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THRIVE ON! and Children’s Home of Kingston Deepen Partnership with Full Course Engagement
THRIVE ON! Network Inc. (THRIVE ON!) and the Children’s Home of Kingston (CHK) are expanding their collaboration in a major way: following a successful two-week pilot this summer, CHK has committed nearly its entire community—100% of its students and 90% of its staff—to a two-month course advancing THRIVE ON!’s youth-led projects.
August 1, 2025
From Pilot to Full Course
What began as a short pilot introducing CHK youth to THRIVE ON!’s Early Thrivers Adjunct route has grown into a full curriculum experience, where almost 40 individuals will dedicate the next two months to hands-on community development.
CHK is clearing house for this effort, restructuring schedules so students and staff can participate fully in building the PonckHockie Market and supporting other THRIVE ON! initiatives.
Building the Market, Building Community
Over the course of two months, CHK Early Thrivers and staff will:
Advance construction and design of the PonckHockie Market.
Support food access and distribution efforts across Kingston.
Contribute to aesthetic and cultural projects that make community spaces more welcoming.
Strengthen their own leadership and teamwork skills in the process.
“This is partnership at its boldest,” said Keyvious Avery, President of THRIVE ON!. “CHK didn’t just send a few students—they brought their entire community. Together, we’re proving what’s possible when youth service organizations and grassroots movements collaborate deeply.”
A Model for Organizational Collaboration
The CHK course demonstrates the power of THRIVE ON!’s Adjunct Early Thrivers route, which allows existing youth service organizations to plug into THRIVE ON! projects in a way that is mutually transformative. For CHK, it offers students and staff a meaningful, project-based experience. For THRIVE ON!, it provides the collective energy and capacity to bring ambitious community initiatives to life.
“This partnership is giving our students and staff a chance to see themselves as part of something bigger,” said CHK's Grove Street Academy's Principal, Pamela Baledelli. “We are proud to join THRIVE ON! in creating a real impact for Kingston."
About the Children’s Home of Kingston
The Children’s Home of Kingston provides residential and educational services to youth whose personal, social, developmental, or family situations preclude them from living at home.
About THRIVE ON!
THRIVE ON! is a youth-driven nonprofit based in Kingston, NY. Beginning with its pilot Early Thrivers program, THRIVE ON! equips young people and grassroots leaders to design, build, and lead the solutions their communities need.