Press Releases

Neighborhood Christian Centers, Inc. Awarded Multi-Year Grant From The Urban Child Institute

MEMPHIS (April 26, 2005) – Neighborhood Christian Centers, Inc. (NCC) is continuing its partnership with The Urban Child Institute (formerly LHS, Inc.) through a multi-year grant. NCC will receive $1,010,349 over three years for a new initiative: Changing A Generation. Through this initiative, NCC will strive to reach children ages 0-5 by targeting parents during pregnancy through adult programs and neighborhood churches. This project will also focus on and track youth ages 6-22 who participate in NCC Youth Ministries. This holistic approach will invest in the overall health, family stability and education of individuals within NCC’s target population, resulting in foundational improvements that will in time, change a generation.

While NCC has historically focused on young children, working with them through adulthood, Dr. JoeAnn Ballard, NCC’s Executive Director says, “We believe that recent research urges us to reach children at even younger ages, even before birth. By targeting the mothers or parents during pregnancy and tracking them and their children over the long-term, we will strive to take a more preventative and effective approach to breaking the cycle of poverty and its subsequent consequences.” She adds, “The holistic and relational approach we have established in the first twenty-six years of ministry has brought us to this pivotal point in our history. We believe that we are better situated than ever before to accomplish our goal to change a generation of disadvantaged Memphians through focusing on the dimensions of health, family and education.”

For the last several years, LHS, Inc. has been a major supporter of NCC Youth Ministries. Now, under its new name, The Urban Child Institute, the partnership with NCC continues, with both organizations shifting in focus to reach children at younger ages.

Neighborhood Christian Centers, Inc. is a non-profit organization in Memphis, Tennessee, whose mission is to provide compassionate, Christ-centered ministry to the practical and spiritual needs of the city’s poor. Founded in 1978, NCC serves approximately 90,000 individuals each year, addressing the development of the whole person through educational tutoring, mentoring, college prep and assistance, arts/cultural activities, money management training, career guidance, Biblical teaching, and food/clothing/financial assistance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2005