ABOUT US
Homework hangout began as the vision of mr. keith & mrs. rosie anderson with the goal that…
“Communities through the Individual Family be resilient, maintained, and healthy.”
Homework HAngout Club, Inc.’s Birth
Homework Hangout Club began as the vision of Mr. Keith & Mrs. Rosie Anderson with a the goal that “Communities through the Individual Family Be Resilient, Maintained & Healthy”. So, in 1991 Keith started an afterschool program.
This program, named Homework Hangout by Keith, began with eight (8) children. Keith was lead to structure the program modeling a strong Christian family, with three basic goals:
Life Skills
Homework
Dinner
Ms. Rosie saw this afterschool program this to be a “calling” for them both. Courageously, she has and continues to support her husband, “Brother Keith” through this walk of faith, transporting students, tutoring, cleaning, coordinating, smiling, encouraging, praying, serving as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend.
The implementation of these steps began in 1991, twenty-five (25) years with a burning God given passion. Not a plan but “The Plan”.
— Brother Kevin and Mrs. Rosie Anderson
Just a few weeks had passed when they realized that their obedience to God was a blessing to many lives in ways that they never imagined. The saw the work done at Homework Hangout to be their personal mission to God - one of truthfulness, strength, respect, compassion, and love.
Homework Hangout grew quickly from eight students to 32. As enrollment for the afterschool program grew, so did the expenses. A $1,000.00 donation came from Ameren Illinois. Other small donations were coming in, but these donations did not address the need for more space.
The program had been in place less than a year and had already outgrown their space. Homework Hangout needed a real home. Publicity was at an all-time high for the program and more and more students were finding their way to this program.
In 1992 Brother Keith became an official Community Ambassador for Ameren Illinois of Decatur and was authorized use of space for Homework Hangout for a five (5) year span at no cost. The location 2170 North Edwards Street in Decatur.
Approximately 150 students were now in attendance. The location, St. Thomas Catholic Church, had classrooms, a gymnasium, kitchen, and dining area. During this time an onlooker Mr. Rick Thomas, a member of the New Salem Baptist Church volunteered his services in the further development of Homework Hangout. An educator and innovator, He embraced the vision and brought the defined coordination and academic compliance to this program. Decatur Memorial Hospital (DMH) was located in the immediate area. They donated all of the food and a van to the program.
IN IT’S FIRST YEAR,
HOMEWORK HANGOUT KEPT GROWING.
Brother Keith met with the Attorney General explaining the program and its positive impact on the Decatur community. As a result of this contact, a $25,000 grant was awarded to the Homework Hangout program.
In 1993, Brother Keith expanded the Life Skills to include the “Rap Session”, now part of the regular activity schedule. Exposing students beyond their environmental boundaries and preparing them for a realistic productive future became the next priority. A broad range of topics and speakers were introduced at every opportunity; topics on substance abuse, incarceration, job skills, community stakeholders, politics, adolescent development, contraception, relationships, parenting, priorities, dating, and the list went and continues to be expanded. Tours to Chicago (Brookfield Zoo, Salem Church, Museums and etc.) occurred on a scheduled basis.
Brother Keith and Ms. Rosie now recognized that
homework hangout would be their mission –
a lifetime commitment and investment
From 1995 to 1996 the leadership of the Decatur’s Teacher’s Union approached Brother Keith asking for his assistance in bringing the St. Thomas Catholic School teachers and parents together for the betterment of the student. Brother Keith hosted a parent teacher dinner and strategically placed the respective parent and the student’s teacher at the same table. Approximately eighty (80) parents were in attendance. This was a great success and a win-win outcome for all involved. The Homework Hangout program did and continues to excel in developing collaborative relationships, productive community stakeholders and local communities through each Individual Family Be Resilient, Maintained & Healthy.
During this timeframe, there were several specific and recognizable programming approaches in preparing the students for life and employment experiences. The etiquette of dressing and social development for the sixteen (16) to eighteen (18) year old. Given that a number of students were members of low income/poverty level families; limited options and resources existed as they saw it. Often times, resulting in poor decisions with negative consequences involving the law enforcement and/or criminal justice. Guest speakers inclusive of Ex-felons with a positive refocused direction served in sharing and offering realistic ways to succeed and rise beyond the crime participation and gang indoctrination. Many times, some of the students had siblings and other relatives that were negatively entangled in the criminal justice system. And used their experiences as the only reality. Brother Keith and Ms. Rosie taught and demonstrated the meaning of a positive reputation through displayed trustworthiness.
By 2008 Homework Hangout program had around 200 students on a consistent basis. The summer work program became functional producing responsible and productive citizens.
S.T.E.P.P.I.N.G.O.U.T.
Support (in learning the importance of critical thinking and adopting practical options)
Train (all mentors/volunteers, staff and community on the intellectually disciplined process inclusive of the prosperous expectations with skillfully conceptualized standards)
Engineer (one’s independence through actively applying learned sustainable practices)
Positive Persons (selected for all programming by mentors and staff insuring mission belief and actions are consistently evidenced)
Influences (being understood as a result of negative or positive decision making attributes)
New (and alert to intellectual values that transcend subject matter in the evolving systemic process in changing one’s mind – mind set – and life)
Generations (being acknowledged with clarity, accuracy, precision, historical consistency, current relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, unique complexity, possibilities, fairness and respect)
Ongoing (a strong and realistic emphasis that change and improvement is a process with identified self-motivating and self-discipline experiences)
Universal (a realistic goal that gives preparedness to live productively in the community with the believability of one’s ability to live worldwide)
Transformation (being accepting and embracing the newness of learning, accomplishing, and actively living as an industrious, law abiding citizen)
