The Rec Project fills a need for East Ridge youth

Staff photo by Olivia Ross  / Christy Chapman helps Braylen Green and Aurora Smith make bracelets on September 8, 2022 at The Rec Project. The Rec Project is a free after-school program for children.
Staff photo by Olivia Ross / Christy Chapman helps Braylen Green and Aurora Smith make bracelets on September 8, 2022 at The Rec Project. The Rec Project is a free after-school program for children.

When Christy Chapman and Victoria O'Daniel started a youth rec center in East Ridge in the fall of 2021, they didn't know what to expect or who would show up.

"We were wanting to do something for the youth of East Ridge, so we decided to create The Rec Project as a safe haven for children to be able to come to after school, a place where they can learn various things like life skills, taking care of their bodies, health and wellness, exercise, cooking and just a place to have fun and be able to relax as well," O'Daniel said by phone.

Initially, The Rec Project had days when only a couple of children would come in. Chapman said she wasn't sure if she would keep it open.

Then one day a big group she'd never seen before walked in.

"Within 15 minutes, 15 more walked in," Chapman said in an interview. "They've been here every day since."


Most of the youth are from low-income families living in unstable housing situations, she said. Some have witnessed violence or experienced abuse, and at first they would fill their pockets with as much food as they could to keep from going hungry at home.

Chapman said she and the staff weren't expecting to serve those with needs that great, but they embraced them.

Chapman previously ran a gym, Our House Studios, in the space that's now home to The Rec Project. After Chapman moved the gym, which O'Daniel manages, to Cloud Springs Road in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, she noticed that some children would play basketball in the parking lot of the former gym after school.

The idea to convert the space into a youth recreation center grew from there.

(READ MORE: Understaffing leaves after-school programs with unmet demand)

Basketball is still a popular activity for the youth in the after-school program, and inside there is still workout equipment that the older teens use.

There are also punching bags that Chapman said volunteer trainers use to teach participants to work out their aggression in a healthy way and mats where children eagerly demonstrate cartwheels, handstands and backflips.

The center has a full kitchen and pantry filled with snacks that visitors can eat whenever they want. Several dozen cups, each printed with a child's name, line the countertops.

"That's partly how I keep up with everyone's name," Chapman said, adding that 20-25 children show up at the center on any given day.

This past Thursday, 6-year-old Aurora Smith was sitting at a table with an assortment of beads in every shape and color laid out before her, selecting her favorites to thread one by one onto a piece of string that she asked Chapman to tie on her wrist.

Audrey Sherrard, 15, was curled up on a couch with a coloring book. She said Chapman is the main reason she likes coming to The Rec Project.

"She treats us all so well, she gives us stuff all the time, she feeds us, she really cares about us," Aubrey said of Chapman. "She makes it feel like home."

Braylen Green, 9, was playing a game of pool with Tim Smith, a parent who volunteers at the center. Braylen said he also likes to box and play basketball.

Groups of three or four children continued to trickle into the center throughout the early afternoon as they walked there from school.

(READ MORE: New LIFT youth center offers free after-school program in Ringgold)

Off the main room is another, much quieter room with computers and a table and chairs where students can go to do their homework. A closet is stocked with donated clothes, toiletries and school supplies that children are welcome to take free of charge.

The center also has an exam room where Dr. Terry Melvin, who also serves as president of the organization's board of directors, offers a free monthly health clinic as well as school or sports physicals when requested at no cost.

The Rec Project is a nonprofit organization operated entirely by volunteers in a building owned by Chapman with mostly donated furnishings and play equipment.

The children are fed a meal each day, so the center is always in need of food donations and volunteers who are willing to cook meals. O'Daniel said the center also needs help stocking its food pantry with healthy snacks and food that families in need can take home.

Adult volunteers are needed not only to supervise the children, but also to get to know them and provide mentorship, O'Daniel said.

"A good bit of the children that come need a lot of attention, so the more volunteers that we can have there, the more interaction these children can get with adults who are facilitating positive relationships and teaching them how to trust each other and respect each other," O'Daniel said.

Teaching the children life skills is a big part of the program, Chapman said.

Volunteers from another organization, Rise Up Cooperative, come to the center once a month to provide life skills training on topics such as finances or bullying.

(READ MORE: Chattanoogan Sandy Pricer shares the idea and inspiration behind Rise Up)

The center is open to children in elementary through high school, and families are charged a $5 drop-in fee per day or a weekly tuition. Those who cannot afford to pay the full amount can apply for a scholarship to receive a discount based on the parents' income, or parents can volunteer at the center for a certain number of hours instead of paying tuition.

"If they're not able to do that because they're working and don't have time to volunteer and just need a safe place for their children to go, then we take that as well," O'Daniel said. "We don't turn anyone away for financial hardship."

One of the center's long-term goals is to raise enough money to purchase a 15-passenger van to provide transportation from schools to the center, as most of the children currently walk there -- and some must walk fairly long distances, O'Daniel said.

To learn more about The Rec Project, visit recprojectinc.com.

HOW TO HELP

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, The Rec Project is holding a car wash at the center to raise funds for a field trip to High Point climbing gym and Mellow Mushroom. Located at 6101 Ringgold Road, Suite 107, The Rec Project is also in need of volunteers and donations of food, clothing, toiletries and school supplies. Monetary donations to the nonprofit organization are also welcome.

Contact Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6508.


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