Celebrating Graduates and Community Involvement

June marked a milestone as we celebrated our first cohort of seniors graduating from high school, taking their first step in the Success Sequence.

Our “Stepping Up” ceremony honored these students, with support from friends, family, and the entire NSTS community.

We also welcomed volunteers from Keller Williams during their RED Day, who contributed by creating a vegetable and herb garden for our students, enhancing our culinary activities.

Summer Learning Activities

Our 2024 Summer Program reached capacity, reflecting the growing interest in our initiatives.

Our partnership with The Hermitage Museum & Gardens provided students with pottery classes, enriching their creativity through hands-on learning.

Throughout the summer, students engaged in caring for horses, financial literacy workshops, and STEM projects (like building miniature rockets).

Our collaboration with Elizabeth River Crossings as a STEM sponsor brought new science and engineering experiences, inspiring new aptitudes and passions among our youth.

In August, we welcomed Janika N. Joyner as our interim VP of Operations, bringing a wealth of experience to our team.

Fall Mentoring and Community Support

We also launched the TowneBank Million Dollar Mentorship Challenge, aiming to sponsor a million minutes of mentorship over the next 12 months by our students, their Success Coaches, and NSTS volunteers.

October brought generous contributions from partners like Sentara Cares, supporting our skills development programs. We also initiated the “Cooking with Confidence” pilot program, encouraging healthy eating and nutrition among our students.

Our Family Resource Night provided valuable knowledge and resources to help families in areas such as college financial aid, personal financial management, healthy lifestyles and career success planning.

Season of Gratitude and Community Recognition

Our 4th Annual Gratitude Dinner in November was a heartwarming event where parents, students, and staff shared a meal and expressed appreciation for the NSTS community.

We also hosted a Career Fair in November, connecting youth with professionals from various industries, providing insights into potential career paths, and emphasizing the importance of character skill development.

Laying The Groundwork for 2025 and Beyond

This year, NSTS became a Certified Agency with the United Way of South Hampton Roads, further validating our drive to equip at-risk youth to reach escape velocity from their disadvantaged backgrounds.

At our Holiday “Sneaker Ball”, we honored six of our youth for their perseverance in pursuing their individual “grit goals” for personal improvement. Funded by an NSTS donor, these awards came with training scholarships to further the winners’ progress toward achieving their long-term goals.

Stay tuned for an upcoming announcement of our December 2024 Grit Goal winners and what they will be doing with their “scholarship” awards!

As we prepare for 2025, we remain dedicated to empowering Norfolk’s youth, fostering resilience and building pathways to success.

We welcome new youth into our program and continue to grow. To submit an application for your student, click the button below to apply!

We extend our deepest gratitude to our sponsors, donors, partners, volunteers, and the entire NSTS family for their unwavering support.

Together, we are making a difference—one step at a time.

For more information about our programs and how to get involved, visit our website: