MARCH 2025
- One-Eighty Programs
- Mar 28
- 3 min read
Dear Friends of One-Eighty,
I’m sitting here at the Teen Center on a Thursday afternoon, and I can’t help but smile.
Josh, our resident substance abuse specialist, is shooting a game of pool with a student. Morgan, our Assistant Teen Center Director, enters applications at the front desk while a cadre of teen girls tell her about their day. Tess, a local artist, is making friendship bracelets with students behind the cafe counter. And Alexus, one of our amazing interns, is making a specialty coffee drink in the background, making the cafe run. Fifteen minutes ago, I sat at the front desk across from two boys who had both lost their dads and who both described the experience of feeling like they had the support they needed through the staff at this teen center. This is the first time I met them (I don’t generally work the front desk these days), but because of the atmosphere the One-Eighty staff have created, they assume that I, too, am going to be there for them.
It was a special moment, and it reminded me of a clear fact: Our young staff are truly the heartbeat of this organization.
I’ve honestly lost count of how many staff have come through the teen center to serve. It has to be over 100 by now. Each one has built special bonds and memories with students, bringing hope and possibility into their lives. Most of them would say that in their time here, they were more changed than any of the students they served You see, spending a year or more with kids like these has the potential of changing your life. They come through the doors with all the life and energy of youth, but so many of them come carrying unbelievable pain and brokenness as well. To have the honor of walking these kids through those struggles, living in the tension with them, and knowing that you might make a true difference in their ultimate outcome… It’s deeply moving.
Over the past year, we have been re-crafting our internship program with this reality in mind. We’ve recognized that our younger staff have the chance to discover so much about this work, themselves, and the way God operates in the broken spaces and places in this world. So over the year, this current group of interns has gone through a brand new program. They’ve pressed deeply into this time of learning and growth. They’ve each connected with a dedicated mentor. They’ve undergone personality and job placement tests. They’ve gone through intensive biblical and theological study. They’ve cross-trained into every leg of our organization, working on campus, doing adventure programming, and engaging in community development.
One of their final projects this year was a volunteer appreciation lunch, which they organized and led on their own. At the end of lunch, they each shared their stories of transformation throughout their internship. It was truly one of those moments that you had to be present to understand. It became clear to all in the room that these three young people had their worlds changed, and were each going on to be world-changers in their own way.
As our supporters, you need to know that your contributions are being multiplied far beyond the students and community in Lodi. They are going to reverberate far into the future through these amazing staff. Thank you!
Serving our Youth,
Jake and Alison McGregor
Executive Co-Directors
One-Eighty Programs
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