CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ala.- Extended Family, a nonprofit organization based in Centre, continues to make a meaningful impact on families affected by incarceration and at-risk youth through a growing number of support programs.

The organization serves Cherokee, Calhoun, DeKalb, and Etowah counties through two key initiatives: Extended Family for Kids and the Extended Family Leadership Academy. Both programs are designed to provide encouragement, life skills, and support for children who have loved ones who are incarcerated, as well as older students who need guidance and leadership development.

Assistant Director Daphne Rogers said one of the organization’s most successful efforts in recent years has been its scholarship program, which is part of the Leadership Academy.

“The scholarship is something we’ve been doing for the last few years very successfully,” Rogers said.

Rogers said the scholarship process helps students build important real-world skills by teaching them how to complete applications and secure letters of recommendation. The scholarships are made possible through support from community partners and private donors.

“We’re funded through many, many different sources, and one of those is through private donations from individuals who are really supporters of us and what we do,” Rogers said. “It is through our private individuals that we’re actually able to do these scholarships for our students.”

From October through March, Extended Family served 77 groups with a staff of nine, delivering 558 lessons to 916 enrolled students. In addition to working directly with children and teens, the organization also provides training for adults across Alabama who want to launch similar programs in their own communities.

Rogers said the long-term vision is to make sure every child who needs the organization’s services has access to them.

“Our ultimate goal is just to get our programs into the hands of every single child who needs us,” Rogers said.

(Photos courtesy of Extended Family)