Breanna Sommers Blurb

Hello my name is Breanna Sommers. I spent this summer at Agape Child and Family Services. Our organization helps with adoption, homeless families, single mothers, utilities assistance, and similar needs. Our goal is to connect servants to service and build stronger families and neighborhoods. We recently started a partnership with the Achievement School District in the Frayser neighborhood to provide mentorship and wrap around services to students on caseloads assigned to specific Agape staff members called Connectors. In this context, wrap around services are considered to be formal services, interventions, community services and interpersonal support to aid students from underdeveloped communities in their non-academic needs.

I picked Agape because I wanted to see a complete picture of wrap around services and gain insight into the best practices of development, programming, and delivery. I also wanted to see two organizations collaborating and effectively coordinating to improve the lives of students. I found out about Agape through an Achievement School District employee. The director of community partnership worked at Agape previously and mentioned this new partnership to me as great way to see ground level solutions and implementation to support underserved families. I am so thankful for his connection and I feel as if I have definitely fully experienced wrap around services at its finest. 

My perception of Memphis has certainly expanded. I now consider Raleigh, Frayser, Whitehaven, and Hickory Hill as communities that are a part of greater Memphis. Before working with Agape in these neighborhoods, I had no ideas that they were major contributors to Memphis' history, economy, and social fabric. 

My roles in Agape varied drastically, but I think that deepened my experience with the organization and gave me a realistic look at what my future professional roles might include. I developed, implemented, and evaluated a literacy program for two neighborhood summer enrichment camps. I created a Frayser specific resource guide for Connectors based on their most used partnerships and connections. I created a student survey and compiled data on their specific likes and dislike about their communities. I presented research based practices on improving school attendance to staff.

My definition of service now includes the word "servant." As we discussed in our first Summer Service meeting, the word 'service' is loaded with connotation and can be misleading. As a Christian led organization, Agape embraces the word servant through the Bible with a positive connotation.  Before SSF I would hesitate to ever use the word servant or service in work that involved neglected neighborhoods. However, now I see the value in using the word servant because it reminds Agape why we are there dedicating ourselves to this work and how steadfastly we must pursue economic and social justice. 

I learned that non-profit work is messy, wonderful, life-changing, soul searching, and earth shaking work. Emphasis on the the word work. No two days looked remotely similar and I could count on any one of my projects taking a hard left at least once before I finished them. I learned my favorite, most valuable moments were playing with the awesome kids at the Raleigh and Frayser summer camps and just being their friend. I know that our Connectors are asked to move mountains, fix emergencies and change lives on a daily basis and they pull off such a daunting task with relative ease. I learned that my relationships with my coworkers make all of the bumps much easier to move forward.