Weekly Media Roundup: October 21, 2026

Local Nonprofit Teams with Harrisburg Fire Station to Show Students What Firefighting Is All About, WHTM (Pennsylvania)

During a recent field trip to Fire Station One, students from All You Can Leadership Academy’s Camp Curtin afterschool program in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania learned about firefighting skills, equipment and teamwork. The firefighters designed hands-on activities to help students understand the physical demands of the job and explore firefighting as a potential career. All You Can’s afterschool and summer programs introduce students to various careers, including aviation, aerodynamics, fishing, and archery. “If you’re someone that really cares and advocates for the youth, you have to find creative, innovative ways to find a future for them,” All You Can Leadership Academy founder Ralph Rodriguez told WHTM. “It’s super important because a lot of us say there needs to be more programs. And I say for the programs that do exist, we just need to champion them and get more students involved.”

Teachers Step Up to Save After-School Programs, Spectrum News 1 (Ohio)

After Cincinnati Public Schools’ budget cuts eliminated funding for afterschool program staff at several of its schools, teachers at Hughes STEM High School are volunteering their time to keep five enrichment clubs running, including chess, sewing, art, fiber arts and book clubs. “It means a lot. I’m glad teachers are actually joining clubs and helping students express themselves,” student Brenae Smoot told Spectrum News 1. “Teaches us about life and making new friends and meeting new people and getting out your comfort zone.”

Teens Turn Chase Park into Haunted House to Fund After-School Program, Block Club Chicago (Illinois)

For the past 16 years, teens in the Chicago Park District’s Teen Leadership Club’s “Society of Screams” have designed and staffed a haunted house in Chase Park’s old theater. The teens hope to sell 5,000 tickets this year, and the funds raised will support the park’s afterschool programming. This year’s theme features a terrifying clown named Chuckles hosting a haunted Sweet Sixteen party. “It’s been fun every single year. I’m currently the longest running teen here doing it, and I kind of like being a role model for the other kids, and that they all look up to me,” 16-year-old Adirano Pereira told Block Club Chicago. “I’m hanging around a crowd that is responsible and fun, and it’s given me a lot of opportunities go out, take my mind off of things and just have fun.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Asheville Region Expands After-School Opportunities, ABC 13 News (North Carolina)

The latest America After 3PM report found that in North Carolina, for every child in an afterschool program, four more lack access. To help address unmet demand, the Boys & Girls Club of the Asheville Region is launching multiple new programs, including a school-based program at Woodfin Elementary School, a neighborhood-based program at Pisgah View Apartments, and a new Clubhouse center in a former church property in west Asheville. The programs all offer mentorship, academic help, leadership development, arts, and more. "Even though there are a lot of organizations in our town doing great work, the need is still really big,” Gretchen Miller, founding CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Asheville Region, told ABC 13 News.