It was 15 years ago that St. Luke’s started its first after-school ministry, Studio 222! Since then, we have added two additional after-school programs, El Sistema and Rancho Village. After-school programs have proven to be successful across the country and it’s so rewarding to see the lives that are being touched on a daily basis.
To mark the 15th anniversary of Studio 222, I’d like to dedicate this week’s blog to sharing just 3 things about Studio 222. (It’s not going to be easy to choose just three, but here goes!)
It’s hard to believe that it has been 15 years since Julie Robinson came to me with an idea. I always love conversations that start with ”Why don’t we…” or “Wouldn’t it be great if…”
#1 The Mission
Studio 222 began with a focus on middle school youth at Taft Middle School and later evolved to include a high school program to help students through mentoring, internships, college preparation, and life skills. The program runs Monday through Thursday during the school year and invites professional artists from the OKC area to work with children to gain confidence and express themselves through art. Students are fed a meal upon arrival and given a brief lesson or activity on leadership. Monday through Wednesday, professional artists from our community are hired to teach the students everything from photography to painting to computer animation to the culinary arts. Thursdays are spent on field trips, movies, community service, games, and more.
#2 Lives changed
Second, there have been countless stories through the years of lives being changed at Studio 222. I remember hearing Julie talk about taking the kids to buy new shoes and for many of them it would be their first pair of new shoes. Think about how many shoes you have likely bought for your children by the time they reached middle school! Just let that sink in for a moment. It brings powerful perspective.
One year there were a group of girls who did not get along at all. They called one another horrible names and Julie recalls how it was negatively impacting the whole group. One day they had an exercise where the students were grouped in pairs and had to share with their partner, something that no one knew about them.
The kids quickly paired up, and the two girls who despised one another were the only ones left. They walked toward one another, crossing their arms before turning their backs to the other, no intention of saying anything to the other. Julie watched this go on for several minutes before she walked over to the girls to encourage them to participate. Both girls remained silent for a moment until one of them spoke up, “My mother has abandoned me.” Hearing this, the other girl suddenly sat up, unfolded her arms and looked at the other girl for a long moment and then she said, “And my mother has abandoned me.” They started to talk. Within a week, the two were sitting together, talking and laughing. Simply coming to understand one another had made a huge difference in moving past the hatred and bitterness into a spirit of forgiveness.
#3 Being blessed while being a blessing
Countless volunteers have helped to make Studio 222 a reality and what I continue to hear over and over is how they set out to be a blessing and in return, they were the ones who received the blessing! I remember hearing about a mom who wanted to teach her son to serve, so she signed up to drive the bus for Studio 222 once a week and took her son with her. The experience brought them closer!
If you’d like to learn more about volunteering or supporting Studio 222, you can learn more here.
