Mar 2011: We all rise together. This message is at the core of Operation Shoestring’s mission and programs, and you’ll find it reflected in the design of our letters, website and signs around town. What does it mean? Quite simply, when the children of central Jackson are safe, nurtured and empowered to take advantage of a bright future, all of Jackson rises. When the families in Shoestring’s focus area are strong and thriving, all of Jackson rises. Our tagline – By Teaching Children and Inspiring Families, Operation Shoestring Ensures We All Rise Together – affirms our belief that every child in Jackson should have the same access to a promising future, and that all the families of our city should have the same opportunity and means to improve and succeed.
Our programs include:
•    After-school and summer programs for school-aged children (academic enrichment, foreign language instruction, arts instruction, character education, physical education)
•    School dropout prevention services
•    Summer youth employment programming
•    Family communication and parenting classes
•    Art, music, and dance programs
•    Athletic summer camps

Through the leadership of passionate and effective teachers and volunteers, Operation Shoestring provides tutoring, literacy development, and cultural arts instruction. Our programs offer neighborhood children a safe harbor after school and during the summer, while helping parents to stay at work with the assurance that their children are receiving quality supervision and care.

Since its birth in 1968 amid the social strife of the time, Operation Shoestring has focused its programming primarily on one neighborhood in the heart of Jackson, Mississippi, while serving as a beacon for empowerment and reconciliation throughout the larger community. We have grown into an organization that meets the needs of the children and families in the Lanier High School feeder pattern, and we take seriously our role as a community partner and advocate. Through partnerships with the public and private sectors, Operation Shoestring works to ensure that all of Jackson rises.   http://www.OperationShoestring.org ; tel. 601-353-6336; The Ellen Harris Center, 1711 Bailey Ave., PO Box  11223, Jackson, MS 39283-1223