Spread Your Wings
HISTORY:
MISSION STATEMENT:
"To improve the quality of life for children, adults and senior citizens through community outreach programs designed to reduce crime, improve education, and provide life enrichment services, helping to build stronger and safer enviroments in the communities we serve"
The S.O.A.R. Project was founded by Executive Director, Mimielle Goulatte in 1999. That same year, the organization received its non-profit status from the IRS as a 501(C)(3) organization. S.O.A.R. began by providing Life-Enhancement Services to children and adults in Riverside County in order to assist in areas related to childcare delimas, financial woes and legal concerns. The S.O.A.R. project also provided referrals and access to information and resources on many other areas of life improvement for its participants. Over the past several years S.O.A.R. has expanded its community outreach programs to include a multitude of services designed to ultimately provide a safe and more life satisfying enviroment for our participants and the communities they reside in.
Milestones
A brief list of some of S.O.A.R.'s accomplishments include:
Tutoring Program-The S.O.A.R. Project has been providing tutorial services to the Riverside Unified School District for over three (4) years. During that time, more than 175 students have volunteered to receive services from the project, which has included homework assistance as well as class work tutoring. The services are provided by students attending The University of California, Riverside. These college students are given college credit for their participation in The S.O.A.R. Project. All tutorial services are provided at the Stratton Center, which is a community center owned and operated by the City of Riverside’s Park and Recreation Department.
The object of the S.O.A.R. Project’s programs is to promote a sense of capability in each student, to encourage their ability to succeed, to help them to accept responsibility for their actions and their behavior, to provide a beneficial educational environment, to provide an academic alternative for suspended students, to diminish the number of repeat suspensions, and to promote community involvement with students in the Riverside Unified School District referral programs contained within it.
Housing Assistance- For the past several years S.O.A.R. has been providing housing and life enhancement services to the Riverside County area to our commmuinty's physically and mentally disabled population as well as victims of homelessness, drug abuse, social and domestic abuse, prostitution, and other criminal activity by and towards our target population. S.O.A.R. currently operates several homes throughout Riverside and Moreno Valley, providing safe a and life encouraging enviroment to our consumers.
Skill Development Program-For the past () years S.O.A.R. has been empowering the consumers we serve by providing skill and talent service designed to allow our participants to pursue developing small business concepts that foster and market their abilities; allowing them to increase financial and social independence and thus improve their quality of life through utilization of their skills and talents. Click Here for Recent Profiles of Success
Parnters
Over the past several years, the Executive Director of S.O.A.R. has been developing strategic relationships with numerous agencies in order to provide all of the services the organization runs. Following is an abbreviated list of those partners.
- The City of Riverside, Park and Recreation Department
The City of Riverside provides a space at the Stratton Center, located at Bordwell Park. S.O.A.R. provides their tutorial programs at this center. S.O.A.R. is in the process of establishing internet connections for the computers which were donated to the program. - Riverside City Police Department
The Executive Director of S.O.A.R. and the program volunteers work closely with the Police Department in order to provide the services in their Homeless and Prostitution Programs. S.O.A.R. works closely with UNET, University Neighborhood Enhancement Team (a cooperative effort between the University of California Police Department at Riverside and the Riverside Police Department). The UNET team provides on-going prostitution operations along University Avenue Corridor where S.O.A.R. provides their services. Additionally, they work together in order to solve gang-related crimes in East Riverside County. - Riverside Unified School District
S.O.A.R. works closely with the School District in order to provide its Tutorial, Homework Assistance and computer lab programs. Information provide by the School Districts assists S.O.A.R. in identifying and providing out reach services to students in need of additional academic assistance. - Riverside County Child Protective Services
The Executive Director works with Social Workers assigned to the children and families who participate in the programs at S.O.A.R. The collaborative efforts aid S.O.A.R. in providing case management services as well as referral services to the participants without crossing any confidentiality lines. - Riverside County Public Defenders and District Attorneys
S.O.A.R. works with these agencies in their efforts to provide services to their homeless population, prostitutes and gang members. - Community Alliance Network (CAN)
The executive director of S.O.A.R. is one of the lead facilitators for this organization of community and faith-based groups. CAN meets bi-monthly at the Kansas Avenue Seventh Day Adventist Church. The group serves as a network to connect people and organizations with services and programs that will improve their economic, housing, employment, crime free, educational and conditions resulting from discrimination. Through this collaboration, S.O.A.R. is able to make the community aware of the services and programs it offers as well as actively recruit participants and volunteers. S.O.A.R. utilizes the CAN as a source of information and referral. - Riverside Branch of the NAACP
The executive director and members of the CAN board of directors are actively involved in the local branch of the NAACP. This partnership enables S.O.A.R. to be a part of a civil rights organization that supports the mission of S.O.A.R. and keeps the executive director in contact with community issues and needs.
