Amber Feaker, director of the Before and After School Program (BASP), was recognized for her efforts to provide programs for families and students over the summer at the Thursday, October 16 Solon Community School District School Board Meeting.
This program is also known as Lakeview Care For Kids, which is an extension of the Solon Community School District operating as a nonprofit organization.
“The mission of Lakeview Care for Kids is to provide a safe and nurturing environment allowing each child to explore, learn and grow individually through quality opportunities involving the community, staff, and families,” cited from the BASP 2025 Summer Handbook.
The summer program ran for nine weeks, it began June 2 and ended August 1. The program had 184 participants ranging from preschool-aged to seventh grade. There were 38 staff members.
Highlights from this summer’s program include a community clean-up day, swimming at the community pools in Tipton and Mount Vernon, the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque, Lost Island in Waterloo, and Adventureland in Altoona.
However, one trip topped them all.
“Everybody’s favorite this year seemed to be Super Skate, so that was really fun,” Feaker said, referencing the Cedar Rapids skating rink.
After taking the students to the Lester Buresh Family Community Wellness Center in Mount Vernon, Feaker made a request for the city of Solon.
“If I could advocate for anything in this town, it would be to have something similar so we can take the kids there and do so many activities and break up into groups,” Feaker said. “It’s just a really beautiful facility, and it’s really close and convenient and very economical.”
The Solon School Board had nothing but good things to say about the program after hearing the report.
“You’ve done a great job down there for a long time,” said Solon School Board President Dr. Tim Brown. “The kids always enjoy it. You’ve got a great program with great staff there to make things work out.”
Questions arose regarding the future location of the BASP summer program with the continuance of the Lakeview Project, which includes renovation of Lakeview Elementary School. There are no official changes to the summer program at this time.
“We’re just gonna ride that wave,” Feaker said.