Kid’s Alley

by Margo Harvey/Editor | Dec 23, 2014
Kid’s Alley Kid’s Alley is a non-profit, faith-based organization reaching out to inner-city children and their families. They work with more than 150 children weekly in the city of Camden, New Jersey. Camden is one of the most violent and impoverished cities in our country, and 65% of its population is at-risk children. Kid’s Alley has been reaching out to the children in Camden and neighboring communities for the past 12 years. Kid’s Alley started in 1998 in Camden.

Liz Fulmer, from Kid’s Alley, said in an interview, “Camden is one of the most unsafe cities in the country, so it is very important to have a faith-based organization for kids located there. We offer programs for kids ages 4-12, as well as teenagers, a safe place to be kids. We help them with homework in our after-school program, which helps kids from non-English speaking homes succeed in school. We also offer creative and spiritual activities in our Saturday, teen and summer programs, which give them balance and a blueprint with which to guide their life.”

Does Kid’s Alley need donations? Fulmer relied, “Yes, we need financial donations toward a building fund since we do not have a permanent location and currently rely on Fairview United Methodist Church for accommodations. We also need donations toward the purchase of a van to transport kids to Kid’s Alley. We always appreciate donations of lunches for our Saturday and summer programs which usually average at 100 kids a day. We urge anyone to Sponsor a Child that gives anyone an opportunity to sponsor a child to attend the program. In addition, we have a "Back to School" blitz for school uniforms and book bag donations.”

What kind of volunteers do you need and how do people get involved? Fulmer replied, “We need administrative volunteers to help Viv [Vivian Tan - Executive Director] with administrative duties. We also need after school volunteers to assist the director and Saturday and summer program volunteers. Anyone interested can contact Viv at vivtan@kidsalley.org. One of the most important requirements is that the volunteer has a true belief and faith in God and loves to work with children.”

How does this organization make a difference in Camden and in the youth involved? Fulmer wrote, “We have a major impact on how well the children do in school. We also see their developing faith at work in their homes and with their parents or caregivers. We have seen children develop musical and theatrical talent as well. But most importantly, we give them a belief in a higher power and that they are not alone, that God loves them, and they can face any challenges.”

Kid’s Alley Learning Center operates Monday through Friday from 3:30 to 5:30pm during the school year. The program started in November 2004, with eighteen children from grades 1 to 3, as an educational emphasis of Kids Alley. Many of the children desperately need academic assistance outside of the classroom, specifically in the areas of language arts and math. They currently have more than forty students, K through 8th grade, enrolled in the program.

Their current Saturday Live location is 18 White Horse Pike, Haddon Heights (08035), with the program beginning at 10:45am. They have extended their services to ages three through adult, and always welcome newcomers! The morning begins with healthy breakfast, everyone eating at a table surrounded by their Kids Alley family. After breakfast, there is a happy time of celebration, singing, and dancing-before the group is broken up according to age. Children ages seven through twelve rotate between stations- one holding the fun activity of the day and the other teaching the more serious life lesson. Teenagers are separated by gender, with the girls attending “Girl Talk” and the guys attending “Man-Up”. During this time, the youngest children are kept in their own classroom, with lessons that encourage both fun and learning. The parents can be found either deep in discussion, or taking a break for casual conversation and laughter. ESL and life skills classes are also periodically offered. Saturday Live ends at 12:45pm and everyone receives a lunch to take home.

For more information, please call 856-228/2104, or go to kidsalley.org, click on News/Events, then Coming Events, and scroll down through the page.

Kid’s Alley is:
One Accord Inc., KIDS ALLEY
PMB 194, 283-B Egg Harbor Road,
Sewell, NJ 08080
Office Phone: 856-228-2104
Office Fax 856-629-7516
Learning Center Phone: 856-340-5943

For more information, visit them on the web at kidsalley.org.

Updated 12/22/14

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For more on local Organizations, visit our South Jersey Organizations page.

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Author: Margo Harvey/Editor

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