Joseph's Story
Hello friends!
What do you think of when it comes to childhood in the fall? For me, the crisp, cool breeze brings new beginnings—fresh pencils, new teachers, and the excitement of meeting new classmates. However, this transition isn’t always easy for every child. For some, it brings with it a mix of struggle and anxiety. While they bring some foundation of knowledge from previous years, they can also carry with them fears, insecurities, and past struggles in school. The start of the school year can be a complicated experience, filled with both eagerness and challenges.
At Toronto City Mission, we are committed to accompanying children through their struggles; recognizing that not everyone has access to the extra help they need. We view education through a holistic approach; not only focusing on the academic material, but also as a means for children to feel supported, mentored, and encouraged in all aspects of their life. This is done through our EPIC (Education Provided in Community) tutoring program.
Join me for a moment in entering into *Joseph's story.
He is a fun little boy that you can find climbing on the jungle gym at the park or playing Fortnight at home. When it came to reading, he struggled to concentrate despite his best efforts. Through relationships built with Joseph over time, he eventually shared that multiple people in his life have called him dumb and that he would never be good enough to go to college or get a job. This broke our hearts, but gave us insight into the support and encouragement he needed in his reading journey. One method of encouragement was that if he completed the book he was reading in EPIC, he could take it home as a reward. What an exciting time the month of March was for Joseph as he took home the book he started reading two months ago, experiencing a proud moment of accomplishment. As his confidence grew, our hope was that he would also gain a deeper understanding of God, where his future is in God’s hands and not defined by the negative messages he had received.
Because of generous faithful supporters, Joseph finished reading an entire book! Our hope and prayer for Joseph is that he would go on to accomplish so much more, but we cannot continue on this journey with Joseph without you!
WITH $100, YOU CAN HELP FUND TUTORING FOR ONE CHILD FOR ONE SEMESTER. OR FOR JUST $50 PER MONTH, YOU CAN SUPPORT THREE CHILDREN FOR THE ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR.
Your support will not only help kids like Joseph receive the extra help they need to succeed in school, but will also help kids receive valuable lessons in perseverance, and other life skills through the various activities in all our after-school programs. Our prayer for the children is that their hope would extend beyond their academic achievements or life circumstances, but in a God who knows them deeply, understands their future and is ultimately best positioned to walk alongside them every step of the way.
Join us on this learning journey with the children we serve.
In His Service,
Elliott Shin Executive Director