For almost 40 years, Rainbow's End Youth Services (REYS) has been providing programs and services for students in the Mount Joy area. Although the pandemic has impacted its programming, the need for the organization is more important than ever, said Cristina Paden, executive director.

"We give students a safe place to be where we can share the love of Jesus with them," she explained. "We provide opportunities for students in grades one through 12 such as games, homework help, free meals or snacks, life-skills lessons, martial arts, one-on-one music instruction and special outings or field trips when we're able to do those."

Before the pandemic, REYS offered programming for up to 200 students a week. In recent months, that number has dwindled some, Paden said, but the need for services has not.

"With so many of our students learning online for school, they are looking for a place to find connections, friendships and mentoring," she explained. "They can use in-person help with their homework. They are looking for extra support, love and personal interaction."

At one point, REYS had to cut its programming down to biweekly events for students, but recently, weekly programming began again.

"We knew it was really important that students have an opportunity to come in at least once a week and have that point of connection with other people," Paden stated.

This year has been difficult for REYS, with a major fundraiser and events canceled, but the staff has been working hard to continue providing for the community. In December, staff members held a "Christmas To Go" party for students to stop in for a few minutes to play a game or two and pick up some presents and food.

"It was really important to us to hold our Christmas party in some way or another, so we came up with this idea where we could be safe but still welcome students," Paden explained.

Paden, who took over as executive director in July, said coming on board during a pandemic has been challenging, but she's seen nothing but support from the community.

"The pandemic has significantly impacted our fundraising abilities, and I'm really hoping and praying that we're able to do events and activities this year," she stated, noting that the nonprofit relies heavily on community donations. "I'm new to this job, and I'm new to the Mount Joy area, and it has been wonderful to see the buy-in here for everything we do. I don't have to sell REYS to the community, because people know us and love us, and they support our mission."

For more information on REYS, including programming schedules, readers may visit https://reys.org.