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Anthony Cloud

Staff Writer

Henderson Settlement’s youth ministry program will now have the opportunity to transport children with ease. With the help of state Rep. Rick Nelson and an anonymous organization, the program will now have a bus.

With this new vehicle, the youth program will be able to transport children to different events conveniently. Before the program had the bus, they had to rely on vans to transport the children. The bus will allow the youth program to transport up to 25.

Maggie Mayes, the Youth Ministry Coordinator, stated that this bus will change aspects of the program. Currently, the meals that are provided to the students are in a different building than the youth center. This requires the center to transport the children back and forth to receive meals.

The vans that are used by the center can only hold up to nine children. With the new bus, this means that there will be less trips made to get the kids to the cafeteria.

The youth center also provides transportation to and from the youth center. With the new bus, the center will be able to pick up more children at a time.

“This bus will change the lives of a lot of people,” said Mayes. She also stated that Nelson helped her through the process of applying for the bus. “He helped a lot,” said Mayes.

The youth program is a faith-based program. They hold several different programs throughout the year.

During the summer, the youth center has a summer day camp. The camp is on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. During the summer program, the center has special guest and teaches the children several different life skills. This includes skills such as money management and proper etiquette.

There is also an after school program during the academic year. During the after school program, students can receive help with their homework. There is also devotional and a snack provided.

The idea for the entire program is to provide a safe place that encourages a positive attitude. The program can also help students experience life outside the “holler.”

According to Henderson Settlement Executive Director Mark Lemons, the youth program was developed to give children hope.

Anthony Cloud is a staff writer for the Middlesboro Daily News. He can be contacted via email at acloud@heartlandpublications.com.