By The Hand Dallas (formerly A-SOL)

By The Hand Club For Kids Dallas is an after-school program helping children in South Dallas experience abundant life—mind, body, and soul.

Founded in January 2022 as the After-School Opportunity Lab (A-SOL), we began serving students through faith-based mentoring, leadership development, and career preparation. In 2025, we joined forces with By The Hand Club For Kids—an award-winning nonprofit based in Chicago with over two decades of impact—and officially became the first national affiliate! 

As a proud part of the By The Hand family, we now focus on early literacy and holistic student growth beginning with elementary student reading below grade level. Rooted in South Dallas, we walk by the hand with students and families to build a future filled with hope, purpose, and opportunity.

OUR VISION

Helping children who live in under-resourced neighborhoods have abundant life.

OUR MISSION

By The Hand is a Christ-centered, after-school program that takes kids by the hand and walks with them from kindergarten through college, loving and nurturing them—mind, body and soul.

THE NEED

In South Dallas, the need for after-school support is urgent and personal. While thousands of children live in this vibrant yet under-resourced community, most don’t have access to safe, structured environments between 3–6 PM—the most dangerous hours of the day for unsupervised youth.

Only 1 in 4 middle school students in South Dallas reads at grade level, and 3 out of 4 children seeking after-school programs are turned away due to lack of space or funding. Families consistently tell us what they need: literacy support, safe transportation, a nurturing environment, and the hope that comes from faith.

By The Hand Dallas is stepping into this gap—bringing a proven model of mind-body-soul development to one of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in America. 

IT TAKES JUST ONE

At By The Hand, we believe in The Power of One—one willing person, one shared meal, one smile that transforms a hard day, one prayer spoken in faith, one word of encouragement that changes the direction of a life.

You can be that one.

Your gift can be the spark that shifts a child’s story from survival to thriving, from lost to known, from struggling to flourishing. Will you be the one?

OUR MODEL

Mind

Your generosity helps students catch up and thrive academically—through personalized reading support, one-on-one tutoring, and access to technology. You’re helping students not just pass, but excel—opening doors to high school, college, and career.

Body

You provide a safe haven during the most dangerous hours of the day. You ensure every child receives a hot meal, healthcare, counseling, and enriching experiences—like field trips, sports, and the joy of summer camp.

Soul

When you support By The Hand, you help fuel the power of abundant life in our students—life found only in Jesus. You help them understand just how much God loves them. That he has a unique plan for their lives. And you make it possible for them to get spiritual guidance and personal mentoring from caring and involved adults—who will help them make wise decisions for the future.

To learn more about how you can walk hand-in-hand with South Dallas students toward abundant life, visit us at ByTheHandDallas.org.