Thank you for your interest in Developing K.I.D.S.!
We hope you will become involved in our mission and join us in our efforts to
bring forth the leaders of tomorrow.
Mission
The mission of Developing K.I.D.S. is to strengthen urban communities by guiding youth in their mental, physical and educational growth; helping to strengthen and empower young adults; and providing opportunities for all to become strong contributors to their community.
Who We Are
Kimberly Newberry is the founder of Developing K.I.D.S. With advice and guidance from her late husband, Jamal Newberry, in planning the programs and vision; Developing KIDS was incorporated in June of 2006. The need to create an organization was discussed among family members, close friends, and community members. St. Suzanne/Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church opened their doors at no charge to Developing K.I.D.S. to facilitate programming. Through frequent contact with youth living in Detroit and reflection on personal experiences of the past and present as a citizen of Detroit, Mrs. Newberry started drafting the plans for an organization that would bring forth educated, healthy, and capable leaders of tomorrow by strengthening every aspect of a child’s life. Developing K.I.D.S. is a Founding Partner of the Don Bosco Hall Community Resource Center. (Read Kim's bio)
What We Do
Developing Kingdoms In Different Stages (Developing K.I.D.S.) is a non-profit organization that services its community through three servicing areas: Prevention, Family Management, and Community Support. The word Kingdoms is used as a synonym for communities. The word Stages, represents the process in how we will service communities. The philosophy behind this is as follows: leaders will be developed and nurtured in every community. Therefore, that Kingdom (community) will be developed in a different stage or pace than a prior community serviced by this organization based on the needs and risk factors of that community. The mission is fulfilled through efforts to reach out to families instead of individuals. There is support for individuals, however the focus is to get the community to see that they are a part of a group/family and they must work together to bring about change: therefore building strong communities.
Services began in Northwest Detroit near Cody High School. Upon the community-building dynamics of the Skillman Good Neighborhood Initiative, our programming space evolved into the Don Bosco Hall Community Resource Center with Developing K.I.D.S. being one of its founding partners. Over the next three years, key relationships and partnerships were developed to provide services throughout metro Detroit with organizations such as: Don Bosco Hall, Sisters Acquiring Financial Empowerment(S.A.F.E.), Women In Touch, Alternatives For Girls, Women’s L.I.F.T. Center and several others. The summer program that were the initial act of directs service with 29 youth in 2007 has expanded to have a lengthy waiting list, serving over 65 youth with over 308 hours of quality programming for its 2011 summer program.
Though serving over 200 youth and their families directly; within the last year, we have collaborated with several organizations to expand our services. The President of Developing K.I.D.S., lead a collaboration of five organizations through a Targeted Area Partnership project to increase youth and adult participation in the Cody Rouge Community programs within the Don Bosco Hall Community. Through this partnership, community events increased to serve as many as 800 residents for large events with a baseline of 250 for regularly scheduled monthly events. This was a significant increase that put the collaborative in position to be an example for community collaborations. Recently, Developing K.I.D.S. has collaborated with several organizations to expand its services into the Brightmoor Community with funding and support from The Skillman Foundation.
