A school to serve

At Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, Resurrection Oakland Church (ResOak) has built one of Children Rising’s strongest partnerships. It began with the church’s decision to adopt the school as a place to serve, support, and build relationships.

ResOak comes alongside the school community in practical, relational ways, supporting students, families, teachers, and staff. Children Rising complements that work through academically focused tutoring, offering church members a meaningful way to serve students directly. Together, these two forms of support help strengthen the school community.

Showing up builds trust 

That relationship was built through steady commitment. Amanda Collison, ResOak’s director of city engagement, said the church began by showing up each month with coffee and pastries for school staff. It was a simple act of care, but it helped build trust over time. “These things take a long time,” Amanda said. “You have to continually show up.”

A caring presence at MLK

Today, Resurrection Oakland has a strong, caring presence at MLK. The church supports a monthly food outreach, helps with library projects and the book fair, and leads the school’s annual carnival. Again and again, ResOak has stepped in where support is needed, offering care not only to students but to the broader school community.

This kind of partnership grows through consistency, humility, and a willingness to listen. It does not require a church to do everything at once. It starts by showing up, building relationships, and responding to real needs over time. At MLK, that steady presence has deepened ResOak’s connection with the school and strengthened its partnership with Children Rising.

A model that can grow

That spirit of collaboration is part of what makes this partnership a model for others. 

Children Rising can help open that door for other churches. For congregations that want to support a local school but are not sure where to begin, we can help make the connection and support the relationship as it grows.

That is the kind of partnership we hope to help grow across Oakland: a school-adoption model in which communities of faith, nonprofits, and neighbors all play a role in supporting local schools. ResOak offers a strong example of how one church’s steady presence can strengthen a whole school community.