The Union Mission is located in a valley in Charleston’s Kanawha City area. Our thrift store, administration, addiction recovery, warehouse, and preschool facilities have been here since the 1950s when locals fondly referred to the area as Mission Hollow. Today, to reach us, you pass South Park Apartment complex. This is a large public housing facility that focuses on families. Units are 3, 4, and 5 bedrooms. There is a large playground with children of all ages.
“When the Union Mission partnered with Kanawha County Schools to provide preschool services, it was this community that we were focused on serving,” said Preschool Director Adrien Gibbs. “Little did we know how much the Lord had in store.”
In 2018, the preschool opened its doors to 11 students.
“With much prayer and partnership, we are now able to serve up to 20 children per school year,” said Gibbs. “These kids don’t only come from the local housing program, they are from communities throughout Kanawha County.”
The Union Mission has received so much support from volunteers and churches in the area, the Preschool program has become a crowning jewel in Kanawha County school system. The teachers have received multiple commendations for their excellence, and our classroom has been used for county-wide staff trainings. But that is not what sets us apart, that is just the fruit of the Lord’s blessing. What makes us unique is how God works through all those connections to reach the families that we serve with his love and support.
Teachers go into the community throughout the year and meet with families in their homes.
“As you can imagine, each home is different and special, but as servants of Christ we are able to identify ways to serve each family that are unique to the Union Mission,” said Gibbs.
A struggling family can quickly be connected with Family Services to receive food, clothing, and support at Christmas.
“By meeting the families and having the Kingdom connections that we do, we can fill nearly any need a child may have to support them in their education journey,” said Union Mission CEO Jason Quintrell. “That is what makes us special. We not only educate a child through the local school system with all of their fantastic resources, but we can tap into our Union Mission programs, our faith partners, and our community to provide support to a child’s entire family, and not for only a year, but hopefully for a lifetime and even eternally.”
“We are so blessed to witness the families we serve grow and change over the years,” said Gibbs. “We may have met a family in 2018, but we are still involved with them 6 years later as younger siblings go through our program. We love when we are able to keep in contact over the years and watch not only a child grow, but also a family grow and mature.’
The Preschool program starts accepting sign ups for the following year in February.
