Local family development center serves Lynchburg youth and adults

The very definition of jubilee is a celebration of sorts, and the Jubilee Family Development Center strives to celebrate the Lynchburg community by coming alongside youth and adults to help them be the best that they can. 

Jubilee’s goal is to “provide high quality academic, athletic and occupation programs to foster personal, social and spiritual growth and stability of families,” according to Destin Tanner, the operations manager. 

Jubilee offers a variety of programs for youth and adults. For the youth, Tanner shared that this includes an after-school tutoring program (YES Program), young men’s mentoring program, GEM young women’s mentoring program and summer enrichment camp, which is “geared towards helping you achieve academic and personal success.” 

Together with their numerous youth programs, Jubilee has a variety of programs offered through its STEM center for local adults. These programs include its GED program, Megatronics program, PCA program and many more “to help adults become productive members of society,” Tanner explained. 

A popular choice for CSER (Christian service) credit among Liberty students is the Jubilee Family Development Center in Lynchburg. Students that volunteer at Jubilee have the opportunity to work with and support this mission. 

Andrea Fortunato, a Liberty University student completing her CSER hours at Jubilee, shared that she chose Jubilee for her CSER credit for the atmosphere and opportunities at the center. 

“I became interested in the idea of getting to not only spend time bettering the youth through tutoring, education and building relationships with them, but also playing and having fun with them,” Fortunato said.

“It feels really good to connect with the students at Jubilee,” Fortunato said. “Whether you make them laugh, or vice versa, or whether you have a conversation with them about how their day was, whether you give them a high five or play a game with them, it is so sweet knowing that you were someone who chose them that day – who chose to see them, to talk to them, to appreciate them, to encourage them or to believe in them.” 

Similarly, Natalia Mendez, a Liberty University student completing her practicum at Jubilee, shared that spending time with the kids at the center is what she enjoyed most about volunteering. 

“It was a great experience to have, and I enjoyed spending time helping the kids and being able to make their day a bit better (by) having fun and asking them questions, because they come after school tired and      wanting just a listening ear,” Mendez said.

To learn more about the Jubilee Family Development Center, visit its website at www.jubileefamily.org. If you are interested in joining its CSER program next semester, look for its company on the CSER student dashboard at their website and contact a supervisor to learn more. 

Auld is a feature reporter for the Liberty Champion