LONGVIEW, Texas — Community members were in shock and families left in the dust after one East Texas nonprofit is expect to close its doors because of financial hardships in just a couple of months.
Thrive Longview, a faith-based afterschool program focused on character development solely dedicated to middle schoolers, will be closing its doors due to a lack of funding.
“When I told my grandson after he got out of school, he said, 'well, Granny, what am I going to do?' I said, 'God will make a way,” Tammy Lewis said.
These are the words Lewis told her grandson once they found out that Thrive is set to close their doors on Dec. 12 due to funding issues.
“My grandson, he doesn't have a father figure,” Lewis said. “Some of his father figures help mentor him. They mentor the kids and teach them a whole lot.”
Thrive supports a diverse range of students by focusing on career readiness and health and wellness education. The group also fosters positive leadership skills for those who lack suitable role models in their lives.
“We have not managed to identify a sustainable fundraising mechanism that would allow us to continue to serve and continue to offer the level of quality services for middle school students that we've been able to provide,” Thrive Longview Executive Director Clent Holmes said.
Holmes said they need to secure a year's worth of funding totaling $300,000 to remain open. So far, they have raised only $50,000.
Community members who rely on this service are stunned by the announcement of their closure.
“When I first heard it, it was a shock,” program coordinator Iyanna Taylor said.
Taylor was a former student at Thrive. She has since become a volunteer with the nonprofit.
“It sucked because in my mind, Thrive was always going to be here. It was always going to be a place that I could come back to,” Taylor said.
For now, Thrive leaders can only pray for the nonprofit's future and hope for a miracle, wishing that community members will come together to help keep it open.
“If the people know and understand what we're doing here, the mission that we have to transform the lives of teens, and it's something that they want to be a part of, that is in their best interest, and the kid's best interest to keep us here,” Taylor said. “We can do that effectively.”
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