Project Transformation is expanding to Montgomery County this summer to bring its unique model to serve children in the Clarksville community. Key partners are Madison Street United Methodist Church, Austin Peay State University, and more than 15 other community churches.
Every Monday through Thursday from June 5 to July 27, Project Transformation will operate a free day camp at New Providence United Methodist Church, 1317 Fort Campbell Blvd, Clarksville. The site will serve up to 80 elementary-age children and will be staffed by eight college-age interns living at Austin Peay.
“This is a proven model that offers a structure for serving low-income children and youth, connecting churches with their neighborhoods, and helping other area churches partner in a new and relevant ministry,” said Courtney Aldrich, Executive Director of Project Transformation Tennessee. “We have chosen Montgomery County as a satellite program because of the combination of need, resources and community partners who are willing to step forward and support this multi-dimensional ministry.”
The Clarksville Launch Team, compromised of church and community leaders, has been meeting monthly since August 2016 to guide Project Transformation’s expansion.
“The Clarksville community has been dreaming, planning and preparing for Project Transformation for months,” says Rev. Lisa Martin, Associate Pastor of Connectional Ministries and Outreach at Madison Street United Methodist Church. “We greatly anticipate this summer when it will become a reality and I look forward to experiencing all of the ways our community will certainly be transformed.”
The excitement for Project Transformation in Clarksville reaches beyond the walls of churches.
“[Project Transformation] is not just another new program or initiative but as the name indicates, it is an opportunity to transform the lives of both the children served, and the college students who will be immersed in the experience,” says State Representative Joe Pitts. “We have to invest our most precious resource, our time, in children to stem the tide of drugs, gangs, and give hope to a generation. This will be our crucible moment; a turning point for our community.”
In addition to the Clarksville location, Project Transformation will operate eight other program sites in the Nashville, Murfreesboro, and Memphis areas managed by 70 more young adults living on the campuses of Belmont University, Middle Tennessee State University, and Christian Brothers University.