13 News Now

Author: Jordie Clark
Published: 1:54 PM EDT July 2, 2025
Updated: 1:54 PM EDT July 2, 2025
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NORFOLK, Va. — In a city where more than one in four children grow up in poverty, a local nonprofit is working to rewrite the future, one student at a time.

Next Step to Success, a free afterschool program for Norfolk youth, is more than just tutoring and enrichment. It’s a comprehensive life development initiative focused on character, strategy and long-term success.
“We’re not just helping kids with homework,” said Chuck McPhillips, founder of Next Step to Success. “This is a character strength development program, a life strategy program. It’s built to equip and enable young folks in Norfolk to develop the resilient, independent mindset they’ll need to succeed.”

Founded four years ago as an offshoot of the Barry Robinson Center, which serves military families, Next Step to Success offers meals, transportation and programming at no cost to families. Students participate in field trips, hands-on learning and mentoring that stretches beyond the classroom, learning everything from etiquette and cooking to video production, gardening and horseback riding.

“They might be doing pottery at the Hermitage Museum, working with horses at the Circle in Pungo, or learning to braid hair,” McPhillips said. “It’s all about life exposure, skill-building, and expanding their horizons.”

The program currently serves 90 to 200 students and is preparing to expand significantly. Next Step recently began demolishing the former St. Vincent DePaul Hospital, where it plans to build a new campus on 10 acres. Once complete, the facility will serve up to 250 students, doubling the program’s reach.

“If all goes well, we’ll break ground by the end of the year or early next year,” McPhillips said. “It’s a massive investment, but one we believe will pay off for the entire city.”

Next Step to Success is grounded in a simple but powerful goal: to cut Norfolk’s poverty rate in half within a generation. According to McPhillips, the city’s poverty rate is nearly twice the state average, and over half of households with children are led by a single parent.

“We have too many of our neighbors, our Norfolk family, who just aren’t achieving their God-given potential,” he said. “Whether it’s a lack of support, opportunity, or strategy, we want to change that.”
The program encourages students to complete their education, enter the workforce full-time, and form stable families. It promotes what McPhillips calls the “success sequence,” three key steps proven to help young adults avoid poverty:

Graduate from high school or beyond
Work full-time
Marry before having children
“If you follow that sequence, research shows you’re 96–98% more likely to avoid poverty as an adult,” he said. “It’s not a guarantee, but it gives kids a fighting chance.”

Mentors and “success coaches” work closely with students, helping them heal from childhood adversity, develop resilience and set long-term goals. The program focuses heavily on character traits like grit, self-confidence, perseverance and a passion for service.
“This isn’t a flash-in-the-pan project,” McPhillips said. “This is a long-term, profound commitment. And if it works here, it can work in other communities too.”

Applications for Next Step to Success’s fall after-school session open on July 7. To learn more or apply, visit nextsteptosuccess.org.