21st Cares: Emerald Academy

As COVID-19 restrictions have begun to loosen over the past few months, 21^st Mortgage employees were eager to return to the numerous volunteering opportunities around Knoxville with their peers.

Throughout the month of June, several groups volunteered their time and energy to Emerald Youth Academy, the only charter school in Knoxville. Kids leave school on June 5^th and return on July 5^th, so there is a very quick turnaround for faculty and staff when it comes to tasks that need to be done during the summer. The mission of Emerald Youth Academy is to increase the number of Knoxville students that graduate from eighth grade who are prepared for high school and college – it is statistically shown that children living in urban areas score 50% lower on tests than children in suburban areas and Emerald Youth’s goal is to drastically change this statistic for children living in Knoxville. Consequently, Emerald Youth Academy aims to alter the course and trajectory of urban youth by closing this achievement gap through investing in these kids and striving motivate their academic success in any way possible.

To help assist staff members of Emerald Youth Academy, 21^st team members volunteered to fix fences, clean gutters, take care of landscaping, paint classrooms, organize materials, and move furniture and supplies in the building to prepare for the students’ return in early July. Through volunteering, these team members have helped to ensure that the kids will have a clean and safe space to come back to start a new school year – overall, this will help Emerald Youth Academy be successful in meeting its academic goals with these children.