SA Kids Club Thrives in Brownsville 

by Hugo Bravo 

Every Wednesday, The Salvation Army Brownsville Brooklyn Corps welcomes over 20 children to SA Kids Club. In this curriculum-based after-school program, kids enjoy physical activities and group games, each designed to help them become more familiar with the Word of God.  

“Brownsville has a separate, well-known after-school program, which has been operating since the corps’ inception in the ’70s. It’s been the central base for a lot of the Salvation Army programming in this area,” says Marc Brooks, director of community engagement at the Brooklyn Brownsville Corps. “SA Kids Club is one of those programs. It bridges the kids from after school to the church aspect of The Salvation Army.”  

“Most of these kids come from communities that have never heard about Jesus,” says Nigel Majomeka, a Salvation Army soldier who has been part of the SA Kids Club staff since September. “It is our responsibility to educate them on who He is.” 

Lieutenants Nereus Mogaria and Valentina Agudelo, the corps officers at Brownsville, have a curriculum for every SA Kids Club day: a mix of arts and crafts, exercises, and devotions that all tie in to the teachings of Christ. For example, one of the lessons was called “Got Jesus?” (a take on the famous “Got Milk?” ads) and showed how spiritual and physical health are both necessary and go together. 

“It’s all about showing God’s love to them in a way that they can relate to and apply in their own lives,” says Majomeka.

SA Kids Club meets only once a week, but many of its attendees in the after-school program have shared that they can’t wait for Wednesday to come around. Majomeka is also happy when he hears that the children are not just enjoying SA Kids Club but also absorbing its lessons. Some of the children saw him doing some work around the corps and asked him if they could help, mentioning the importance of friends helping each other. 

“That was the basis of their last lesson,” says Majomeka. “That shows they’re taking what they learn and becoming the best versions of themselves.”