Uplift Kids is a program of Uplift Appalachia designed to build and foster the relationship between local churches and their neighborhood elementary schools by providing free after-school services to students in need as well as wrap around care for the students’ families.
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), by fourth grade nearly two out of three students are below the desired level of achievement in both math and reading. Something needs to change. Uplift Kids wants to be part of that change. Each after-school program offers students opportunities to grow by bolstering their academics, training life skills, and teaching them how they can have a personal relationship with the God of the Bible.
Each student has specific educational needs. Uplift Kids works closely with each student’s teacher to ensure they are learning relevant material, while also filling in gaps in learning that might have occurred in a student’s education. To do this, the student to volunteer ratio is kept low in order to focus on each student’s needs.
A strong body helps build a strong brain. Each after-school program includes outdoor time at playgrounds and parks (weather permitting) or indoor physical activity such as calisthenics. Healthier snack options are introduced to promote wellness.
Introducing students to God’s love is the only way valuable change will occur. Each day students learn lessons in Biblical Theology about who God is and what He has done. Because of the low student to volunteer ratio, tutors also become mentors for the students. By caring for the students’ wellbeing, volunteers at Uplift Kids speak volume
Introducing students to God’s love is the only way valuable change will occur. Each day students learn lessons in Biblical Theology about who God is and what He has done. Because of the low student to volunteer ratio, tutors also become mentors for the students. By caring for the students’ wellbeing, volunteers at Uplift Kids speak volumes about God’s love and have ample opportunities to talk overtly about Biblical truths.
JP Camp resides in Greer, SC. His plan entering college was to be a full-time teaching pastor, but God had different plans. After completing his MA in Biblical Studies, JP was called to work in the children’s ministry department of his local church and learned that his passion was serving children. As part of his responsibilities, he dire
JP Camp resides in Greer, SC. His plan entering college was to be a full-time teaching pastor, but God had different plans. After completing his MA in Biblical Studies, JP was called to work in the children’s ministry department of his local church and learned that his passion was serving children. As part of his responsibilities, he directed an in-house after-school program and summer learning camp for students from the local public elementary school. After seeing what an impact it made on the students, their families, and the school, he decided to continue his passion and start Uplift Kids. Uplift Kids is designed to partner churches with their neighborhood elementary school to support students and their families.
Andrea “Andi” Clements is a professor in the Department of Psychology at East Tennessee State University, associate director of research design and implementation for the ETSU/Ballad Health Strong BRAIN Institute, and co-founder and board president of Uplift Appalachia. Her main areas of research are religiosity, health, and trauma-relate
Andrea “Andi” Clements is a professor in the Department of Psychology at East Tennessee State University, associate director of research design and implementation for the ETSU/Ballad Health Strong BRAIN Institute, and co-founder and board president of Uplift Appalachia. Her main areas of research are religiosity, health, and trauma-related neuropsychological development, particularly focusing on addiction. She teaches and trains about the science of addiction, navigating addiction treatment options, and being trauma responsive (trauma informed care). She has taught measurement, evaluation, and research design for the past three decades. In her personal life, she has been a church planter and regularly mentors people who live with addiction and have been or currently are incarcerated.
For eight years Tanner Clements was a bi-vocational pastor and elder at Christ-Reconciled Church in a low income, high need area of Johnson City, Tennessee. He co-founded Uplift Appalachia in 2018, and served as the executive director for three years. He publishes and speaks publicly about the need to build community to address addiction.
For eight years Tanner Clements was a bi-vocational pastor and elder at Christ-Reconciled Church in a low income, high need area of Johnson City, Tennessee. He co-founded Uplift Appalachia in 2018, and served as the executive director for three years. He publishes and speaks publicly about the need to build community to address addiction. He holds a MDiv in Theological Studies from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and a BA from East Tennessee State University in digital media. He has spent eight years as video services manager at a large regional university in which he is able to tell stories through film and spent the previous seven years as web developer. In July 2023, he left the university to pursue freelance video work and devoted himself more fully to Uplift Appalachia's mission.
First and foremost, Uplift Kids partners with churches to teach students and families about Jesus’ love for them. According to Wayne Grudem, two of the main purposes of the local church to the world are evangelism and mercy. The church is not only to share the message of the gospel, but also to provide mercy ministries to those in need. (Grudem, Wayne Systematic Theology p.868) Uplift Kids connects local churches with families in their neighborhood to do just that.
Uplift Kids builds relationships with schools in order to support administration and staff as they educate their students. Uplift Kids provides after-school care with tutoring to students who have fallen behind or need additional assistance. As student test scores improve, there is a direct correlation to improved classroom behavior and involvement.
Uplift Kids partners with families as they endeavor to provide the best circumstances for their children. With after-school care, parents are able to work consistent hours in order to provide for their family, and are connected with a resource that is designed to provide wrap-around care.
Please reach us at jpcamp@upliftkidsministries.org if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Uplift Kids is a program of Uplift Appalachia. Uplift Appalachia is a non-profit ministry based out of Johnson City, Tennessee that exists to train churches in the Appalachian region to effectively reach individuals dealing with drug addictions, homelessness, and reintegration after incarceration. When they heard the vision of a program that would partner churches with schools to help children from under-resourced communities, they felt that this goal paired nicely with their purpose. They offered to house the program under the Uplift Appalachia non-profit and Uplift Kids was started.
“According to the 2013 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), only thirty-five percent of the nation’s fourth grade students are reading on grade level. A substantial reading deficiency must be addressed before students can move on to the more difficult schoolwork required in fourth grade and beyond when textbooks become more complex and reading passages are longer. Those who have trouble understanding what they read find it very difficult to keep up. Many students become frustrated when they try to tackle this schoolwork without independent reading skills. For some students, this leads to years of difficulty in school and limited opportunities in college and career.” To read more about third grade retention in South Carolina, click here.
As an independent after-school program, we are not required to teach a specific curriculum; however, we do make every effort to provide relevant curriculum to each individual student by communicating with teachers and administration at each child’s school. This includes help with homework assignments, NHI’s (past projects that have not been handed in), and studying for upcoming tests. After completing these tasks, we then focus on each individual student’s gaps in education with a major focus on core math and reading principles.
Each church provides volunteers who are screened and trained by Uplift Kids. In hopes of transferring complete ownership of an after-school program to its respective local church, utilizing volunteers from that church makes for a more seamless transition as well as more engaged tutors as they care for local students and their families.
We strive to provide after-school services at no cost to families. That means Uplift Kids relies on churches and donations to make the program possible. Churches assist by providing space, vehicles, and volunteers, while donors provide funds to cover operational costs such as gas, vehicle maintenance, school supplies, and wages for paid staff members.
The teachers and administration of the public schools know the education details and home-life scenarios of the students better than we ever could. We endeavor to build relationships with the administration who will make the initial contact with the families that would benefit from this program the most.
While we don’t have concrete numbers yet to explain the effectiveness of the program, the answer is a resounding “Yes!” The founder of Uplift Kids, JP Camp, has directed similar programs to this model for nearly ten years. He has seen this type of program benefit dozens of kids and their families.
Spread the word! Uplift Kids always is accepting new champions for the cause. If you know someone in your circle of influence who would be interested in hearing more about this opportunity, send them to the website or have them email JP directly.
You can also donate below.
Uplift Kids echoes Paul's words in Philipians 4:17, “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.” Each individual has a different role to play in spreading God’s love. Those who give to Uplift Kids are just as integral to the mission as are tutors and church partners. By giving, you are taking part in the ministry in your own way and will one day see the fruits of your labor, whether in this life or the next.
Uplift Kids is designed to be free of cost for all students and families who participate in its programs. That means we need donors like you to help fund this mission. Uplift Kids keeps each program as inexpensive to operate as possible while still maintaining its effectiveness. That means your money will go straight into the program by paying for equipment, vehicles, supplies, and paid staff salaries.
All donations are tax deductible. No gift is too small. Even a few dollars per month can go a long way in providing supplies or gas in vehicles to pick up children from school.