They’re still talking about it.
Back in 2013, SAFE BASE took 68 kids and an assortment of adults on an awe-inspiring trip to Colorado, offering hiking and whitewater rafting. They knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. More than a decade later, it remains the after-school program’s biggest achievement to date.
But it’s far from the only exotic experience the program has offered, with trips to multiple states, zoos and water parks, community computer and health training, dental fairs, blue plate dinners, Shark Week and Squid Week, ziplining and more. SAFE BASE began its 25th year Wednesday, tying together the past, present and future for a program that was initially supposed to last three years.
“THE FIRST day they hired me, they told me sustainability was the goal,” said Angela Henry, who has served as the program’s director from the beginning. “There were years it was touch-and-go.”
SAFE BASE began with a bang, courtesy of a three-year, $2.1 million federal grant from the 21st Century Community Learning Center that provided before- and after-school tutoring and enrichment programming for all students in the district. It included elementary, middle and high school students as well as those enrolled in an alternative school. In its early days, it even offered classes for all ages, such as computer literacy and parenting classes.
SAFE BASE is actually an acronym. It stands for Student Activities, Fun and Education, Before and After School and Evenings. Student Jessica Catron, then a sixth-grader, proposed the name as part of a contest. 
It began when the University of Kansas reached out to districts that were interested in starting an after-school program. Dr. Craig Neueswander was the superintendent at the time, and worked with a team of administrators and staff to create the program.
The program has morphed over the years. The “before-school” session returned last year after an absence of several years. Now, only elementary school students are eligible for the after-school activities. Summer trips sometimes had to be canceled because of funding.
Funding remains a constant battle, but Henry and her staff have managed to keep finding sources to keep it going. In addition to the 21st Century grant, she’s obtained funding from the Whitehead Trust, the REACH Foundation, the Health Forward Foundation, Modern Woodmen, local businesses and law enforcement. The City of Iola also contributes, which Henry calls crucial. Allen County has offered support for specific projects. The school district also has allowed the program to keep going, particularly through the summer.
Henry said she’s “lost count,” of how much funds the program has secured over the years.
“Last time I checked, total funding was somewhere in the neighborhood of $14 million.”
She also hasn’t kept track of how many students have enrolled in SAFE BASE over the years. Thousands.
SAFE BASE is believed to be the longest continuously running after-school program in the state.
Its success has made Henry popular among districts across Kansas, where she’s frequently tapped for advice.
In 2009, she traveled to Washington, D.C., to talk to Congressional representatives about the value of after-school programs for rural communities. She’s been asked to speak at several educational conferences. In 2022, she was invited again to D.C. to speak on a panel with the Secretary of Education.
