Our after-school drop-in club
for 6-8th grade girls
Once girls are registered they can come any days they want!
Athletes can come part of the day -- before or after practice!
Join any time!
What's it look like?
Monday-Thursday (when school is in session)
after school (approx 2:45) - 5:30pm
in the Right Tree/MAD Club building
400 E. Third St., across the parking lot from Elk Rapids Bible Church,
(the church behind the high school soccer fields)
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Each day includes time for
Snacks
Game& activities
Homework
Discussion/"campfire" time
Community service projects
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Programs are supervised by Right Tree staff
supplemented by community volunteers
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As with all Right Tree programs, MAD Club is available on a donation basis -- families pay what they can toward covering the $6.25/day cost .
Girls can participate regardless of a family's ability to pay
No one is ever turned away for financial reasons.
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In several recent surveys, Elk Rapids students have listed, "a safe place to do homework with my friends," as their #1 after-school desire. The regional Youth Needs Assessment conducted by the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation identifies mental health, academic stress, mentoring, tutoring and after-school recreation as high priority needs for teens.
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The positive effects of phone-free time as well as the value and life-transformational potential of safe, supportive, encouraging after-school programming is well documented. The 3-6pm block is a critical time for teens and the desire to fill those hours with healthy activities has been shared by ER teens and school administrators alike.
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Right Tree is moving proactively to address these five areas with MAD Club, our newest program addition in speaking possibility, potential, encouragement and hope into the lives of Elk Rapids middle school girls.
MAD Club partners fun & challenge with academic support, discussion, sharing & teaching, and vibrant, entrepreneurial community service projects as we work to support and encourage girls in the Elk Rapids community.
We are looking for adult women and female high school juniors & seniors (this can work for community service hours) with a heart for supporting and encouraging middle schoolers, a vibrant faith, and a willingness to volunteer one or more afternoons per week in 3-month blocks to:
help with homework
monitor and participate in activities
develop friendships
listen to, encourage & support girls
get involved in organization & programming
as little or as much as you like
Depending on your situation, it may be perfectly acceptable to bring younger chldren with you when you volunteer
How You Can Help!
Meet Marcy
M.A.D. Club Program Director
Hello, I'm Marcy Potter. My husband, Wayne , Director of Youth and Family Ministry at the First Presbyterian Church of Elk Rapids, met while in ministry school together in upstate New York. Together we have served in youth ministry in several churches over the last 25 years. We’ve been in Elk Rapids for over 11 years and are deeply committed to this community.
Over the years we’ve worked together my husband and I have served and mentored hundreds of students. We have led youth groups, Sunday school, Bible studies and leadership programs. We have taken trips to youth conferences for spiritual growth and led missions trips where we’ve demonstrated what it means to serve.
In my many years working with young girls I have had many experiences dealing with cases of depression, anxiety, body image issues, abuse, and so on. Today the struggles adolescents have always faced are being amplified by social media culture. As a result, mentoring programs like M.A.D. Club are now needed than ever, even as these programs face a mountain of competition for the time and attention of todays teens.
My passion lies in this pivotal stage of girls lives. These are the years when foundational beliefs about self-worth and character are forged. My mission is clear: to instill values of kindness, integrity, and strength, and, most importantly, to convey the profound message that each girl is meticulously crafted by a loving God for a unique purpose, and is unconditionally loved.