By Ryan Kirk, Executive Director

All of the staff at Kaleidoscope is celebrating the end of a very successful school year. We had a full program bursting with students everywhere, and we also had a committed group of teachers and volunteers that helped create the success of our program. I could easily ramble on for pages about the incredible experiences this year brought so far, but I’ll try to keep it short.

• This school year Kaleidoscope served 5,639 student days. I’ve known the number now for a while, and I still have a hard time believing how high it is.
• Many students at Kaleidoscope participated in a multi-generational music program with the residents at Ebenezer.
• We worked in partnership with Augsburg Fairview Academy to create mentoring and internship projects.
• Our new “Color me Green” theme, encouraged the students to learn about recycling and environmentalism through skits, art projects, and a specially designed curriculum.

Most importantly, this year I’ve had the opportunity to meet and befriend a whole new group of students and their families. I’ve been consistently amazed at just how fantastic our families are. It is wonderful to have parents that truly care about their child’s success. From parents to cousins to little siblings who think they’re ready for Kaleidoscope, this year has brought an array of new faces and new personalities, and that is what makes this work very fun and very rewarding.

Finally, we have now just completed the first week of our Summer Kids program. It’s been months in the planning, and it has finally arrived! It’s back to the hustle and bustle of students, which really makes Kaleidoscope come alive. The week went very smoothly and we look forward to that continuing throughout the summer. We’ve got an excellent program ready for all of our students. If you know children who could use Kaleidoscope in their lives, please send them our way soon, as we only have a couple of spots left! Please visit our website or call 612-746-4125 for more information.

See You This Summer!  Have a Great One!