The GreenHouse Communtiy Center

Cultivating a thriving community by nurturing the emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and physical development of our youth and inspiring them to grow to their full potential

Vision

Imagine growing up across the street from a park that is too dangerous to play in...or sharing a three-bedroom apartment with nine people...or not having books, school supplies, or a quiet place to do homework.

These are the harsh realities for the more than 550 youth living across the street from Niños Park in Natomas. The needs of this low-income neighborhood are obvious: generations of poverty, addiction, oppression, and crime have left families feeling hopeless and forgotten.

Drawn to serve this community, some volunteers from a local church began going to Niños Park on the weekends to play games and build relationships with kids and their parents. After hearing their stories and seeing their potential, these volunteers began to dream about a place that could represent health, hope, and renewal for this community.

This dream became reality in July 2002 when The GreenHouse was born. The GreenHouse is a Christian Community Enrichment Center that was formed to help unlock the inherent resources of this neighborhood and transform it from one that is merely surviving into one that is thriving. By providing families with opportunities for education, artistic expression, fitness, and spiritual growth, The GreenHouse is nurturing the seeds of renewal in this community.

Elementary

Evergreen, an after-school tutoring and enrichment program, provides 30 first through sixth graders with a safe, fun, and nurturing environment to do homework, improve academic skills, and participate in recreational activities.

Club 56 is a faith-based youth group for students in 5th and 6th grade that provides children a place to play games, learn more about themselves, and develop a relationship with God.

Adventure Zone provides 40 kids with an eight-week summer day camp. This program provides recreation, crafts, and field trips to kids in the summertime.

Teen

R4, an after-school program for junior and senior high students, provides youth with a one-on-one volunteer tutor who helps them with homework and mentors them. Students also improve academic skills through computer-based curriculum. The four Rs in R4 stand for: Relationships (building positive relationships with peers and mentors), Reading/Writing/Arithmetic (achieving greater competency in academic skills), Resources (accessing the resources needed to achieve future success), and Realizing (realizing our full potential together).

Liquid, provides a safe, nurturing environment during the summer where teens can learn, be creative, have fun, connect and build positive relationships with their peers and community.

Leaders in Training (L.I.T.) provides opportunities for youth to become involved in leadership at The GreenHouse. A small team of youth (grades 7-12) is selected to meet monthly to share ideas, plan events, develop their potential, and learn tools for a successful future. Participants have the opportunity to hear guest speakers and go on a special field trip at the end of their term.

Oasis, an evening, faith-based youth group, offers teens a place of refuge in the middle of their week where they can hang out with friends, play games, learn about God, and be mentored by caring adult volunteers.

Explore! , is a mentoring opportunity for fifth through twelfth grade students. The program pairs an experienced GreenHouse volunteer (“Guide”) with two students ("Explorer") for 1:2 mentoring. The trios spend quality time together each month on excursions in the community (dinner at a restaurant, sporting events, museums). The mentors encourage the mentees to make positive choices about school, relationships, and behavior during this pivotal time in their development.

Families

Family Based Events Family Based Events are held quarterly to encourage parent involvement, build relationships with and among community members, and provide opportunities for families to have fun together in a positive setting. Family based events include: Easter Celebration, Harvest Carnival, Christmas Party, Family Game Nights, End-of-the-Year Celebrations, and other celebrations.

Melvin’s Hope Christmas Project provides kids in our neighborhood with a new pair of shoes and a new toy at Christmas time. Sponsors throughout the community buy the gifts and have an opportunity to deliver the gifts in person.

Thanksgiving Food Baskets are distributed to families in our neighborhood each year. Coordinated by the Church Volunteer Network, the baskets each contain a turkey and all the fixings for a complete Thanksgiving meal.