SKIP - Marion County

Our kiddos are going to be so excited to walk into a new school year with some new shoes on. We are so thankful for our donors! This was a huge blessing for our program!

🌟 Huge shoutout to our incredible donor Pinnacle Retirement Advisors, LLC, who generously contributed 40 pairs of shoes for children going back to school! 👟✨ Your kindness and support make a world of difference in these kids' lives, ensuring they step into the new school year with confidence and comfort.

Let's celebrate this amazing act of generosity and inspire others to give back to our community. Every little bit helps! Thank you for caring and making a positive impact! ❤️

BackToSchool

We are the only DRIVE THRU backpack drive! Kids MUST be in the car to receive a backpack! See you July 27th from 10am-12pm

We hope to see you at our 21st annual backpack DRIVE THRU on July 27th from 10am-1pm. FREE meals for the family while supplies last! Kids MUST be in the car to receive a backpack. We hope to see you there!

Calling all KINGS we want to invite you and your lil KING(son,nephew, cousin, athlete, youth group, etc to our guys night out! We will have a Barbershop Talk under the marquee sign and the first 10 young men to show up will receive FREE haircuts! Get your picture taken by Sensational Selfies! We will have a free throw competition and other outdoor games. (Prize for the winner) FREE movie starts at 7pm. Come share what your is. Hope to see you there!



Sponsored by Community Council Against Substance Abuse SKIP - Marion County

This picture is more than this young lady getting an award. It’s also about who showed up to support his daughter and capture the moment. Dads play a crucial role in their daughters' lives and showing up for them can have a lasting impact on their well-being and success.

You never know what you might be asked to help out with when you show up for work. Can’t wait to show you the finished product. Our kiddos are going to be so excited!

Boxing teaches kids to get up after they've been knocked down both literally and metaphorically. This instills a sense of resilience that can help them navigate the ups and downs of life. They learn to handle defeat gracefully and view challenges as opportunities for growth.

Another school year has come to an end and we are so proud of our SKIP - Marion County mentee's for finishing strong!

Often times in our SKIP - Marion County mentoring program our mentees form a special bond during their time together in small group! And sometimes when one is having a rough day a hug can make it all better.

We want to say a BIG Thank you to our wonderful after school tutors! These ladies don't clock out when the bell rings. They stay for hours after school tutoring our SKIP - Marion County kiddos as well. You all are amazing!
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This year we have really made an effort to work with our kiddos to help them understand the impact of their actions on others. Our -marion mentees created anti-bullying posters to place around the schools. Understanding what bullying is and how to be empathetic towards others will help them understand and connect with the feelings and perspectives of others.


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Super excited to showcase our mentee’s artwork tonight.

We can’t wait to showcase the beautiful artwork our SKIP - Marion County kiddos have been working on.

Our SKIP - Marion County mentees and SADD Clubs of Marion County members are so excited to share their works of art for Colorful Futures- This year’s theme for the Marion County Childrens Alliance Gala.

They put a little piece of themselves into their healing art work, and we are excited to showcase these pieces with you!

We love helping out our Marion County Public Schools families!

We love partnering with our local Marion County Public Schools to provide items to their families in need. If you would love to help out by donating hygiene items, clothes, canned goods, etc please contact us.

We love making after school tutoring fun! Who new you could paint and learn math concepts at the same time.

Our mentee’s loved being able to take a brain break last week and get creative. Legos are good for kids because they encourage creativity, problem-solving skills, and fine motor skills. Playing with Legos also helps improve spatial awareness and can even promote teamwork and communication if kids build together. Additionally, building with Legos can boost confidence and a sense of accomplishment in children.

We want to say thank you to The Pearl Project for an amazing training yesterday! We walked away with so many new ideas and different ways to help our kiddos. Taking their TBRI training is a must if you are working with kids! This agency is doing amazing things in our community!

It is important for teens to have teamwork because it helps them develop important social skills, learn how to collaborate with others, and build strong relationships. Teamwork also teaches teens the value of working towards a common goal and the importance of communication and problem-solving. Additionally, teamwork can help teens develop leadership skills and increase their confidence in working with others.
Our teens were given the challenge to work together to create the highest tower. But the catch was they had to find other ways to communicate besides using their voice.

Do you want to be apart of creating change here in Marion County? We would like to invite you to be apart of our Safe Streets Task Force. Our next meeting will be held April 3rd at 10am and will be held at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center.

A safe place in your head can be a mental space where you feel calm, secure, and at peace. It can be a visualization of a peaceful environment or a memory that brings you comfort. Creating a safe place in your mind can help you manage stress, anxiety, and overwhelming emotions by giving you a place to retreat to when you need a break. It's a tool that can be used for relaxation, self-soothing, and mental well-being.

We want to say thank you to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Office of Prevention for putting on an amazing Summit.

We would like to formally announce that nominations are now being accepted for the prestigious Dr. Mike Jordan Award of Excellence and Vision. We encourage you to nominate an organization that has demonstrated exceptional performance in initiatives for or with the Children of Marion County.
Deadline for Nominations is Friday April 26, 2024
The form is both printable and editable for your convenience. You may access it via the following secure link:
https://mcusercontent.com/.../Dr._Mike_Jordan_Awards...

Rewarding kids for making improvements in their behavior can be an effective way to reinforce positive changes and encourage continued growth. One of our SKIP - Marion County mentee's is excelling at meeting the goals she created this year and she was rewarded by getting to create her own music with one of Ocala's finest DJ's.

One of the best parts of mentoring is seeing one of your older mentee's being a role model to one of your younger mentee's.

Do you want to be apart of creating change here in Marion County? We would like to invite you to be apart of our Safe Streets Task Force. Our next meeting will be held March 6th at 10am and will be held at Mary Sue Rich Community Center.

Our mentee's wanted to do something a little different to celebrate Valentines Day this year! They each chose a staff member to make positive affirmation jars for. They were so excited to share their beautiful thoughts with the amazing staff at Emerald Shores Elementary School Marion County Public Schools

Its more than just learning to tie a tie. Its the success story behind it. This young man is excelling in school and we are super proud of him. #

We are so grateful to have been invited to take part in the mentoring roundtable that the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice put together today.

Thank you to our community and law enforcement partners who joined us for our mentoring roundtable discussion today in Ocala! We appreciate your insight into how we can better support local youth and families through effective mentoring opportunities.

****Tomorrow***We want to invite our local youth to another one of our Barbershop Talks. First 10 in the door will receive a free cut. Our Barbershop Talks are a safe environment where our youth can talk about their mental health, peer pressure, goals, and get some tough questions answered by male role models.

Seeing the smile on our kiddo’s faces when these beautiful baskets were delivered said it all. We are so thankful!