The name sounds similar, and the vision is the same, but big changes are happening at a youth center in Mount Joy. Rainbow's End Youth Services (REYS) has become RAISE28, and the nonprofit has also updated its mission statement.

"Our mission statement is now more concise: to reach local youth with the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ," said Mark Unger, who became executive director in February.

The rebrand began under former executive director Cristina Paden. "She had the vision to make this happen," Unger shared. "This was Cristina's work and the board's work. I just had the opportunity to be the one that rolls it all out."

RAISE28 takes its name from biblical origins. " 'Raise' lets us think of Jesus being raised from the dead and '28' comes from Matthew 28:19: 'Go and make disciples of all nations,'" Unger explained.

Although the name and mission statement are new, the core values of the organization are unchanged.

"The heart of what we do isn't changing at all," Unger said. "We're still primarily known as an after-school program for kids in the area." RAISE28 serves students in grades one through 12 in Donegal School District as well as students from other local school districts.

Programming is offered Mondays through Fridays and includes free meals for students. Martial arts and music lessons are also offered.

Each year, the organization hosts a backpack giveaway, providing bags filled with schools supplies to local students. "Last year, we gave away over 650 backpacks, and this year, our goal is over 800 backpacks," Unger said. "To help us do that, we're going to be having a carnival event."

The Back to School Blastoff will be held on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 16 and 17, at 105 Fairview St., Mount Joy. It will feature silent auctions, food and drinks, live music, giveaways, a car show and more. On Friday, the carnival will run from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday's hours will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Backpack pickup will occur from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. People are encouraged to contact RAISE28 by Friday, Aug. 9, to register for a backpack. Friends of Donegal will provide information about Power Packs for eligible families as well.

DJ Stan Tucker will provide music on Aug. 16, and Matt Wheeler will entertain on Aug. 17. The carnival will include rides and a celebrity dunk tank, with local dignitaries including state Rep. Tom Jones taking the plunge. Friday's food truck lineup will feature Spud Muffin and Cupcakes by Casey. On Saturday, Kona Ice and Spud Muffin will be on-site.

"Our goal is to raise $40,000 through the carnival," Unger said. "Money raised helps provide funds for our programming and pays for our five staff members' salaries."

Founded in 1982 as Rainbow's End Youth Center, RAISE28 fills a need in the community, Unger stated. "A lot of kids we serve need a place to go to connect, and we provide that," he said. "We have three types of programming: academic support like homework help or teaching study skills; social support, including helping kids make friends or get referrals to community resources such as the food bank, clothing bank or mental health services; and the third type of programming is the spiritual connection, teaching about the God that's in the Bible."

RAISE28 relies on support from community members, organizations, businesses and churches, Unger said. "It's the community that makes this work," he noted. "If it wasn't for help from the community, we wouldn't exist."

For more information on RAISE28 or to register for a backpack, visit https://reys.org/events.