Who We Are
Skills Development Mission, Inc. (SDM), founded in 2000 and incorporated in 2004 in the State of Washington, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, multiethnic Christian organization. Our mission is to reach, teach, and empower under-skilled individuals to be responsible citizens. We equip people with the tools they need to succeed in life and help them discover the confidence to fulfill their own great dreams for their families.
What distinguishes SDM from other institutions is that we go to the grassroots and touch lives in ways that few other educational centers can. Families come together, parents and children alike, because we offer programs for all ages. While children receive tutoring and mentoring, parents also have opportunities to improve their education and work skills.
SDM is succeeding in its mission to transform lives in our community by collaborating with organizations that share similar concerns and interests. With technology and life-survival skills, SDM provides a forum for connection between the skilled and the under-skilled, building a better community together.
Our Client Base & Mission
There are refugees from war and disaster, migrant workers, and the poor in the Tri-Cities community who are striving to succeed in a complex industrialized society. Our participants include refugees from Afghanistan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, and beyond.
War trauma and human rights abuses are experiences that many of our clients are gradually overcoming through interaction with caring people in a loving, stable environment. SDM provides that structure, that safety, and that encouragement.
Other clients include minority and under-skilled individuals eager to improve their education, as well as at-risk youth and school dropouts seeking hope for their futures. SDM serves them all.
We also recognize the immense cultural richness and diversity these refugees and migrant workers bring to our community. We serve them, and they enrich us.
Our Measurable Outcomes
- Improved academic grades in students' schools
- Improved reading skills
- Increased interest in math and science
- Improved computer and technology skills
- Improved character and attitudes
- Improved self-image of participants
Our Needs
We truly need help and invite you to join us in this exciting outreach program.
- Short-term immediate funding to meet operating costs
- Long-term support to sustain SDM programs
- Scholarships for individual students
- Sponsors for Minority Science Research Interns
- Student transportation
- Computers and other science and technology equipment
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Our Faith
We are motivated by our faith in Jesus Christ. His love for the disadvantaged moves us to serve them and our community. Though our purpose is rooted in our faith, we welcome everyone, regardless of religious background, to participate in work that is good for the community.