Evans Delva was a curious 13-year-old the first time he crossed South Swinton Avenue in Delray Beach, Florida, headed for St. Paul's Episcopal Church. The Haitian-American boy, who often babysat his two younger sisters while his mom worked a minimum-wage job as a hotel maid, wanted to see what was going on at the church on the corner.
First he came alone. One day he brought his siblings with him. Then they brought their friends. Many had working parents. Soon more and more children came to St. Paul's to play and attend evening services. The staff and a few church members and neighbors provided a listening ear and helped with homework, but it soon became apparent the children needed more.
"We weren't doing the best job we could do," explained the Rev. William "Chip" Stokes, rector of St. Paul's. "I realized I had my own mission in my own backyard."
St. Paul's is a mostly white church that "sits on the racial fault line of Delray Beach," Stokes said. The neighborhood, predominantly black, has a significant Haitian population. The high school dropout rate is almost 70 percent.
Stokes challenged the parish to start an after-school program for these at-risk children. With $25,000 in seed money from the vestry and a couple of part-time teachers, Paul's Place was born. The program, which serves 20 children, has been full since 2000.
Stressing fundamentals
The children begin arriving around 4 p.m., have a snack and then begin their homework or creative projects. Teachers and a cadre of volunteers tutor them in basic math, English and writing, and remedial skills.
"So much [of the fundamental skills] have been glossed over as they were growing up -- we have to back up and solidify those areas," said Allen Whittemore, one of the original teachers and now the program's full-time director. Whittemore also is an English teacher at St. Joseph's Episcopal School in Boynton Beach, Florida.
At 5:30 p.m., the children are fed dinner. They spend the remaining time until 7 p.m. working on life skills, participating in visual or performing arts, taking tennis lessons or listening to guest speakers talk about their hobbies, their lives or their own transitions from Haiti.
There's free time for a game of basketball or other recreation. Many children participate in St. Paul's youth choir or other youth programs and events. Good grades and good behavior may earn some of them a field trip -- to get a new library card, to visit the Everglades -- or even to go to a YMCA camp.
"We're very serious about self-esteem, behavior issues and wanting them to function in society," Stokes said. "We want them to get ahead and we give them the tools they need -- social skills and academics."
This kind of success requires parent involvement. Because many of the parents speak Kreyol and little or no English, that can be a challenge. A United Thank Offering grant in 2005 allowed Paul's Place to hire Flore Dié, a licensed social worker who moved to the United States from Haiti when she was 6. She is the program's social-services coordinator and the primary link between home and school.
Fluent in French, English and Kreyol, and a licensed translator, Dié tutors the children and mentors their parents. She makes home visits, helps parents look for work and prepare for interviews and teaches them how to dress appropriately for work. She also connects them with community resources such as medical care.
Christianity in action
"Flore has been invaluable. The parents understand 'Hi' and 'Bye' and that's it," Whittemore said. "In a parent meeting, I explained all about the report card, and she translated. Most understood the basics: what an A, B or C is, but they didn't understand the rest of what the card said. It was a huge help."
"Parishioners all talk about Paul's Place -- I think it has really become a source of pride around here," Whittemore said, adding that 20 to 25 percent of the $90,000 budget comes from private donations. The rest comes from grants. "[The congregation has] seen these kids grow up and participate in youth groups and choirs. They are such great kids."
Whittemore dreams of opening more such programs in the years to come.
"Delray is growing exponentially, and the need is going to be there," he said. "If we can open two, three, four, five Paul's Places in churches across the city, with the same curricular idea in place, we could offer 60, 80, 100 kids the same opportunities.
"Christianity begins at home in your neighborhood, and Paul's Place fosters that -- it does what it preaches."
