"There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had seen him before, shaking his mane... stood Aslan himself."  The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
FALL 1998
 
Welcome to Aslan's newly designed "On The Move" newsletter! 

Building lasting relationships is a key to Aslan's 23 years of success in reaching out to urban youth. Aslan provides disadvantaged young people with the tools they need to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and to become responsible adults and leaders in our society. 

Aslan Youth Ministries is making a difference, each and every day! 

DID YOU KNOW? 

The name,  ASLAN, is taken from the ever popular 7 book set, The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis. 

ASLAN is a real word in the Persian or Turkish language which means, lion. 

CBS Television [in cooperation with Jim Henson and the Children's Television Network] adapted the first Narnia book, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, into a feature length animated film in 1986. 

PBS went on to produce the first three books as feature length plays. 

The next time someone asks you what ASLAN means, you can tell them the whole story! 

Aslan's First Annual "ISLAND NIGHTS"

On June 13th, Aslan held our first major fund raiser, “Island Nights,” at the lovely home of Rafael & Cheri Scolari in Little Silver on the Shrewsbury River.  Just one hour before the scheduled event, dark skies and sheets of pouring rain  gave way to beautiful sunshine!  The 175 individuals in attendance were treated to sunset boat rides on the Shrewsbury River,     island cuisine, a silent auction, a live band  and other festivities. 

Through ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, an ad journal and the silent and chance auctions, over $16,000 was raised  to support Aslan’s many programs.  Due to the tremendous success of “Island Nights”, plans are underway for an annual fund raising event to benefit Aslan. 

Special thanks to:   Shane Neergaard (Aslan’s Director of Public Relations); event chairman, Brian Rechten; Rafael & Cheri Scolari; and, the wonderful committee members whose hard work made this event so successful!
ASLAN ON THE MOVE
 
Aslan On The World Wide Web

Thanks to the hard work of several dedicated volunteers, Aslan now has it's own web site. We invite you to visit us at:  

 

www.aslanyouth.org

Very special thanks go to David Lindsay, our long-time personal friend and Aslan supporter who has developed the material for the site and (as Aslan's webmaster) continually updates it with exciting new information. 

Special thanks are also in order for Jack McClunn and Greg Phelan of ePresence Inc., the company they founded and that serves as our internet provider.  

You can access this wonderful technology and regularly visit our site for ministry updates, pictures and other interesting material about Aslan. 

You can also e-mail us directly from our web page. 

Next time you surf the net, be sure to look for ASLAN! 

 Mentor Tutorial Program Continues to Expand

Under the outstanding leadership Claudia Ackerman, Aslan’s Mentor Tutorial Program continues to reach new heights.  Claudia has established a peer mentoring program with area schools (Red Bank Regiona, Rumson- Fair Haven Regional, and Christian Brothers Academy) in which high school students tutor Aslan youth.  

With Marilyn Ward of Monmouth University, Claudia has also instituted a program in shich college students mentor Aslan youth from Long Branch. Claudia has also initiated a partnership with Americorp in which we are training volunteers together. 

Through the Red Bank Partnership (under the wonderful direction of Dr. Eugene Cheslock and the Meridian Health Care Group), Claudia and key Aslan volunteer, Jeanne Shanley (COO of the Two River Times), have developed the "Power Lunch" Program where individuals from local businesses read to and mentor primary school students during the lunch period. 
  
Kudos to Claudia for all her dedication and hard work!
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT
Where Are We Going?
Greetings from Aslan! Communication is a very important lifeline to those of you on our mailing list. With this latest issue of our newsletter, we pledge to do a better job of regularly updating you on the many wonderful things taking place through Aslan. 

I recently read that "Donors give to where you are going, not where you are or where you have been." Aslan's success is measured in lives lived fully. It is therefore fitting to consider Aslan graduates like Chris (Lieutenant Commander, USN), John (AT&T Systems Analyst), Melanie (LPN) and so many others who have benefited from out programs and gone on to achieve great things in society. It is also good to reflect on more recent participants of our programs like Terry (a graduate in engineering from the University of Tennessee), Jason (a senior at Fairleigh Dickenson University preparing to attend law school) and Ebony, Earnest and Frankie (all in the early stages of their college careers). 

However, Aslan does not stop there. We are continually looking forward to each new generation of Aslan youth - children we refer to as "world changers in progress." Right now, Aslan has more than forty primary school children in our Red Bank program alone who are clamoring to get onto the Aslan bus every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. And in each and every one of these nine to twelve-year-olds, there is another Chris, John, Melanie, Terry, Jason, Ebony, Earnest or Frankie in the making! 

I hope that a hundred years from now Aslan Youth Ministries is still going strong. However, the most important and lasting legacy Aslan can ever leave is changed lives. It is changed lives that change the world! 

INTRODUCING ASLAN VOLUNTEERS
The Reverend Dr. Henry P. Davis, Jr. has served on the Aslan Board of Directors for four years.  He is pastor of  St. Paul Baptist Church in Atlantic Highlands (since July of 1973). Rev. Davis was also employed by the federal government for 35 years where he served in Equal Employment Opportunity and was an EEO Manager at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.  His distinguished ministry includes serving as Moderator of the Seacoast Missionary Baptist Association.  He has received the Community Service Award from the Red Bank area NAACP.  He has also served as Treasurer of the General Baptist State Convention of NJ.  A world traveler, Rev. Davis has traveled to Russia, Korea, Hong Kong, China and Africa.  He is presently President of the Coalition of     Religious Leaders of New Jersey.  He serves on the boards of many organizations and institutions of higher learning, and he is a recipient of numerous awards for outstanding community service.  It is truly a privilege to have this fine gentleman serve on Aslan’s Board of Directors!