Project Transformation’s mission is to engage young adults in purposeful leadership and ministry, support children in holistic development, and connect churches with communities.
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Dear Friends, From a sketch on a paper napkin to a national movement in 20 years. God is good! This summer, Project Transformation North Texas, alone, will engage the time and talent of 136 college-aged young adults and more than 1,500 volunteers from numerous church and community partners to serve with 1,100 children and youth in 11 North Texas communities.
A Look Inside 4
20 Year Timeline
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Elementary Program
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Feature: Meet Sarah
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Middle School Program
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Feature: Urban Camp
Those who dreamed of Project Transformation in 1998 and brought it to reality planted seeds in people and communities that have been nurtured lovingly and grown eagerly over the last 20 years. This year, we celebrate the ministry of Project Transformation and the thousands of children, youth, college-aged young adults, churches, congregants, and communities that made it possible.
10 High School Program
We give thanks for all who come before us; strengthening the voice of our children, cultivating the leadership of our young adults, and reinforcing our churches and communities. It is on their shoulders that we stand and them whom we honor, as we look forward to the next 20 years (and beyond) with plans to continue growing the impact that is generated through the meaningful, life-giving, transformational relationships formed in and through Project Transformation.
14 Volunteers & Partners
With sincere gratitude for the past and hope for the future, Alyson Gregory Richter, Project Transformation North Texas’s Executive Director
11 Feature: Meet Sammy 12 PT Corps Members 13 Feature: Meet Megan
15 Feature: FUMC Richardson
214-946-3600 ptnorthtexas.org 4024 Caruth Blvd. Dallas, TX 75225 3
Over the Years 1997
2004
Sarah Wilke and Dr. Leighton Farrell brainstormed Project Transformation on a napkin.
The Summer Program expanded to serve middle-school youth.
2000
The Afterschool Program began for elementary-aged children.
Project Transformation celebrated its 10th anniversary with 102 PT Corps Members.
Project Transformation began with 22 college-aged young adults serving 250 children the first summer.
2008
1998
Our partnership with AmeriCorps began.
2002
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2018
Project Transformation North Texas celebrates its 20th anniversary with 136 PT Corps Members.
2013
The Leaders in Training Experience (LITE) Program for high-school aged youth began.
We look forward to the next 20 years of ministry because of partners like you.
National
2038
Project Transformation National was formed out of PT North Texas.
2015
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Elementary Program
10,000+
1st-5th grade students served over 20 years
93%
of the children who regularly attended the Summer 2017 Program improved or maintained their grade level reading
97%
showed an increase in their gratitude for friends and family
95%
showed an increased understanding of the importance of helping others 6
Meet Sarah
When Sarah walked into Oak Cliff United Methodist Church, the summer after 1st grade, she had no idea how her life would change. Since that summer in 2001, Sarah has been immersed in Project Transformation’s programs. She participated in the Elementary, Youth and LITE Programs before becoming a PT Corps Member, herself. “Project Transformation impacted and still impacts my life daily,” Sarah said. “Project Transformation helped steer the course for my young adult life, and gave me direction at a time I didn’t realize it was happening.”
She said it’s because of Project Transformation that she went into teaching and she specifically wants to work with special needs students. It was a random summer day, in the LITE Program, that Sarah recalls as her most lifechanging experience. That day, she had the opportunity to work with two children with autism. “They were so loving, and they helped me figure out what I was good at— teaching,” Sarah said. “PT helped me find my passion, they gave me exposure to something I wouldn’t have at that age, and lit a fire in me. From then on I decided I wanted to teach children with special needs.” Sarah believes these student should have access to the
same education as their peers and to not be cast to the side because they have a disability. “I want to be their voice in a world where they sometimes aren’t heard,” Sarah said. Sarah is currently student teaching at Richard E. Cavazos Elementary, working with children with special needs. She will graduate this year with her degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Mary Hardin- Baylor. As for Project Transformation’s impact on Sarah’s life, she said we planted a seed that will keep growing. “PT’s impact has not ended, and it will continue to make me a better human and servant to God, my community, and the world,” Sarah said. 7
Youth Program
4,200+
6-9th grade students served since the program began in 2004
2,500+
youth who have gone to Project Transformation North Texas’s Urban Camp
95%
of youth who regularly attended the Summer 2017 Program improved or maintained their grade level reading
84%
are more committed to their plan to graduate from high school 8
Urban Camp At the end of the Summer Program, 6-9th grade students have the opportunity to attend Urban Camp for a week. The camp takes place at the Methodist Retreat Center in Bridgeport, Texas. The country environment is a new experience for many of the youth who have never left the city. Urban Camp is full of summer camp classics— ropes course, horseback riding, mountain biking, and archery are only a few of the activities offered. Urban Camp was founded by former Executive Director Shawn Bakker. She believed
that everyone should be able to experience the transformative power of summer camp, no matter their family’s income. The youth pay only $25 to attend camp, which is waved if payment causes hardship. Urban Camp gives youth opportunities they wouldn’t have had otherwise and helps them form their identity at a critical time in their lives. QUOTES FROM PARTICIPANTS “Nothing has given me more hope for the future than Urban Camp. Each day brings a new spirit and hope with every lesson that I learn. Each time I climb the hill I think about how we have to keep walking because at the top of the hill, God has a reward greater than
any on Earth.” –Natalie, age 14 “PT has taught me to never be afraid of who I am. Being here makes me feel comfortable and safe because these people are like a second family to me.” –Pablo, age 14 “I’m trying to find out who I am, and here I can be myself.” –Anne, age 12 “My favorite activity was high ropes because I was challenging my worst fear.” –Tim, age 11 “I love Urban Camp because it allowed me to grow closer with the youth, and because it provides them with the opportunity to grow closer and form relationships with other children in Dallas that they might otherwise not meet.” –Cristian, PT Corps Member 9
LITE Program
275+
10-12th grade youth served since the program began in 2013
17,500+
hours the high school youth have spent volunteering with Project Transformation
30%
showed a significant increase in their belief that there is purpose to their life
"I credit Project Transformation with renewing my hope, and saving me from feeling purposeless.� -Shirley, LITE participant 10
Meet Sammy
academic intervention.
Sammy attended the Leaders in Training Excellence (LITE) program for two years during high school.
welcomed and loved for who I was,” Sammy said. “The time I spent with PT helped me decide what I wanted to do with my future: become an educator. The kids and PT Corps Members I met all changed my life and helped me become a better person for the communities I was in and for the society that I belong to.”
“The LITE program changed my life. It taught me how important it is to serve my community and how important it is to create a community,” Sammy said.
Sammy, the first college graduate in his family, received his degree from Texas Christian University in May 2017, and is currently student teaching through City Year.
During college, Sammy came back to serve as a PT Corps Member for three summers.
He spends his days providing classroom management and working one-to-one with students that need extra support in social and emotional learning or
“Project Transformation has given me a community of strength and support. It has given me very important lessons on why I want to serve, and experiences that I use every single day in the classroom,” Sammy said. “However, most importantly, it has given me friends that I now call family.”
Sammy is a true success story of how education and relationships can change someone’s life.
“My time with PT was a breath of fresh air. It made me feel
He was extended an offer to particpate in the Relay Teaching Residency next year to further prepare him to be a teacher in an urban setting. Sammy said the lessons he learned through the relationships at Project Transformation will stay with him in his role as a teacher.
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PT Corps Members
1,170+
college-age young adults served as PT Corps Members over 20 years
92%
of alumni say that Project Transformation helped prepare them for future leadership in the church or community
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children and youth who grew up in our programs have back come to serve with us as PT Corps Members
50%
approximately half of our PT Corps Members each summer have served with us previously 12
Meet Megan June 5, 2005 seemed like a normal Texas summer day for most. For one young adult, it would change the course of the rest of her life. Megan was a PT Corps Member sitting in the Commissioning Service before her summer with Project Transformation when the words of Bishop Rhymes Moncure were the catalyst for her to go to seminary and become ordained in the United Methodist Church. “I remember him saying, ‘Church, pay attention. Because some of these same interns who we are commissioning now will come
back before you in several years and I will lay hands on them as I ordain them. So, Church, pay attention to them. You will see their faces again. They will make a difference in our Church and the world,’” Megan said. She said in that moment, she felt the wave of the Holy Spirit come over her. “I knew that he was talking about me. I knew that someday I would be ordained,” Megan said. “That day in June is the day I look back on and say that’s the day I first said yes to ordained ministry.” Megan served three summers with Project Transformation and went on to graduate from SMU Perkins School of Theology. She is currently the Director of Spiritual &
Religious Life and Chaplain at Southwestern University. “Now, 13 years later, as I continue on the path to ordination, I fondly remember that day as the starting point of this tremendous journey of full-time ministry.” Megan said. Along with helping Megan discern her calling, she said the other most impactful thing about Project Transformation is the relationships. “The first word that comes to mind is awe. Awe of how multifaceted Project Transformation is and how many people it impacts,” Megan said. “There is an invisible thread that ties people together. To me, that thread is the power of God at work, and it is truly aweinspiring.” 13
Volunteers & Partners
8,700+
volunteers have served with Project Transformation over 20 years
104,000+ hours volunteered over 20 years
350
church and community organizations that have partnered with Project Transformation over 20 years
33,000+
meals provided to PT Corps Members by partners over 20 years 14
FUMC Richardson Since Project Transformation North Texas was founded 20 years ago, First United Methodist Church Richardson has been a dedicated partner. The church has given more than 6,000 hours volunteering in Project Transformation’s programs and has provided 4,000 meals to PT Corps Members. The church also donates curriculum supplies and provides financial support for PT Corps Members. “Every child counts and we want to help where we can, as much as we can,” said
FUMC Richardon’s Director of Missions and Outreach, Rev. Joy Anderson. Rev. Anderson also said it’s important to provide opportunities for the congregation to serve the community. “I think it’s vitally important to the life of the congregation because it helps us to look outward and not be so inward in what we do and the way we think,” Rev. Anderson said. She said partnering with Project Transformation gives the church a way to connect with neighbors in Dallas they might not otherwise meet and to truly understand others who are different from them. “It makes us more tolerant, understanding, and respectful
of other people,” Rev. Anderson said. “I think that’s our responsibility as Christians because that’s what God calls us to do.” Rev. Pavielle Jenkins, FUMC Richardon’s Director of Student Ministries, said it’s important for the church’s youth to see God at work in different communties and in people who have different lives. “It’s a tangible way to see how something that can seem so small, such as reading, can have a big impact on someone’s life. Anytime that I go, there seems to be somebody that grew up in the program. I see how huge PT has been in their life. It helps me and the youth see God’s love and experience hope,” Rev. Jenkins said. 15