As a child with Down Syndrome, Aryn is often set to the side or not invited to participate in team activities.

I watched with great pride as the coaches worked with Aryn and encouraged participation. The teammates treat Aryn just like any other player and push her to work hard while providing positive encouragement every step and kick along the way.

Kudos to Prepared 4 Life, the professional and volunteer staff, and the kids that make it all work!"

- Luke Romero
Aryn's Dad & Hogg Middle School Parent 
P4L Advisory Committee Member 

“P4L gave me a head start on life. It means to me that someone really does care and that’s why I like P4L.”

- Keyoliver Criff
Student, Ortiz Middle School

“Prepared 4 Life allows the kids to choose the activities in which they want to participate, yet each club program incorporates essential life lessons and skills into its activities, such as teamwork, goal-setting, budgeting and accountability.  And it does this during the time of day when many of these kids would be otherwise unsupervised.  There are just so many positives to this program." 

- Margaret McConn
Rockwell Fund Trustee

"As a psychologist, author of a book on parenting and father of two very strong willed sons, I highly recommend Prepared 4 Life as one of the most progressive organizations of its kind.  Their commitment to engaging kids and giving them a say in program development versus just 'educating them' or 'keeping them out of trouble' is a key component in getting past the resistance that so often surfaces in the middle school years. 

Further, having worked closely with the founder Michael Holthouse I can say without equivocation that his vision and passion are both right on target.  I have every expectation that he will bring this gift of empowerment to those kids who need it most, and our society as a whole will be the better for it."

- Bill Crawford, Ph.D.
Crawford Performance Solutions
P4L Advisory Committee Member

"P4L is going to change the course of kids' lives!  Not only will it give them a safe and productive way to spend their afternoons, but it will teach them values and get them thinking about how to earn enough money to own a piece of the pond.  I can hardly wait!"

-Imelda Medrano
Principal, Hogg Middle School

"You guys are really bringing the experts together and coming up with ways to teach character and life skills that are not taught elsewhere - I am really pumped up about what you are attempting and glad I signed on!  Congrats!!!" 

- David Weekley
Chairman, David Weekley Homes
P4L Advisory Committee Member

"Prepared 4 Life is the umbrella for quality after-school programming."

- Reagan Flowers
CEO, C-Stem


 

"P4L helps me more then you think. It helps me in many different ways. Like how to uses my skills. It showed me things that I didn’t think that could be possible. How to learn other sports. To show others thing I learned. And how to help others in things that themselves can not do. But, with team work they can finish with a good ending."

- Monica Barahona
Student, Ortiz Middle School

"What better way to develop engaged citizenry than doing the work of citizenship? Prepared 4 Life is all about students sharing the skills of teamwork, brainstorming, consensus-building and decision-making in 'real time.'  It completely reinforces my hope for the future as I watch the youth advisory council use their strengths to help create fun and multi-sensory activities for our empowered youth. Bravo!"

- Debbie Havert
Advanced Practitioner, Six Seconds Emotional Intellegence
P4L Advisory Committee Member

Thanks for inviting me.  It was well worth my Saturday to know that P4L is making a difference in the lives of others.  Congratulations."

- Judson W. Robinson
Deputy Commissioner, Harris County Precinct 2
P4L Advisory Committee Member

“I can’t stop thinking about what Prepared 4 Life is doing. It is one of the dearest things to my heart.

In working with the inner city kids that I worked with in the environment that I worked with them in, I just got burnt out. I think you see all this poverty, abusive families, etc. and it can really overwhelm you, but the P4L model is, I believe, a true answer to turning the tide…I am really anxious to hear more and to work with you through The Ultimate Gift.”

- Katherine E. Brooks
National Director, Education & Faith Based Markets
The Ultimate Gift Experience, LLC

"The after school program was a good way to meet new people and also have fun.  They let you join in various activities that would allow you to work as a team and like I said before have fun.  I like it that the school gives opportunities for us to join after school activities.  The after school activities are good for the people who don’t have anything to do at home. It’s good because they can stay after school and have fun."

- Adrian Heredia
Student, Edison Middle School

"Prepared 4 Life is the collaboration, coordination and communication between a large group of individuals involved with youth, who are pushing the envelope, unwilling to accept less than our kids deserve… who care passionately about encouraging and empowering middle school youth to dream big and accept personal responsibility for making healthy life choices."

- Debbie Dalton
Vice President, Resource Development
Prepared 4 LIfe

“It seems so obvious, an "ah ha" moment: like minded people working together, charities not watching their corners, people not worrying about what they would get in return, staff willing to risk a new venture.  Instead all of these people going out and joining together for the good of the children.”

- Rebecca L B Roberts
Elves & More

“'Pancho Claus' has been reaching hundreds of children each year for decades.  Together with  Prepared 4 Life we're going to reach hundreds of thousands!”

- Richard Reyes
Pancho Claus Art and Education Project

“Prepared 4 Life gives at-risk youth a chance to make their dreams become a reality.  P4L helps prepare middle school youth to make a difference in their community as an individual as well as a team player.”

- Lisa Caruso
Site Leader, Stevenson Middle School

"Prepared 4 Life to me last year meant that right now that am young I shouldn’t give up in what I believe in I should work hard to get where I want to be."

- Stephanie de Alba
Student, Edison Middle School

"Finally, the light that will beat back the darkness of despair and hopelessness for the least among us.  Prepared 4 Life holds the key that will unlock the door of opportunity for a world of at-risk children. It was inspiring and uplifting to watch the caring, committed, and energetic P4L team commit to radically changing the world one child at a time." 

- G. Michael Beduze
Founder & CEO, The Life Planning Group

"The knowledge and skills P4L students will acquire will traverse into the classroom and into all other areas or their lives.  By extension, entire communities can be transformed.  I'm very excited and looking forward to the benefits, outcomes, and successes that will surely inundate our campus!"

- Raquel Gomez
Site Leader, Hogg Middle School