Movie Talk

LIFT2Enrich, Inc is a nonprofit 501(C)3 entity founded on May 4, 2018, and is based in Marietta, Georgia. Its inception resulted from over seven years of experience with a similar for-profit after-school enrichment program founded by the executive director, Terri Whitmire. The after-school program, Fun Creative Writing, was offered to several blue-ribbon schools of excellence and community centers located in Marietta, Georgia. These children benefited greatly from having published authors as writing coaches. However, it was painfully evident that kids from low-income households could not afford the cost of these classes. Under the direction of Terri Whitmire, Fun Creative Writing operated an outreach program in an effort to reach these children at no charge. Finally, after three years of offering these services, the 501c3 nonprofit LIFT2Enrich, Inc. was formed.

Purpose Statement

 LIFT2Enrich, Inc. was established to increase our youth's personal and economic success with in-person instruction and virtual classes.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to elevate the next generation of creative writers with programs that prepare students for the real world.

Vision

More students have the writing skills they need for future educational and career success, regardless of their socio-economic background.

Objectives

1.         Teach youth, ages 8 -18, writing skills that will elevate their creativity and ability to communicate effectively on paper or digitally.

2.         Build confidence and utilize writing as a form of self-therapy and self-expression.

3.         Assist students in pursuing writing as a career.

LIFT2Enrich, Inc. (L2E) offers a diverse array of writing and mentoring-based programs that prepare students for the real world. With an emphasis on education for all, L2E is vigilant in exposing youth participants to literacy-based writing skills that will close the gap in education inequality. In response to the risk factors often faced, extra measures are taken to include Title 1 and impoverished communities. L2E offers resources and real-world-based activities that enforce the importance of practical writing skills, lifelong learning, social and emotional learning, leadership development, and career exploration. Using creative expression as a teaching tool, L2E can build confidence in our youth and strengthen their developmental assets.

According to the Cobb County Board of education, there are 33,000 second - fifth graders enrolled in the Cobb County School System (2018). Thirteen thousand of these students are enrolled in Title 1 schools. Only 24% of children in low-income areas are able to participate in after-school enrichment programs like LIFT2Enrich, Inc. Yet 64% (8,320) of parents stated that they would participate if there were an available program.

Our program has the opportunity to provide enrichment programs to approximately 8K disenfranchised students in just one metro Atlanta County alone.

Reading Rocket states, "… writing challenges children to actively think about print. As young authors struggle to express themselves, they come to grips with different written forms, syntactic patterns, and themes."

Mentor Me

Our mentorship program offers one–on–one support to those highly motivated students who wish to add higher-level writing skills to their tool belt. Students use these skills to write their manuscripts, then go on to achieve their goal of becoming an author. This program strengthens student confidence and provides needed professional feedback.

Toys Targets and Taglines

Students learn how strong creative writing can be used in advertising. Students use persuasive writing skills to design their advertising flyers, write scripts, and film commercials using a high-tech green screen.

L2e offers a variety of writing-based programs that are engaging, project-based, and culturally responsive to our target audience. Our programs are offered as one-day workshops, six or eight-week programs that culminate in a red-carpet celebration where students showcase their work. Programs include:

Movie Talk and Toppings

Students study film production with 15 weeks of lessons. In addition, students learn how to craft a movie critique using proper opinion writing essay structure. This exciting opportunity promotes writing literacy as well as introduces students to a career in film and journalism.

Young Writer's Society

Students study creative writing from concept to publication. In this eight-week course, students learn writing techniques to write and publish their own short stories (content includes common core and milestone ELA curriculum.) Each student's work is published as a digital eBook on Amazon.com.

To date, Lift2Enrich has helped over 50 young people write their first published work. The impact of this personal transformation is limitless. These youth use their current success as a building block to higher education and beyond.

Imagination Writing Station

Confidence in writing and a lifelong love for literacy start here! Younger students will hone their writing skills through engaging projects, interactive literacy games, and fun writing assignments proven to build strong writers. These emerging writers will write or illustrate a short story, design a poster, learn about sequencing, improve their sentence structure, and practice cursive writing, all with the support of a writing coach.

Teen Writing

In the Biz

Teens harness their gifts and turn them into actual businesses. Students learn how to create a business plan, logo, flyer, and press release. In addition, this program teaches how to create interview questions and responses for media appearances. For the final project, students create a podcast recording that showcases their product or idea.

Elevate Spoken Word

Students learn how to write and perform spoken word poetry. They will use the power of words to express themselves creatively and then learn performance techniques in presenting their piece.

Essay Writing

Students learn what it takes to write a winning essay. This college prep program gives students the tools needed to format and complete a compelling essay. Students often use these skills to complete their college entrance essay, learning the do's and don'ts, appropriate content, and the correct structure of essays.

****

Currently, we have three locations where our Movie Talk program will be presented. CNG Boys and Girls Club and Warren Boys and Girls Club are both in Atlanta. The third program will be hosted in Douglas County, where 55% of students are on a free lunch program. These students will review independent films, receive instruction on the various careers in the film industry and connect with local producers, directors, scriptwriters, and film crew. Due to the extreme needs of this community, students will receive lunch/dinner during their sessions. The program will culminate with our signature red carpet celebration, where students will present their work to parents, community leaders, instructors, and local dignitaries.

The budget required for all three programs is $20,000. We will profoundly impact the lives of 75 children who currently reside in high-crime, poverty-stricken areas of Metro Atlanta.

LIFT's staff and board of directors include highly skilled education advocates from various professions. Cumulatively, LIFT has over seventy-five years of experience in program management, education, professional writing, finance, and program management. Our instructors include authors, poets, lyricists, and certified instructors with real-life experience able to share these skills and encourage our youth. Because of this, students learn the skills that can lead to viable and sustainable jobs. 

We are thankful to the many supporters who not only assist us financially but advocate for us and share the accomplishments of our students. Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference. Thank you for being the engine that helps our small organization run!