Page 10 - Fall_2017_Vallejo_Chamber_of_Commerce_Magazine

Most Leaven sites operate four days a The importance of The Leaven’s presence of the older kids. “When we have these
week, some five days, and the programs has become pretty obvious. Since they’ve kids in the program, they’re unavailable
After-School and a half to two hours. Much of the recent five-year statistics show an 82 them to get home from school,” Hagan
last on average between an hour
been located at The Groves, the most
to the kids across the street waiting for
explained. “And also, the kids are
percent drop in violent crime in the area.
time is spent on helping kids with their
And its Vacaville site, which opened not
even a year ago, has already shown doing better in school, so they’re more
engaged in school and are less likely to
be in gang culture because they see a
tremendous progress as well. “When you
Accessibility go in that neighborhood now, you see different path for themselves.”
people out talking and kids playing with
each other,” said Hagan. “Before, the
always in need of donations, volunteers,
police rolled up and didn’t see anybody As with most nonprofits, The Leaven is
because people were hunkered down in site directors, and employees. For
their apartments, as it was a bad area to additional information, or to get involved,
Local nonprofit The Leaven has live in.” At only six months after opening call them at (855) 622-5439 or visit
homework, with a variety of enrichment that location, the Chief of Police reported www.myleaven.com.
innovated after-school programming programs as well. For example, they that calls for service in that area had
had a lawyer create a legal program to dropped by 47 percent.
By Matt Larson help kids start understand what the law
is and why we have it. They also have The philosophy is that—even though
a financial literacy program where 5th kids K-5th grade aren’t necessarily the
graders will actually sit down and work ones committing the crimes—if they’re left
or many kids these days, just because they’re out of school doesn’t mean that their parents
are home from work. So where do they go after school? Maybe a friend’s place or a relative’s, out budgets, wary of how to plan and unsupervised, they could be initiated into
some questionable behavior by some
spend their money wisely.
or maybe they just venture out on their own without supervision. They could go to an after-
school program, but many require transportation to get there, which is often a hindrance for
underprivileged youth. With aims to reduce this problem, The Leaven is a faith-based, statewide
(soon-to-be national) nonprofit in Fairfield that provides mentoring and tutoring to K-5th grade at-
F risk kids in low-income neighborhoods, and they’re doing it in the most accessible way possible.

“We’re where the kids live,” said Mark It all began in 2005 when the City of directly in the apartment complex where
Hagan, Corporate Relations Director for Fairfield was looking for a solution to the kids live, eliminating any transportation
The Leaven. So instead of requiring kids reduce crime in the Fairfield mall area. issues,” he said. “The kids would basically
to go to some location, The Leaven sets The community came together and agreed get off the bus and come to us. That
up shop right there in the very apartment on what they needed most: “They all convenience factor, that accessibility,
complex that the kids are living in. In makes all the difference in kids coming
some cases, the buildings even offer up to the program.” By 2009, The Leaven
vacant apartments that they can use for officially became its own entity.
the program.
Today, The Leaven operates 16 locations
“It’s a neighborhood-based rather than a among six cities in Northern California
community-based, program,” said Hagan. and 2 cities in Southern California. They
Not to discredit the community-based have big plans to expand nationwide
programs, but the kids they’re trying to and are currently in talks with about 30
reach are the ones who would have the new potential sites, nine of which are
most difficult time getting there. By going already in development. “The demand is
directly to them, The Leaven is able to be asked for real after-school mentoring and very, very high,” said Hagan. “Because
flexible and customize their services for tutoring to keep kids engaged in school,” of our success we get a lot of requests to
the specific needs of each location. “We said Hagan. The location of choice, expand our services. What we have to
can fine tune each location to best suit and the first Leaven site, was The Groves do is find an apartment ownership group
the needs of that neighborhood; we can Apartments in Fairfield. “The Groves was that is willing to make room for us, and
adjust our hours for them.” the model for the future that put the site not every group is open to that.”

8 Fall www.vallejochamber.com