Rise Up! 5 Year Strategic Plan
July 2012
Rise Up! – A long term relational youth ministry/organization that
impacts through:
1. Small groups
2. One on One Mentoring
3. After school programs
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. HISTORY OF BOYS TO MEN/RISE UP!
2. OUR PASSION
3. CORE VALUES
4. PROGRAMS
5. CURRENT STAFF AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS SPRING 2012
6. FACILITIES AND VEHICLES
7. 2010 OPERATIONAL PLAN
8. MINISTRY IMPACT
9. 5 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN
A. 5-Year Vision & Goals
B. Action Plans & Focus Areas
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HISTORY OF BOYS TO MEN/RISE UP!
Michael and Sherry Marion moved to Johnson City in 1992 to start a group home for boys for
the First Tennessee Human Resource Agency. This was after 8 years working in group homes in
Western North Carolina. In 1993 Michael started coaching a basketball team through Parks &
Recreation for youth who attended Stratton Elementary School, a Title 1 School. While doing so,
Michael sensed a need to do something more to prevent boys from getting into trouble. Using the
basketball team as a catalyst, Michael launched the first Boys to Men group.
1993-1998
The first Boys to Men group met weekly at Unaka Avenue Baptist Church. The church’s youth
director, Travis Cross, would provide meals and transportation for the boys. After a couple of
years as the boys entered middle school, a second group was formed. Many of these boys played
on one of Michael’s basketball teams. During this time, Michael became known as Coach Marion
throughout East Johnson City. In response to the continual asking by female siblings, the first girl’s
group was started (called Girl’s Connection) by Sherry Marion and Lisa Tipton. During this five year
period, many boys played baseball, basketball, and attended various Vacation Bible Schools and
camps either hosted by or co-sponsored by Boys to Men. All during this period Michael had a full
time job as in-home counselor which allowed the flexibility to implement the ministry. During this
period our budget was approximately $10,000 annually.
1998
In 1998 Boys to Men received its first grant (written by Sandi Fisher) to teach the benefits of
abstinence to low income youth. This funding was from the Federal Welfare Reform Act of 1996.
The grant enabled Michael to work full time at Boys to Men. Soon 50 to 60 children were meeting
in small groups with another 50 attending one of the various outreaches.
1999
We received another grant from the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth to launch
our North Side after school program. This program met at Central Baptist Church. Larry Driver,
Debbie Taylor, and Sherry Marion were hired.
2000-2004
All programs moved to Central Baptist Church, and we established our first office. Our
Thursday outreach (Chi-Rho) grew with 75 or so attending. Marcus Mathis, a staffer, died in a
motorcycle accident. We developed our first volunteer mentoring program in conjunction with
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Northeast Community Services Agency. We received a federal grant to develop a regional
abstinence program.
2005
We had our first Mentoring Marathon. We received our first CBAE grant (Community Based
Abstinence Education) for a 3-year period. Boys to Men offices moved to Unaka Avenue, and we
hired an additional 6 staff members to implement the abstinence program and help with the
mentoring program.
2006
Boys to Men held their second Mentoring Marathon to raise the money to buy the former
Dawn of Hope building. We received LEAPS funding to start an on-site program at Fairmont
Elementary School. We acquired the building for $50,000, and Central Baptist Church provided
hundreds volunteers and volunteer hours to get the building ready to open. Boys to Men received
the MCP grant (Mentoring Children of Prisoners).
2007
We received the 180 grant from the U. S. Deptartment of Education to provide school based
mentors and four additional staff were hired.
2008
The first promotional annual was published.
2009
All programming was moved to our facility The Refuge. The first promotional campaign of the
Mentoring Man was launched (1000 miles in 100 days). Discussion began as to a strategic
partnership with Grace Fellowship Church to impact Mountain View School. Boys to Men hosted
the first Giving Depot. Participants have the opportunity to earn Depot Dollars to buy gifts for their
family members.
2010
Boys to Men abruptly lost the CBAE grant resulting in the losing of 6 staff. The 180 grant
expired which resulted in the loss of 3 more staff. A board supported needs campaign began.
After 16 months of thought and planning, Boys to Men changed its name to Rise Up! to reflect our
services to both genders and to better capture the spirit behind our mission.
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OUR PASSION…
is to see under-resourced youth become all that God meant for them to be. There are several
factors that cause a child to be under-resourced:
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Fatherlessness – Youth who don’t engage positively on a regular basis or never at all with
their father
A sense of abandonment – The loss of meaningful relationships with non-parental adults or
professionals beyond their family
Economics – Living below the national poverty line
Lack of mentors – Not having non-family adults relationally connected in long term
relationships
Disconnect from God – Lack of relationship with God and the church
Lack of vision of future – Under-resourced youth do not plan for their future and lack
family support to do so
Being under-resourced usually results in:
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Generational repetition of lifestyles – Children who grow up under-resourced usually stay
that way in spite of all the resources made available through government programs
Lower performance in school – Youth who come from families with low expectations and
low success usually do poorer in school than those from two parent, intact families
Disconnect from church – Not attending church at a young age tends to cause youth to
miss out on resources and relationships that exist in that community. They tend to wrestle
with questions of purpose and existence without a God-centered world view and
contribute less to society. Youth who are connected to church do well in school, and, after
graduation, tend to volunteer more, pay more taxes, and avoid becoming single parents.
Greater cost to society – Under-resourced children usually result in greater costs to society
to educate and to provide special services, etc
At Rise Up! we believe that a child’s past doesn’t have to determine their future. We provide
them with a long term mentor, whether professional or volunteer, who will love, provide
guidance, wisdom, knowledge and experiences so children will be resilient and overcome the
worst of family experiences.
By loving children, praying for them, giving them opportunities to follow Jesus---we can inspire
children to dream. Developing a dream can cause youth to make positive choices when those
around them do not. A dream for the future with a mentor’s help will enable children to
prepare for the future whether it’s college, career, or military. We know children will make
mistakes thus redemption has to be a part of the maturing process. Once a child graduates
with a future plan and hope, they will in turn do likewise for others.
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RISE UP! KEY STATEMENTS
Rise Up!
Inspiring, Influencing and Impacting Kids’ Tomorrows… Today
Our Mission: To impact 100 children to become 1st generation college students.
Our Vision: By 2020, to holistically love, influence, and impact 500 under-resourced children
through life skills training, mentoring, and a college education with the expectation
they will do likewise for others.
Core Values
As disciples of…
Jesus Christ who, as Lord of our hearts and lives, is therefore, the Lord of our work.
We are committed to the disciplines of…
Prayer: Through God, by prayer, all things are possible, especially changed lives.
Teamwork: We believe our staff is stronger together. We aim to prove this by persevering
through struggles, conflicts, and by celebrating our successes.
Leadership Development: Leadership must be multiplied. Our staff is provided
opportunities to develop their abilities, feel the weight of extra
burdens, seize the initiative, and attain the power of final
decision.
In order to affect…
Community: We are building a community within our staff in order to reach the under
resourced in our greater community.
Through the means of…
Love: As God is love and we are called to love Him and our neighbor, so love drives our
staff and our ministry in the service of others.
Influence: The heart of our mission is to influence children, families, and the community
through one to one mentoring relationships.
Character Development: Life skills training is an integral part of our mentoring, after
school, and abstinence programs and is key to a child’s future
success.
Acceptance: Regardless of whether a child attains our spiritual or academic goal our
unconditional love for that child will not waiver.
Excellence: Our dedication to excellence involves not only demanding our work be above
reproach, but to cast a vision of excellence within the community we are
trying to reach. Since there is a correlation between excellence and
achievement, breaking the poverty cycle through the acquisition of higher
education and/or vocational skills is an inherent value of our mission.
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PROGRAMS
Mentoring, Youth Development, Afterschool, and Abstinence Education
Mentoring – For years Rise Up! had 3 forms of mentoring - Mentoring Children of Prisoners, Lunch
Buddies (initial relationship started with lunch visitation), and youth who did not fit other criteria.
This was due to the different funding streams which had different requirements. Regardless, each
mentor has an FBI background check, is fingerprinted, has references checked, signs a faith
agreement, and commits to a one year term. Mentors are vital to our vision. The longer a match
lasts, the greater the outcome for participants. In 2010, all three programs were consolidated.
This will allow more effective management, training, and development of resources for our
volunteers. Ongoing training, engagement events, and continuing support are provided.
Currently, we have approximately 105 students in our mentoring program with around 55 being
Children of Prisoners and approximately 60 youth who come from Mountain View, Fairmont,
North Side, and Indian Trail Middle School. They are picked up at school by Rise Up! and
transported home mostly by parents. There has been daily programming at The Refuge since
2007.
Small Groups (Youth Development) – Our signature program is youth development. Small groups
of children (10-12) start meeting in third grade once a week with a long term small group leader.
This is also known as small group mentoring, and as the group matures, they may meet twice a
week. The leader attends lunch at school and other events to create a continual presence. The
leader spends as much one-on-one time with each youth as they can. Regular earned outings,
camps, and incentives all serve to create a sense of community. These groups continue to meet all
the way through high school. Keeping the groups small adds a family feel as well as a sense of
each ONE matters. Many of these children go on to work as youth staff and volunteers at Rise Up!
After school (SKIA -Sending Kids Into Action) - children attend our on-site program 5 days a week
for elementary and 4 days a week for middle school students. They receive homework help, some
on-site mentoring, passion opportunities to develop various skills and interests, and community
service projects. Youth are fed a daily meal and snack. Youth are encouraged regularly about
preparing for the future ---primarily college attendance. Each class is led by an hourly worker.
This program is funded by the Tennessee Department of Education lottery funds.
Abstinence Education – Our original grant was to encourage abstinence until marriage. Our
experiences led to receiving our first major CBAE (Community Based Abstinence Education) grant
in 2006. Eventually, 6,000 youth per year were receiving 4 hours of instruction throughout 40
public schools. This program included small group mentoring which promoted Boys to Men.
Making wise and healthy choices is still part of the organizational DNA, but currently there is no
staff person who is employed exclusively for abstinence education.
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CURRENT STAFF AND BOOARD OF DIRECTORS SPRING 2012-2013
Michael Marion – Executive Director: Responsibilities include but are not limited to being a board
liaison, supervise director of programs, promotion of ministry including recent mentors, set the
budget, develop programming and curriculum, lead a small group, and fundraising. (1994)
Funded through general fund and MCP grant
Sherry Marion – SKIA (afterschool) Director: Provides staff oversight and development, parent and
student orientation, develops programming for middle school and high school small groups, and
serves as the liaison between Mountain View, Rise Up!, and Grace Fellowship Church. (1999)
Funded through general fund
Andy Malcolm – Director of Programs: All program directors report to him and he personally leads
the mentoring program. Recruits and trains mentors and oversees repairs and maintenance of the
building. (2005) Funded through general fund and the abstinence grant.
Subrina Sonekeo – Director of Finance: Oversees all financial transactions, prepares financial
reports for grants, the board, and auditors; reports to Executive Director and Chairman of Finance
Committee. (2009) Funded through general fund.
Debbie Dupre – Mentor Recruiter and Small Group Leader: Recruits, trains, and supports mentors
for Children of Prisoners grant; plans and executes special events (i.e. volunteer dinner) along with
Sherry; develops weekly programming for middle school and high school girls (Girlfriends). (2008)
Funded through general fund and the abstinence grant
Skot Montgomery – Small Group Leader and SKIA Helper: Co-leads high school and middle school
boys groups; helps design curriculum and outings for boys; assists Executive Director as needed;
coaches sports’ teams. (2012) Funded through general fund and SKIA.
Libby Arms – Mentor Recruiter and Small Group Leader: Part-time recruits, trains, and supports
mentor matches; leads 4-7 girls at SKIA; has been on staff in various capacities since 2001.
Funded through general fund.
Kristy Williams – Volunteer Coordinator: Recruits and trains non-mentor volunteers; food
preparation and purchasing; serves on mentor team as needed; has been a mentor since 2006 and
on staff since 2009; directs Junior Staff program. Funded through general fund.
Misty Davis – Assistant SKIA Director: Helps plan SKIA programming; leads kindergarten class (our
largest group). (2010) Funded through general fund.
Lisa Smalling – Part-time administrative Assistant, Foundation Grant Writer, and Community
Liaison: attends relevant community meetings, applies for small foundation grants, part-time
receptionist, assists with newsletter and staff as needed. (2005) Funded through general fund.
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Board of Directors
1) Ralph Clarke
2) Nick Clay
3) David Culbertson
4) Sandi Fisher
5) Will Fleenor
6) Cary Green
7) Brian Grant
8) Rebecca Henderson
9) Jan Jacobsen
10) Carla Kidd
11) Jan Kincade
12) Andy Osbolt
13) Clay Rolston
14) Lori Shepherd
15) Chad Sorrell
16) Greg Stewart
17) Debbie Taylor
18) Bob Vernon
FACILITIES AND VEHICLES
The campus of Rise Up! is called The Refuge. Prior to 2006, Rise Up!, then Boys to Men, met at
Central Baptist Church. The Refuge consists of 2 buildings. The original building was a school built
in phases starting in 1921. It is approximately 12,000 square feet. The office building was built in
1976 and is approximately 8,000 square feet. There is approximately 2 acres of land. A new roof
was built on the gym in 2009 as well as a new HVAC system.
The original brick building has 4 large classrooms and 3 smaller ones with the gym and café
room available. Using a ratio of 10 per room, capacity is 70 plus. The office building contains
office for staff, the computer lab, two kitchens, the game room, and 3 multi-purpose teaching
rooms.
NEEDS
Presently we have 3 buses with capacity for 15 riders each. and a 66 passenger school bus. We
are able to use them in emergencies or non-SKIA trips. One of the staff has their CDL. None of our
small buses meet National Traffic Safety Board codes. We contract with Kingsport busing to
provide daily pick up. We urge parents to pick up children but will provide rides if necessary.
Not all groups fall under SKIA.
The brick building is in need of a new roof. The parking lots are at least 25 years old and are in
need of repaving. The property is surrounded by a chain link fence that is adequate to keep
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children from easy access to the street. The building has no debt. The HVAC payment is
$1050/month for 60 months (approximately 48 months left).
Priorities as designated by Building Committee
1. Remodel entry way of office building to allow viewing of visitors ( $5000-9,000 cost)
2. New roof on section one of Brick Building ( $25,000-30,000 appx)
3. Repave parking lots and make connecting road ( $42,000-50,000 appx)
4. Pay off HVAC system ($48,000 appx)
5. Replace hallway floor in Brick building
MINISTRY IMPACT
Since 1994 Rise Up! has engaged approximately 1000 children through a variety of strategies:
 after school programs
 small groups
 camps
 sports teams
 mentoring
 Nick-at-Night (our discontinued outreach program)
During that time approximately 250 children attended our small groups and after school programs
for at least three years. Three years is the minimum needed to move from merely influencing a
student to impacting his or her life. The youth who attend less than three years usually drop out
due to:
a. moving
b. parents not wishing to pay the $25 fee
c. parents not wanting to pick up their child (though we will provide this service if
absolutely necessary)
d. parents’ secrets
Some don’t come due to our closing at 6:00PM. There are some natural discontinuing points
such as going to middle school. The next point is playing sports in the seventh grade. The eighth
grade is the next point. If youth stay in their small group past the 8 th grade, they will remain
throughout high school. Youth who participate in our work study program and have a mentor for 3
years tend to stay involved through their eleventh grade year.
Since 1994 Rise Up! has done some things extraordinarily well. Our abstinence program
became one of the most effective in the country. Hundreds have come through our various
mentoring programs. As previously stated, 250 youth have been significantly impacted. The loss
of federal funds has caused us to revisit what we do well and determine where we go from here.
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During our 2011 strategic planning time, we recognized we do two things well that makes us
unique.
1. WE are the only youth program where youth can participate relationally at their
preferred level.
a. A daily after school level
b. A long term small group
c. A one-on-one mentor
All other programs only have a singular entry and participation point
2. We create a long term continual presence in the lives of participants.
Our greatest strength is connecting youth and families to long term staff and mentors. Prior to
moving to The Refuge, we were extremely effective in utilizing a small group mentoring strategy.
This strategy connects 20 under-resourced youth with a long term staff person who meets with
two groups of youth weekly. This, along with lunch visits, one-on-one time with the leader,
support mentors, outings, and incentives creates a strong emotional bond. This strategy we call
“continual presence”, and it has been proven to work. This “continual presence” is measurable
through evaluation and academic record. It utilizes having deeper impact through “doing more for
fewer”. “Continual presence” allows staff to develop an individual success plan as well as partner
with school and parents to monitor growth.
The “continual presence” strategy allows for the greatest possibility to encourage spiritual
development. Spiritual growth occurs best through long term, consistent community and
leadership. It allows us to be flexible with small groups, have deeper relationships, attend more
enrichment activities and measure our effectiveness.
Small group youth may or may not attend SKIA. It can be utilized even if youth attend another
after school program such as Boys and Girls Club, Coalition for Kids, Homework Club, etc. Some
wish only to come once a week, but “continual presence” will track with children through high
school.
Funding is a challenge. By targeting individuals we can utilize sponsorship programs similar to
Compassion International. It costs approximately $2250-2500 annually per child (one staff per 20
youth). Cheaper strategies will produce large numbers but less measurable impact as the
management of youth becomes more important for life.
With our mission of impacting 500 youth by 2020, our long term plan should consider hiring,
training and funding 6-10 long term, small group leaders .* To conduct our abstinence program
beyond our small groups would require grants and funding beyond our current capacity. SKIA
should continue as is with daily programming with The Refuge hosting the small groups. The
Refuge/SKIA provides multiple opportunities for volunteers. A Development Director should be
considered to work with the Executive Director to create a development plan which would include
an endowment, sponsorship, and marketing strategies. A strategy should be utilized for
remodeling the building as well as a plan for transportation needs---including a full time janitor.
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* Small Group Leader defined:
1. leads two small groups of 10-12 youth starting in third or fourth grade.
2. Develop success plans for each youth
3. Making connective relationships with youths’ family
4. Recruiting mentors who serve along side leader
5. Create group-building opportunities such as sleepovers, camps, incentives, sports
teams, etc.
6. Develop spiritual formation activities for youth such as VBS, church, Quest, etc.
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5 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN
Since 1994, over 1000 students have been influenced though mentoring, small groups, camps and
ball teams. Looking back, the 250 students who were in our program for at least 3 years were the
most impacted. Dozens of these students attended or will attend college or post high school
training. Therefore, to achieve our 2020 vision of impacting 500 youth, another 250 students
participating for 3 years or more are needed. This will be accomplished by:
1) Serving the children of the central district of Johnson City through life-on-life relationship
building and providing life skills training and tools with the hope that participants will become
followers of Christ and positive contributors to our community. Programming will include:
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Spiritual Formation – Participants will see themselves as God sees them with a sign of
tangible and regular spiritual input in their lives (e.g. profession of faith in Christ, regular
involvement in a home church, ministry involvement, etc.)
Life skill development
o Character (sharing Rise Up! values and positively contributing to our community)
o Social (expressing feelings appropriately, controlling anger, decision making)
o Academic (equipped and proactively pursuing post high school education)
2) Committing to the belief that supporting and inspiring our current students (and their
mentor/small group leader) is of greater priority than meeting the needs of the many students.
We will support our students through these specific ways:
a. Providing long-term small groups
i. Serve 70-80 children (7 elementary small-groups) by 2013 and 200 children by 2016
b. Strengthening one-on-one Mentoring – provide mentors for each Small Group youth
c. Increasing after school programming
i. Re-establish Quest Day to drive spiritual development
ii. Increased emphasis on our Servant and Leadership Training (SALT) program (job
training)
d. Enhancing the long-term partnership between Rise Up! and Grace Fellowship Church to
serve the Mountain View Elementary School and community with the goal of providing
100 children with a post-high school education.
i. Meeting the basic needs of the school and it's families
ii. Providing educational support
iii. Encouraging parent involvement
iv. Developing mentoring relationships
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