DALLAS MORNING NEWS
Most kids might balk at the idea of going to school on weekends, but not the 120 who attend The Stewpot's weekly Saturday School.
"It's very fun," 10-year-old Veronica Vargas said during a recent Christmas party for the students and their families. Her favorite subjects: music, science, reading, computers, gym and art.
Four of her six brothers and sisters also have attended the program.
"It helps the kids a lot," said her mother, also Veronica Vargas. "They're learning and ... they behave better. They get books, which helps them with their reading."
The Stewpot is known mostly for serving hundreds of meals every day to the homeless. But the nonprofit agency established by First Presbyterian Church downtown provides many other services, including the Saturday School program for homeless and low-income elementary school children in the surrounding area.
The Stewpot is one of 21 agencies that benefit from The Dallas Morning News Charities, which has raised more than $17.25 million since 1986 for the homeless and hungry.
The News pays all administrative costs, so 100 percent of the donations goes directly to charities that provide food, clothing, shelter, emergency assistance, job-skills training and counseling. The newspaper's program runs through Jan. 31, but donations are accepted all year.
Saturday School is designed to prevent students from dropping out down the road and to create stability in their lives, said the Rev. Bruce Buchanan, executive director of The Stewpot. Most recently, the program has added English as a second language classes for the children's parents, who are predominantly Hispanic, he said.
Most of the students come from the neighborhood just south of downtown, which includes a family homeless shelter. About 23 percent of Dallas County's homeless are children, according to a January survey by the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance.
Saturday School gives students a safe place to spend the morning, said Suzanne Dwight, who runs the program. In addition to computers, art, reading, science, gym classes and field trips, kids get breakfast and lunch.
"Otherwise they probably would be sitting at home watching TV," Ms. Dwight said. "It's learning in a fun environment."
The Stewpot also offers programs for junior high and high school students that include help planning for college and scholarships.
"We found that a lot of the kids, their parents may not have gone to college and they may be the first person going," Ms. Dwight said. "We're just a resource to help them through that process."
Reina Diana said six of her eight children have gone to Saturday School. She said the program helped her and other parents buy clothes for their children this year.
"They worry about the kids' education and that of the parents, so the parents can learn English," she said. "It helps the kids so much."