Children Rising - We Did It!

Children Rising – We Did It!

By Eric Steckel | August 9, 2019

We are Children Rising!

Last night, Faith Network of the East Bay embarked on an exciting new chapter. After long months of thoughtful consideration, and many more months of planning, we are excited to announce that as of today, we are Children Rising!

Many have asked: Why are We changing our name? Simply put, it’s crucial that our name truly captures the soul of our organization. We are all about empowering more children to rise above the substantial challenges they face, created by generations of poverty, violence and educational inequity.

Jim Wambach and Randy Roth introduce Children Rising

Jim Wambach and Randy Roth raise the curtain on Children Rising, an exciting new chapter in our story.

**A celebration of our children rising!**

We hosted a special event at Warehouse 416 in Oakland to reveal our new name and logo. We enjoyed reconnecting with many of our long-serving tutors, teachers, and school administrators. Entertainment included a performance by the young stars of Prescott Circus Theatre, an entertaining circus and theater arts education program in Oakland.

The highlight of the evening was the big reveal, which did not disappoint. When Jim Wambach, our executive director, pointed to the screen with our new name and logo, “ohs” and “ahs” quickly turned to applause.

“The new name and logo will help us rapidly and effectively generate interest about the struggling students in our community schools. It should inspire the community to come alongside a child so they may rise to their God-given potential.” – Jim Wambach, executive director, Children Rising

The young stars of Prescott Circus Theatre, an entertaining circus and theater arts education program in Oakland, performed for our guests.

The decision to change our name was a big one, of course. However, as Randy Roth, founder and former executive director, pointed out, it was definitely the right time.

Our launch event was a celebration of our Children Rising

“The idea to change the name was brought up repeatedly over the years,” Randy said. “I suspected a new name would help us better inform people about what our great organization does for the children in our community. I’m delighted that we finally had the courage to make the change. Children Rising indeed!”

That remark brought more applause!

“In order to serve thousands of more children, we will need many more community volunteers – and our new name must clearly represent our passion and mission for empowering the vulnerable children and youth in the East Bay– the wonderful students in our neighborhood schools that we serve,” Jim said in his remarks.

“Our name should elicit emotion and compassion from the community for the many children who are struggling in our own backyard. And it should also inspire a strong desire within the community to learn more and then to raise a hand in support of a child.”

Tutors, teachers, and administrators mingled over appetizers and wine.

We truly believe that Children Rising does that!

Help us spread the word!

As we move forward together, we have a lot more work to do. In addition to coming alongside the many children and youth in our community schools, we need to spread the word about our new name. Please let us know if you would like to participate in some fashion in the coming weeks and months to help us spread the word – for the children.