About Us

It all started with a Facebook post.

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In 2021, there was an apparent need in the Village of Newark, NY, with the community shouting out their concerns that young people were engaging in reckless behaviors throughout town. While many were pointing out the problems, not many were looking at what the solution can be, which is providing opportunities for young people. The message was in the name, The Future (the young people and future leaders of tomorrow) are what make a community strong. With that, we looked to create opportunities for young people, originally starting with group runs that took place twice a week with the end goal that the young people participating would run in the 5-mile race that took place in the community on Thanksgiving. Day one, we had two young people show up. While not the number we were looking for, we kept coming back. Day two, we had ten young people, and each day kept growing until we got to race day and we had 25 participants. All of the young people completed the 5-mile race, which was a win within itself, but the magic was the relationships that were built during our time together. We had created a sense of community, provided role models, and built leadership skills throughout our time. How did we know it worked? As soon as we finished the race, the young people asked, "What's next?" and that is what led to it all.

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From there, we worked with young people to develop more programs, events, and activities. Following the 5-mile race, we did a Winter Kickball League, then went on to do Movies in the Park, Wiffle Ball Leagues, Roller-Skating parties, Cross Country Leagues, and so much more. We began partnering with nearby communities to give the same opportunities there, going from the two young people we started with to serving over 300 in Wayne and surrounding counties.