Each month, the Youth Wellness and Prevention Collaborative highlights one member organization to shine the spotlight on! This allows us to showcase community partners you may not have heard of and learn more! This month, we are shining the spotlight on Roca Kidz Club!
Roca Kidz Club began nearly 15 years ago when AJ and Jenn Hebert recognized a growing need to reach kids in some of Manchester’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. What started as a simple invitation to neighborhood kids quickly grew from 34 youth to more than 100 by the end of the first summer. Friends, local businesses, volunteers, and churches stepped in to help, and Roca Kidz grew into a volunteer-driven, community-supported youth organization.
Roca Kidz exists to inspire kids with the genuine love of God and encourage them to change the world around them. While we are a faith-based organization, we welcome youth from every background and seek to serve kids and families throughout the Manchester community.
Over the years, Roca Kidz has partnered with schools, city departments, churches, and local agencies to reach families who may benefit from additional support and connection. Our approach centers on building trusted relationships with youth and their families. We believe prevention and wellness begin when young people feel seen, known, and supported by consistent adults who care about their well-being. By creating consistent spaces where young people are known, supported, and encouraged, we help build the kinds of relationships that strengthen resilience and guide youth toward healthy choices.
One aspect that makes Roca Kidz unique is our ability to operate relationally and collaboratively alongside families. Our volunteer-driven model allows us to meet families where they are. This often includes getting to know parents, visiting homes, helping families connect with resources, and supporting practical needs that allow youth to participate in healthy opportunities. For example, we have helped youth obtain physicals so they can attend camp, connected families to services, and walked alongside parents navigating difficult seasons, even caring for youth while parents attend rehabilitation programs. Several of our volunteers have also become foster parents, stepping in to support children in need throughout the community. We believe in the restoration of people and families.
Throughout the year, Roca Kidz offers weekly programs that bring value, worth, inspiration, and fun to the youth we serve. Roca Kidz Club gathers kids of all ages around dinner together, a fun activity, and a positive message that encourages them in their identity and choices. Roca Teenz brings 8th graders through high school together for dinner, team and one-on-one mentoring, games, and a positive message that encourages growth and leadership. We also offer additional programs, including Roca Accel, which helps accelerate reading, learning, and life skills development. Throughout the year we provide seasonal opportunities such as Summer Fun Days and other activities that give kids life changing experiences and opportunities to grow.
Most youth who attend Roca Kidz live within the neighborhoods we serve and often walk to our programs, making it an accessible and consistent place for connection. Our programs are located in Manchester’s Center City and West Side neighborhoods so we can remain close to the youth and families we serve. On average, we serve and provide meals to about 150 youth each week, with that number increasing during seasonal programs.
Our goal is that as Roca Kidz grow older, they carry forward what they received by loving and serving the communities they are part of. Many remain connected by looking to us to have needs met or returning to volunteer and mentor younger kids. We also hope that volunteers are continually inspired to use their gifts, talents, and abilities to serve others whether with Roca Kidz or wherever they are called to make a difference.
We truly believe that although we cannot rescue young people from every challenge they may face, we can provide hope, healing, and supportive relationships that help them grow and change the world around them. Together with families and community partners across Manchester, we are committed to helping build a stronger, healthier city for the next generation.
Check out their site here: Christian Youth Programs in Manchester, NH | Roca Kidz Club
Find contact information and services in The Resource Hub: Resources | MakinItHappen
Written by Anne Bonner | Marketing and Communications Lead | 3/19/2026.
