TOLEDO—Taylor Buick/KIA donated a 1995 Chevrolet Lumina to The Padua Center, a community center located on Nebraska Avenue.

Tiffin Franciscan Sister Virginia Welsch accepts keys to a 1995 Chevrolet Lumina, a donation made by Taylor Buick to the Padua Center in Toledo. (Photo courtesy of the Padua Center)

This vehicle is to be used for the Padua Possibilities Program to transport children to and from Pickett Academy. The Padua Possibilities Program is an alternative to suspension that provides a safe learning environment for suspended children. Peace education, conflict resolution and character building are taught in addition to academic training.

The Padua Center — an outreach of Toledo St. Martin de Porres — has collaborated with Pickett Academy to equip at-risk students to return to the classroom with a greater chance of academic success. Transportation from Pickett Academy to the Padua Center has been problematic and this donated car solves the problem.

The Padua Possibilities Program was established in 2008 by Tiffin Franciscan Sister Virginia Welsh and Alicia Smith. Mrs. Smith has served as the educational coordinator of the program since its inception. She is excited about the impact that this program is having on the urban community and is always looking for more ways to reach youth.

“Statistics show that black K-12 students are more than twice as likely as white students to have been suspended during their educational career,” Mrs. Smith says. “The Padua Possibilities Program helps to close that gap by giving our children the tools that they need to be successful both inside and outside of the classroom.”

The Padua Center also has an after-school tutoring program Monday through Thursday; vision therapy, which helps improve the interpretation of vision and focuses on reading abilities; summer reading and math tutoring; and six weeks of summer camps. All activities at the Padua Center are free of charge and open to the public.