Merced Salvation Army after-school program needs community help to stay open

An after-school program headed by the Merced Salvation Army focused on helping children in South Merced might not continue into the next school year if funding doesn’t start to increase, according to officials at the nonprofit organization.

Linked, a free after-school program geared toward children who are underprivileged or from lower income households, has been funded for the past two years through private donations and annual fundraisers, said Joel Boyd, administrator of the Merced Salvation Army.

“Annual fundraising efforts just haven’t quite been enough to cover the costs of the program,” Boyd said.

Linked is designed to give elementary students a place to go after school where they can work on their homework, learn life skills, receive literacy, athletic and music training, learn from the Bible and other educational programs, Boyd said.

“I think we see a lot of kids getting involved in gang activity or early pregnancy and things like this,” Boyd said. “Sometimes it can be an indication of lack of a good safe place to grow and learn after school.”

It is unclear whether the program will continue through the upcoming school year without funding, Boyd said. They’re aiming to raise $40,000 to keep the program running, he said.

An anonymous donor has offered to match up to $40,000 of funds raised by the Merced Salvation Army, Boyd said, and by the end of July, they’re going to have to decide if the funds they raised are sufficient to continue Linked.

The issue of keeping afterschool programs in Merced isn’t a new issue. The Merced City School District’s fee-based after school Youth Enrichment Program has faced possible eliminations in the past. Officials at the MCSD said they have had to increase the costs of the program to keep it running.

In Merced County, only 18 percent of licensed child care spots are available for children with working parents, according to the 2016 Community Health Assessment from the Merced County Department of Public Health.

Some parents may not be able to pay for after-school programs, Boyd said, and Linked was a way to help families with the cost while taking a “holistic approach to help children grow in a good way.”

Instructors at Linked also help children deal with anger management issues and how to solves problems using words rather than through a brawl.

“It’s absolutely impacted students,” Boyd said. “We’ve seen changes in students and we help them have more consistency in their lives.”

He added: “We see kids who start off the school year wild and out of control or not behaving appropriately and after several months of coming to the program ... their behavior turns around.”

This story was originally published June 15, 2017 at 6:30 PM with the headline "Merced Salvation Army after-school program needs community help to stay open."