2024 Letter from our Co-Founder

Walking by Faith, Growing through Challenge.

It's hard to believe it's been over three years since the After-School Opportunity Lab (A-SOL) began. On January 15, 2022, Lorna Reddicks and I sat at lunch for nearly three hours, dreaming about turning our shared idea into reality. What started with just the two of us and a dream has grown into something only God could make possible. These three years have been filled with many highs and lows, and every moment has been worth it. Though words fall short, I am profoundly grateful for the people who helped make this happen. Over 100 individuals have worked hard to come together as volunteers, donors, and advocates to create life-changing impact for South Dallas youth. Before sharing what we accomplished this past year, I'd like to take you behind the scenes into my view of A-SOL.

To tell this story accurately, I must begin with a personal reflection. Had I known all it would take to build A-SOL and all the obstacles we would face, fear might have prevented me from starting this journey. Yet, I am deeply grateful the Lord led me on this path of faith and provided all we needed, even when the way forward was not clear.

Let me share our "Why." Seven years ago, while in college, I began serving at an after-school program in a low-income area of Waco, TX. Witnessing both the students' joy and their barriers to success moved my heart to action. After graduating, I moved to Dallas and was introduced to the Fair Park neighborhood of South Dallas. I immersed myself in the community, building relationships with residents and understanding the intricate daily challenges they face. I've had the privilege of becoming friends with outstanding community leaders like Mr. Michael Sneed (Listen to his transformative story) and Ms. Eppie Meadows, and it's an honor to learn from them and build upon their foundational work. My wife Alyssa and I value proximity in our work and are grateful to live and attend church in the same zip code that A-SOL serves.

Children in South Dallas face significant barriers to success. While schools work diligently with limited resources, the statistics are sobering: According to TEA, only 25% of middle school students read at grade level in 2023-2024, and less than 30% enroll in post-secondary education (THECB, 2022). The hours between 3-6 PM prove to be the most dangerous for children(OJJDP, 2022), yet 75% of Dallas students seeking after-school programs cannot access one due to limited availability (Dallas After 3 PM, 2022). No single person or organization can address these systemic challenges alone. The solution requires a collaborative effort, with organizations and individuals faithfully investing their time, talents, and resources. We are honored to play our small part in God's bigger picture. 

As an organization, A-SOL has undergone various changes to adapt and grow to serve the students in our community. The most significant growth of 2024 was the development of a strong, diverse team unified by our faith. I started the year as our only employee but now am a part of a staff of four (two part-time). Our program took a significant step up with the addition of Program Director Dr. Laquetta Shaw in March. Additionally, our board has grown to nine members with diverse skill sets and an aligned passion. We've also added a handful of volunteers who help with various tasks, including community relations, programming, and fundraising. We decided early on to trust and empower volunteers to work on meaningful projects alongside our staff and board. Seeing where we've come from since last year's annual report is encouraging.

While celebrating our successes, I must acknowledge the challenges. This past year has been my most challenging professionally. Since taking the leap of faith 21 months ago - leaving corporate security to build A-SOL full-time - I've learned countless lessons, often the hard way. At times, I've let fear or a scarcity mindset influence decisions. I've overemphasized either programming or fundraising at times, creating imbalance. I've tried shouldering everything alone instead of trusting God and others. Yet these shortcomings became valuable lessons and important milestones in my journey. I'm grateful for mentors and coaches who've helped me gain new perspectives, mature in faith, and develop as a leader.

Reflecting on my journey, I wanted to include some lessons from my time leading A-SOL.

1. Being a good founder is different than being a good leader. In the early days of A-SOL, I learned how to work effectively with a small team, strategize, and execute our vision. However, my role has developed drastically as we have grown as an organization. I am continually working with my mentors to identify new blind spots and grow into a more effective organizational leader one step at a time.

2. We are called to do the work, but only God can bring real change. This is one of the hardest lessons that I am continually reminded of. It is easy to take either side of this lesson to the extreme - to try to do it all ourselves and not rely on God or not to do the work and expect God to meet all our desires. Both approaches miss God's design for us to faithfully work with all our hearts and trust him with the end results. (Matthew 6:33)

3. School principals and pastors have some of the most challenging jobs possible. This is even more true in low-income communities like South Dallas. Leadership is a weighty calling, and there is no way they can meet all needs in their communities alone. A-SOL is honored to come alongside both and play a small role in supporting both by ministering to children.

4. Since COVID-19, parents have become more skeptical about their students' involvement. A-SOL has learned the importance of building trust with parents and having clear student safety protocols.

5. Transportation is one of the most significant barriers for students and families. Not having consistent transportation for our program prevented many of the students we desired from attending our program. We have put temporary solutions in place and are excited to launch a busing program later this year.

6. Student enrollment is more complex than we initially anticipated, especially for high school students. While we assumed students would eagerly join our program, we've learned the importance of building relationships early and consistently. We discovered that connecting with students at younger ages creates stronger foundations for long-term engagement. Additionally, we've strengthened our partnerships with schools for direct referrals.

7. Most nonprofits only track and report activity, not impact. I learned that offering an after-school program is only an activity, and the more important focus should be on our impact (or effect) on students. To address this, we embarked on a comprehensive consulting project last fall to design a data-driven Theory of Change, refine our Strategic Plan, and build a Monitoring & Evaluation process. We now have a defined strategy, including pre & post-semester surveys and clear reporting metrics to see if we are addressing the problem we set out to.

8. Parents in South Dallas are eager for the faith-based elements of our programming. From going door-to-door in the community to hosting intentional focus groups, we have spent much time listening to and learning from families. Faith is one of the differentiators of our program and is something we are eager to keep growing. A-SOL was not formally founded as a Christ-centered organization, but our board pivoted to build our foundation on faith in November 2023 and has continually seen the fruit of this decision.

9. Many nonprofits are doing great work but miss opportunities to collaborate. I was saddened to hear how organizations in the same community didn't know about each other. However, I have also seen firsthand how hard it is to look at the big picture with a full plate and staffing constraints. A-SOL has worked to do our best to build relationships, learn from, and support other organizations as we are able. We recognize that it's a slow process, and we continually strive for collaboration. (If you know another organization with a similar location or mission, we’d love an introduction!)

10. When done right, fundraising is a beautiful representation of the Kingdom of God. Fundraising is a pain point for many organizations, especially startups. It can be easy to look for shortcuts or transactional approaches. Yet, we have learned to build a relational approach focused on deep, authentic relationships with people who genuinely care about our mission. This is not a simple approach; it takes time and trust, yet it has propelled us farther than we could have imagined.

In conclusion, building A-SOL has been the most challenging and rewarding journey imaginable. I'm blessed to serve in my dream job, work alongside a dream team, and have some fun along the way. Though the path ahead holds challenges, I've counted the cost and remain committed to building for the long run.

I want to close with gratitude and an invitation. You make our work possible - whether through financial support, prayers, volunteering, spreading awareness, sharing guidance, or making connections. THANK YOU! If you feel called to deeper involvement, please reach out. We'd love to have you join our movement as we serve the Lord and help inner-city students experience abundant life.

Click here to read our full annual report.

Sincerely,

Austin Bowyer

A-SOL Co-Founder & President