Novo Ministries launches program for kids in Oklahoma City

In 2004, Valerie Sherrer asked to start a Bible club at some of the Oklahoma City Housing Authority’s community centers.
She saw it as a small project and a way to impact the lives of children from at-risk and under-resourced communities.
"I knew there were kids that had needs for mentors, and I wanted to give the opportunity and help facilitate that,” said Sherrer, an Oklahoma City native. Since then, her ministry has taken off. She’s started her own nonprofit organization. She’s facilitated weekly programming activities at 17 sites throughout the metro area. And last week, she launched an after-school program at the Oak Grove Housing Development.

"I’m just absolutely excited to be here and with these kids every day. I know we will get positive results,” Sherrer said as more than 45 kids registered for the program. Brightly colored posters lined the community center’s walls, and areas were designated for reading, tutoring, art and snacks.
The housing authority asked Sherrer and her staff at Novo Ministries to develop an after-school and summer program called the Community Impact Initiative. It is a pilot program funded by the housing authority and provides Oak Grove children with three hours of after-school care and 7 ½ hours of summer programming. "I personally love the Oak Grove community and the families that are out there,” said Sherrer, Novo Ministries’ founder and development director. "When (the initiative) was handed to us, I decided whatever I could do, I’m going to do it.”
Since December, Sherrer has worked 60 hours a week, crafted the program’s curriculum and hired three employees to staff the initiative. The schedule for each day is a bit different and includes theme days, games, guided learning, tutoring, activity stations, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and faith-based activities, Sherrer said.
Juli Aguirre, 10, has attended Novo’s Friday Bible clubs for six years and said she’s excited to come every day. She enjoys the Bible stories, snacks, prayers and teachers. Her friend, Thalia DeLaRosa, 9, said she likes drawing and doing arts and crafts with the "fun” teachers. She’s also looking forward to getting help on her homework, so she can do better on tests at school, she said.

Frank Miller, housing authority family housing asset manager, said Novo Ministries has had a large impact on the Oak Grove community. "We can’t quantify and say graffiti or juvenile crime in our area is down, but I can almost assure you that Novo has had a profound effect on our children in those areas,” Miller said.

The program reaches out to children age 4 to 12 and if it goes well, the housing authority would like to expand the initiative to all housing authority sites, said Mark Gillett, housing authority assistant executive director of planning and development. However, the expansion is also contingent on funding, about $50,000 per site. "(Novo Ministries is) very organized, committed to what they’re going to do and the time they’re going to spend there,” said Melanie Buckley, housing authority assistant executive director of operations. "For years they came on a volunteer basis and established relationships with kids,” she said.