OUR MISSION
Bench Mark Program is a strength-based family of mentors who use exercise, academic support, and career counseling to propel at-risk youth toward successful futures.
OUR VISION
To create gym spaces that are authentic to every neighborhood, where community is built by one generation uplifting the next.
OUR STORY
When Will Kiefer was a senior at Franklin and Marshall College, he volunteered as a mentor and personal trainer for a small group of Lancaster City’s at-risk teens. Their small workout group grew organically as the value of conversation in the gym setting became apparent. Will learned about the cycle that kept kids in detention centers and courtrooms and the challenges that they couldn’t seem to overcome.
Following graduation, Will dedicated himself to advancing the lives of those young people who formed the first Bench Mark Program gym family. His commitment was to surround each teen with support and guidance so that they could lift themselves above their negative circumstances.
Bench Mark Program was born out of necessity. At-risk teens don’t often respond to traditional therapy or sit-down office meetings. Put simply, they don’t want to talk about their feelings, choices, or circumstances with people they can’t trust. Bench Mark Program provides a more effective outlet for them- one where they can just be themselves while receiving unconditional and long-term support.
Contact Information
341 E. Liberty Street
Lancaster, PA 17603
717-339-9766
https://www.benchmarkprogram.org/
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