Downtown Urban Community Kids (DUCK) began as a mission of Historic First Presbyterian Church in Phoenix, Arizona, in late 1995 and was designated as a recipient of its 2004 Pentecost Offering.

The church, the first congregation to be organized in the Arizona Territory (1879), is in the midst of the state capital, in an area that is being revitalized. Located on a street once called “church row,” it is now the inner city—a mix of some new construction, buildings to be torn down, and parking lots.

Members of the congregation surveyed the neighborhood to find out how they could best address the needs of those who lived in a four-mile radius of the church building. “A place for our kids to go after school” was the predominate answer.

DUCK calls its mission “Five Critical Hours.” Those are the hours between 3 and 8 P.M., which are precarious, even dangerous, for inner-city kids. Most juvenile crime and gang recruitment occur during these after-school hours. So DUCK works with families to ensure the safety and hope of their children are preserved.

The DUCK vision statement—“Giving inner-city kids a vision for their future and the hope to achieve their God-given potential”—came from an original DUCK kid, the first in her family to graduate from high school.

Housed on the third floor of Historic First, which includes a full-sized gymnasium, DUCK is a thriving after-school and summer program, an autonomous 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides kids from kindergarten through eighth grade with homework help, tutoring, and varied activities that will expand their horizons, stretch their knowledge, and introduce them to the love of God through Jesus Christ.

Elaine Davis
Executive Director
Downtown Urban Community Kids (DUCK)
email
www.duckkids.org
(602) 252-8258