The Refuge is an after-school care programme in the southeastern USA that caters to the academic and psychological needs of impoverished African-American children. This study evaluated the Refuge through interviews with staff, small group discussions with children and persistent observation. By evaluating the after-school care services they receive, children expressed their need for safe and secure environments to grow, their vulnerability to family relationships, their need for fair treatment and nurturance in relationships and their want for opportunities to express their unique developmental strengths. Results reiterate child workers' significant and urgent purpose of reaching out to low-income African-American children to inspire them and urge them into vocations - despite the realities of death, poverty and violence in their lives. (Contains 2 tables.)