Ever Forward in 2020

Serve To LEAD is dedicated to alleviating poverty in our local community and across the globe. During this pandemic, we have all gained a greater appreciation for soap and water for handwashing and for toilet paper for proper hygiene. We have seen how vital in-person education is for the social-emotional development and academic advancement of children and youth. We have witnessed insecurity increase. We have wondered when a sense of “normalcy” will return. 

We are in the midst of challenging times. Serve To LEAD responds to our community’s needs, mitigating the issues created by Covid-19, and doing our part to meet the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

When schools closed and shut-downs went into effect across the world, Serve To LEAD continued to serve our communities and remained focused on developing people and infrastructure to elevate the lives of those struggling in poverty. 

Thanks to your support, we celebrate these highlights from 2020:

In Asheville:

• Provided 1000 Covid-19 prevention kits to the low-income communities of Hillcrest, Livingston, Klondyke, and Erskine while also delivering educational packets provided by Asheville City Schools 
• Hosted a seven-week summer camp in Hillcrest for 30 children 
• Employed 14 students in our leadership development, workforce readiness program for low-income youth
• Continued our partnership with Youthful HAND in Hillcrest to provide in-person support to on-line learning for 20 at-risk students
• Employed 4 academic specialists to give in-person tutoring to students in need
• Continued our partnership with the English as a Second Language (ESL) program in Buncombe County Schools to provide English language support to Spanish speaking students in need of tutoring
• Provided weekly art, sports, and environmental stewardship activities for children in the Hillcrest community

Worldwide: 

• • Produced thousands of masks through our sewing programs in Sri Lanka and the Dominican Republic
  • Celebrated the completion of 49 in-home bathroom builds—47 in the Haitian Batey of Pancho Mateo in the Dominican Republic and 2 in war-torn villages in Sri Lanka
  • Constructed 4 new homes in Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Sri Lanka
  • Installed new roofs and provided home repairs for 6 homes in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Sri Lanka
  • Opened a new learning center for vulnerable children in the community of Saman in the Dominican Republic. This center serves 40 children, three days a week, year-round, and employs 2 teachers. 
  • Began two income-generating businesses in the Dominican Republic involving 20 women 
  • Completed a water well project in Haiti
  • Provided thousands of dollars for food and medical aid to our partners in the Dominican Republic and Sri Lanka to respond to the crisis of Covid-19.

Thank you for partnering with us as we work together to create opportunities and sustainable development for marginalized children, youth, and communities in Asheville and worldwide.