At SoulFisher Ministries, every child, every family, and every story matters. This organization opens doors to brighter tomorrows with a dual mission of compassion and opportunity. Addressing the needs of their community, SoulFisher Ministries is making a lasting impact in its community.
“We are SoulFisher Ministries, and our mission is to respond to the needs of youth with incarcerated parents and to promote restorative justice for those currently or formerly incarcerated,” explains O’Livia Bowles, program coordinator for SoulFisher’s six afterschool program sites.
Their mission comes to life through two transformative programs: the Adult General Academic Program of Education (AGAPE) Pre and Post Release Program and the Educate Now to Achieve Later (ENAL) After-School Tutoring Program.
For individuals transitioning out of incarceration, the AGAPE Program offers a fresh start and a lifeline to stability. “Our staff goes to the prisons and works with the men and women there. Once released, they join our program and work through it for about a year and a half,” says Bowles.
The program provides everything participants need to focus entirely on their personal growth—housing, food, transportation, clothing, phones, and more—at no cost. During the program, participants save money, which allows them to afford their apartments independently once they graduate.
“The program is designed so that they can take the money they saved and continue renting the apartment where we previously provided funds,” Bowles shares. It’s a model that restores dignity and empowers participants to achieve long-term independence and success.
The AGAPE and ENAL programs work hand-in-hand to break cycles of disadvantage. For the youth served by the program, afterschool is more than just a place to learn—it’s a space to grow and dream. SoulFisher Ministries serves children in the Riverview Gardens School District. While they focus on children with currently and formerly incarcerated parents, they also help students performing two to three grade levels below average.
“We provide tutoring in math, reading, and English language arts (ELA), but we’re not just a homework-based program,” says Bowles. “We gauge where kids are with a placement test and help them get where they need to be.”
Afterschool programs like ENAL are vital in keeping youth safe and supported during critical hours. According to the Afterschool Alliance, juvenile crime and victimization peak in the hours immediately following the school day. Afterschool programs transform high-risk hours into opportunities for growth, providing structured environments where students can develop protective factors, including self-regulation, a positive self-image, and supportive relationships with mentors. ENAL provides academic support while nurturing the emotional and social skills needed for long-term success.
Thanks to partnerships with local organizations, students engage in STEM activities and programs that build critical thinking, teamwork, and interpersonal skills. Bricks for Kids brings Legos and engineering lessons; Missouri 4-H teaches engineering to older middle school students; and Dream Builders for Equity has come to teach the children chess. They also partner with Girls on the Run, Let Me Run, Mad Science, and more.
These experiences, often firsts for the students, open doors to possibilities they hadn’t dreamed of. “Being able to provide students with an experience that they typically wouldn’t be able to have is what makes our program special,” Bowles says.
ENAL students get to pick out new shoes, school supplies, and winter coats each year. “It’s one of the ways we ensure that students feel seen, valued, and prepared to take on the world,” Bowles explains.
The new Missouri Comprehensive Afterschool Learning (MOCAL) grant is a competitive grant program funded by the state of Missouri, and it has been fundamental to SoulFisher Ministries’ success. “[The grant] helps fund our staffing, supplies, and enrichment activities. Partnerships cost money, and some of our grant funding goes towards that,” Bowles shares. Every dollar of the MOCAL grant supports the ENAL program that gives children the tools they need to succeed.
As impactful as they are today, SoulFisher Ministries has even bigger dreams. “I hope to see our program expand. We are planning to and want to hit all of the Riverview Gardens School District—and eventually worldwide,” says Bowles.
The vision includes reaching more families, hiring compassionate staff, and growing the organization’s footprint. “We want to reach more families and have an impact—not just in this community, but every community that needs it,” Bowles shares.
Through programs like AGAPE and ENAL, the organization is turning dreams into realities and building a legacy of resilience and opportunity. With the support of the MOCAL grant and a passionate team led by visionaries like O’Livia Bowles, SoulFisher Ministries isn’t just changing lives—it’s transforming communities. “We’re not just imagining brighter futures,” Bowles says. “We’re creating them.”
