Taylor Students Support Elementary Literacy Through Lift Eastbrook Afterschool

Every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, a bus full of Eastbrook South Elementary school students arrives at Upland Community Church for an afterschool program that provides literacy support, whole child development, and spiritual nurture.

This program, Lift Eastbrook Afterschool, is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to serve the local community through support from local volunteers, including Taylor students.

"In Grant County specifically, literacy is a struggle for a lot of kids," explained Terri Collins, Board President of Lift. Collins served as the Children’s Director at Upland Community Church for 22 years and saw firsthand the educational struggles her students experienced. 

Lift began in 2014 through a partnership with Eastbrook South Elementary to support children who needed an extra "lift" to reach their full academic potential. Eastbrook recommends students who would benefit from the program to Lift. Currently, the program serves 33 elementary students across second, third, and fourth grade, with a maximum capacity of 36 students. 

A Day at Lift 

Each day, Lift begins with playtime, a way to get the children moving after a long day at school. This also allows everyone to mingle regardless of grade level. Then, everyone moves on to worship together. Depending on the day, students participate in large group lessons, small group studies, or lyric video singalongs. 

"We are so grateful we have the freedom to teach about the Lord," said Kiersten Seeman, Executive Director of Lift. "At least 50% of our kids don’t come from church homes, but their parents are still willing to enroll their students in Lift, knowing we will be teaching from Scripture. Our deep desire is that these kids would know that there’s a God in heaven who made them and who loves them and wants a relationship with them through Jesus." 

After worship is Lift’s literacy hour, the backbone of their program. The students split up by grade to receive direct instructions tailored to their reading level and go to learning stations run by volunteers. 

Then, they each have one-on-one reading time, where every student has an individual adult to sit and read with. This is where volunteers especially shine as they work directly with students during this hour, encouraging and helping build their confidence. 

Many Taylor students volunteer at Lift. "It’s so exciting to watch the children grow from not being able to read to becoming more confident. I can’t wait to see how much more growth I’ll be able to witness," one shared. 

After literacy hour, the children have time to play structured games, such as board games, which provides more time for them to build relationships with Taylor and community volunteers. 

"Taylor students fit into our mission beautifully as mentors because their faith is vibrant, and they want to invest in people who don’t know the Lord," Collins explained. 

Finally, the program ends with an enrichment activity, which exposes the students to experiences they might never encounter otherwise. These experiences range from cooking lessons from an Upland local to hearing about Taylor students’ J-Term travel experiences. Taylor sports teams have even run clinics for the students. 

"We don’t know what our kids’ preconceived notions are of a Christian," Seeman said, "but we know our Taylor student volunteers are demonstrating what a life lived for Jesus looks like. We pray that our students will continue through life with positive impressions in their hearts about people who follow Jesus." 

Connections that Continue 

Elisabeth Nieshalla ’24 volunteered at Lift during her time at Taylor, where she formed a special bond with a sweet second-grade girl. "Over time she trusted me with pieces of her story," Nieshalla explained. "Though she came from a deeply broken home and carried more than any child should have to, she consistently showed a tender heart and remarkable resilience." 

After two-and-a-half years, Nieshalla graduated from Taylor at the same time her young friend graduated from Lift, but Nieshalla made a commitment to stay connected that summer. During that time, the young girl decided to place her faith in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. "It was a profound gift to play a small part in this eternally significant work," Nieshalla shared. 

"I don't think we can overstate the impact that Taylor students have in showing up consistently." Seeman said. "In loving these kids, laughing with these kids, praying with and for these kids, reading with these kids. The partnership that we are able to have is such a tremendous gift."