Seen and Known: How By the Hand Club for Kids Is Forming the Next Generation

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of By the Hand Club for Kids in supporting children in under-resourced neighborhoods through the presence of caring adults.

What happens when the Church shows up—not just with programs, but with people—in the lives of children growing up in under-resourced neighborhoods? This week, Dan is joined by guest co-host Caroline Curry (Development Specialist, Tyndale House Foundation) and two leaders from By the Hand Club for Kids: Peter Hanson, VP of Volunteer Development, and Stephen Fernandes, Chief Development Officer. By the Hand Club for Kids has been walking alongside children in some of Chicago's most challenged communities for over two decades—offering not just after-school programming, but something rarer: the sustained presence of caring adults who refuse to let a child's zip code define their ceiling. In this conversation, we explore: Why diverse social connections matter enormously for kids growing up in geographic and economic isolation The irreplaceable role of adult presence and attention in forming a child's sense of value and purpose—especially in our distracted, screen-saturated world How By the Hand helps students see their own neighborhoods through the lens of God's abundance rather than human scarcity What By the Hand's work says to the broader Church about what we truly value Learn more…

People in this episode

Guests: Caroline Curry, Peter Hanson, Stephen Fernandes

Topics covered

• children
• under-resourced neighborhoods
• community support
• adult presence
• social connections
• faith-based initiatives

Keywords

• By the Hand Club for Kids
• Chicago
• community development
• youth programs

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Chicago

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