IPC's Discernment Fund continues to support the critical needs of children and families in our community through the Community Ministries Team. The following updates highlight the outcomes achieved in 2023.
Family Wraparound Support Services
Three single mothers who were part of Family Wraparound Support Services received assistance to achieve self-sufficiency and graduated from job training programs in the medical field. Each woman overcame multiple challenges to achieve her goal of becoming self-sufficient.
All three participants graduated from their programs. Two have been working full-time since October. Community Ministries is staying in frequent contact with and counseling the other participant in her ongoing job search.
Mobility Mentoring Program Director at i3 Academy
Within the first three months of the program, Ebone Kimber was hired as Mobility Mentoring Program Director at i3 Academy. She worked to build relationships with families interested in the program and created action plans specific to their areas of need.
Under her direction, twelve families were partnered with mentors to build skills to improve their lives. She is actively recruiting additional mentors, and there is currently a waitlist for additional families to be paired with a mentor. Several IPC members have become Mobility Mentors since December.
Hayes K-8 School Community Connector
Hayes K-8 School Community Connector, Daphne Huff, joined the School as a Community Connector in the spring of 2023. Since then, she has collaborated with the school administration to expand parent and family programming and has referred 31 families for educational services, mental health counseling, and other resources.
Daphne has also sourced resources within the community to start mentoring programs, arrange eye testing and individual health care appointments, coordinate Network Nights with families and Hayes Community Partners, and offer new programs for the Hayes K-8 community. She initiated a complete school behavior incentive program for the hallways and continuously worked with families to find secure and affordable housing.
Summer Learning Program Services
During the 2023 Summer Learning Program, students achieved a six-month gain in math and avoided the summer slide in reading. The program represented 16 Birmingham-area schools, and 92% of the students who began the summer program graduated. With 14 academic staff members, the student-to-staff ratio was 8:1. For the first time, several SLP graduates were paid interns, working in the classrooms, gym, and pool.
IPC Community Ministries
For more than 100 years, IPC has provided a place for inspired worship and fellowship with an emphasis on living out our faith through service. Through IPC Community Ministries and our community partners, people struggling with food insecurity obtain food, those who are underserved receive support, and children receive tutoring, love, and nurturing. Learn more about our programs.
