Slate of events planned for Columbia Housing Authority Moving Ahead Program anniversary
Columbia Housing Authority is hitting a major milestone with its youth education programs and celebrations planned Monday through Wednesday.
The Moving Ahead Program, which provides tutoring and other cultural and physical experiences after school and over the summer at the J.W. “Blind” Boone Community Center is marking its 20th anniversary.
The state-licensed program is for children in kindergarten through 12th grade. Other inclusive services are extensive family development, meals, transportation and education programs.
To celebrate the anniversary a community resource fair is planned 4-6 p.m. Monday at the Kinney Point Community Facility at 7 E. Sexton Road. The event is in partnership with local organizations such as the Columbia Art League, Crown Counseling, Family Access Center of Excellence and more.
Tuesday will feature the Community Art Showcase 5-6:30 p.m. at the Blind Boone Center at 301 N. Providence Road. Performances by Jabberwocky Studios, the Columbia High Steppers and the MAP kid’s choir are planned.
Mayor Barbara Buffaloe will issue a proclamation at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Blind Boone Center, which also will unveil the opening of the newly renovated and expanded MAP Teen Center. Later that day is the Family Fun Fair from 4-6:30 p.m. with bounce houses, barbecue and the Kona Ice food truck. The celebration is free and open to the public.
Moving Ahead does more than just provide education, said one student, who came to the U.S. from war-torn Eritrea on the eastern coast of Africa, adjacent to Sudan and Ethiopia.
“When I first started coming to Moving Ahead, I was shocked at how my teachers care about me, and my entire family," the student said in a CHA news release. "They helped us get beds, get food and anything we needed this past year. My mom told me that she feels grateful for a program like MAP because now she feels like she belongs here and knows that we are safe.”
A parent noted she has had a hard year and Moving Ahead was a major help to her family.
"MAP and everyone who works there has given me my hope back. They have endlessly supported me and my children," she said in the release. "My kids can freely be kids without the burden of our situation because they have MAP. I am so grateful for my MAP family and what they’ve done for my family.”
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Moving Ahead Program from Columbia Housing Authority marks anniversary
