Victory Trade School

Program Mission Statement:

(self-reported)

The purpose of Victory Trade School is to provide opportunities to learn in a Christian environment, to gain the skills necessary to make a living, and to attain the life skills necessary to enter society as productive citizens.

The following programs and services fulfill the mission of VTS:

Curriculum and laboratory experiences certified through the National Restaurant Association and candidacy by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. Laboratories are in culinary, hotel, retail, warehousing, discipleship, and family services.

Programs and collaborations are offered in Discipleship, Peer tutoring, Mentoring, individual counseling, General Equivalency Diploma (GED), remedial education, Health and Wellness, Mental Health, and intensive substance abuse programs.

The school motto, "Keeping your job . . . earning your keep" is a reflection of the leadership roles the students serve in as they prepare for the workforce.

Score Summary

Overall Score:	Excellent
Practice Principles:	Excellent
Faith Related Elements:	Excellent
Outcome Measures:	Excellent
Change Process:	Good

Program Facts

• Paid (FTE) Staff Working: 14
• Program Participants Last Year: 81
• Meets about 30 time(s) with each participant per month
• Participants remain in the program for 12 months

Board Activities

Funding Overview

(self-reported)

	This Program	This Organization
Organization Budget: $2,711,237 Program Budget: $272,519
Foundation Grants	0%	0%
Government Grants/Contracts	0%	0%
Individual Gifts	79%	79%
Business/Corporate Gifts	2%	2%
Congregation/Denominational Gifts	2%	2%
Dues/Fees/Income	17%	17%
Other	0%	0%
	Average Program Funding From All Samaritan Programs	Average Organization Funding From All Samaritan Organizations
The next charts display the average funding sources for all programs currently in the Samaritan Guide for your comparison. Average Organization Budget: $3,820,907 Average Program Budget: $417,789
Foundation Grants	19%	18%
Government Grants/Contracts	6%	8%
Individual Gifts	37%	33%
Business/Corporate Gifts	9%	8%
Congregation/Denominational Gifts	10%	10%
Dues/Fees/Income	8%	9%
Other	9%	11%

It is important to maintain diverse income sources for your programs and for your oganization as a whole. Doing so provides long-term financial stability to your organizations and programs. It is also important to note that government funding often comes with stipulations and restrictions. More information is available in the Raising Resources Toolkit - pdf.

Score Details

Program Focus
Program Mission	Clarity and specificity of the program's mission statement.	Good
Target Population	Clarity and specificity of the programs target clientele.	Excellent
Eligibility Criteria	Clarity and specificity of the program's eligibility criteria.	Excellent
Program Requirements	Well defined requirements for client participation.	Excellent
Referrals From Other Organizations	Do other organizations recommend this program to their clientele.	Better
Referrals to Other Organizations	Does this program recommend other programs to their clients?	Good
Volunteer to Staff Ratio	Are volunteers effectively incorporated into the program?	Good
Past Participant Recruiting	Are past program participants recruited as volunteers?	Good
Evaluation and Practice Princples
Practice Principles	How supports and resources are provided to increase outcomes.	Excellent
Outcome Measurement	The ability to measure stated program outcomes.	Excellent
Change Process	Specific and measurable statement of the program's goals.	Good
Faith Related Elements	Integration of faith related elements.	Excellent
Measurement Frequency	Frequency of measuring client outcomes.	Good
Program Evaluation	Level of the budget allocated to measuring client outcomes.	Excellent
Institutional Stability
Organization Age	A measure of the organization's durability.	Excellent
Board Oversight	How involved in the program are the members of its board?	Better
Program Duration	Average duration of a clients participation with a program.	Better
Finances
Budget Diffusion	Diversity of the programs funding sources.	Good
Government Funding	Does this program accept little or no government funding?	Excellent

Program Score Details

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Outcomes & Measures:

(self-reported)

Scoring for this section is based on the organizations ability to provide at least three clear and specific outcomes with corresponding measures in which a relationship is shown between outcomes and measures.

Outcome 1: Discipleship. Be an example to others that you are a new person in Christ.

Measure Used:
Radically change their lives to follow Jesus Christ. Be active in church and testify to others with word and deed.

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Outcome 2: Obtain a ManageFirst professional credential through the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF)

Measure Used:
Receipt of 7 certificates from the NRAEF.

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Outcome 3: Maintain soberity and refrain from use of drugs and alcohol or the abuse of prescription drugs.

Measure Used:
Frequent drug screening. Alcohol tests. All prescription drugs must be checked into the school registrar and noted on the student's file.

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Outcome 4: Obtain GED

Measure Used:
Classroom practice tests scores, tutor reports, and receipt of GED certificates.

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Outcome 5: Life skills and interpersonal skills improvements

Measure Used:
Passing grades on life skills, Bible classes, and worksite evaluations. Job rotations of Manager-in-training evaluations.

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Change Process:

(self-reported)

Scoring for this section is based on the organizations ability to provide clear, measurable, client-focused stages of change based on participant participation.

A two-fold need was recognized which resulted in Victory Trade School.

1) Men and women were finding themselves in a cycle of poverty with no career and without the skills to move beyond minimum wage.

2) Employers were finding themselves without trained, experienced, dependable workers. Victory Trade School (VTS) opened its doors to offer an option to change the circumstances of both the employees and employers.

The goal of the school is to prepare students to enter the workforce or further education with leadership, life, and religious skills based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Hospitality students earn a ManageFirst professional credential through classes that support this national certification and through work-study in the Cook's Kettle Restaurant and Victory Lodge, which they operate as laboratories for the school.

With the addition of the PREP school and New Life Program we offer a Discipleship program that gives men and women a basic knowledge and training in Urban Ministry along with skills in retail, warehousing, and family science. The expansion of services to women and children helps a woman become not only a leader in her home, but also a leader in her community. We have added new courses that fit a "Family Science" curriculum. In this field a woman learns to care for and educate children as well as managing multiple household tasks. If we can "eliminate poverty from the inside out" by starting with children- then we've saved two or more lives instead of just one.

Program Score - Historical Review

Note: Significant decreases in scores may be the result of incomplete data in a Samaritan Award application.

End Notes

Incomplete Applications

Significant decreases in certain scores may indicate failure to comprehensively complete certain sections of the Samaritan Award application. Please be sure to fill out every question in the Samaritan Award application.

Relative Scoring

Total program scores are partially computed against other programs from within the same pool of applications and so are not cumulative.

Additional Reference Material

More information on scoring and methodology may be found on the Samaritan Guide and Award website.

Acton Institute Relationship

The Samaritan Guide and Samaritan Award are projects run by the Acton Institute. Inclusion in the Guide does not signify endorsement by the Acton Institute. More information on why the Acton Institute runs this project is available online.