2025 Afterschool Excellence Awards

The awards honor individuals/organizations for going above and beyond in support of the out-of-school time profession.

Community Engagement Award - Sound Mind Sound Body Foundation

Sound Mind Sound Body Foundation is a leading mentor of 8,000 students within the Metro Detroit community. Their mission is to increase college readiness and scholarship attainment through innovative OST programming. The Foundation currently runs four successful OST programs in Michigan for over 1,000 students.

The SMSB OST Program is derived from understanding the importance of connecting something students like with something they need. The foundation uses sports a vehicle to connect with students to learn that equal amounts of energy must be applied to academics, athletics and life skills development. Their approach transforms how students perceive learning to inspire academic excellence, personal growth and community development.

Impact Award -Longlong Zhou of Longlong Art Studio, LLC

Longlong Art Studio has been a transformative force in children’s education, blending art with STEM to foster creativity, cultural awareness and social change. The studio was founded by Longlong Zhou and has enriched the lives of thousands of children through high quality OST programming. Her studio is committed to providing impactful afterschool art education to empower our youth. Through the studio, students have been introduced to Eastern culture and art, expanded students horizons, raised awareness of gun violence and coordinated numerous cultural festivals. Under LongLong’s leadership, the studio continues to inspire the next generation of young artists and community leaders.

Their after-school programming focuses on skill acquisition, and they encourage students to try new things and make better choices while building their confidence and decision-making abilities.

Mary Sutton Leadership Award- Dr. Tamiko Garrett of Communities in Schools Kalamazoo and Parents for Transition

Dr. Garrett consistently demonstrates the understanding of the value of quality out-of-school time programs that meet the needs of our youth. She tailors evidence-based practices to the needs of those she supports and supervises. She focuses on the big picture and the tiny details, makes sure to focus on professional development for herself and her team, and makes the most of the resources that are available to best serve youth in the program. Dr. Garrett is a considerate and thoughtful leader who embraces her responsibility to others and her team and the youth she serves benefit greatly from her leadership.

Rising Star (New Staff) Award- Devin Collier of Bridge Street Ministries

Devin has worked in the OST field with Bridge Street Ministries’ Resurgence Program for almost 2 years. He started out as a part-time site assistant and through staffing and programmatic challenges, Devin proved to be a successful and committed teammate, stepping up and picking up slack whenever he saw it. When Bridge Street went to start its third Resurgence site, Devin became the prime candidate to lead that site. He was instrumental in designing and renovating the site, while building relationships with local stakeholders.

In all of this, Devin has shown a deep commitment to development of the youth that Bridge Street Ministries serves. He is investing back into the community in which he grew up. Devin embodies the mission of Bridge Street Ministries and is a rising star in the OST field.