department to provide a bus for students at Lakeview Middle School
• Adding Transportation services at this location for Heritage Schools
• The 8,700 sq. ft. facility will have ample classroom space complete with a teaching kitchen, art room, music room, tutoring room, and an indoor gym
• Outdoor space for recreation and room for future expansion
• Anticipate serving 300 new studentS!
Fulfilling our mission of serving all catoosa county middle and high school students
claudia Nance rollins youth center
LIFT will expand the existing Claudia Nance Rollins Youth Center by renovating the back half allowing for:
• An additional 3,500 sq. ft. to increase program space and administration offices
• Potential addition of Behavioral Health Services
• Anticipate serving 100 more students!
LIFT purchased and will renovate the neighboring property at 102 Old County Rd, Ringgold, GA allowing for more programming space:
• A new indoor multipurpose gymnasium with additional classrooms
• Increased outdoor recreation space
• Additional parking and improved access to the Center
LIFT is hopeful that this expanstion will allow us to serve middle and high school students at the same time, making it possible for all students to attend five days a week.
Potential new gym
102 Old County Rd ringgold, ga
expansion of the claudia nance rollins Youth center