Meet Jessica Rivera | Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Rivera and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I was a mother desperately seeking a program like Wake Harvest. Middle school was a very challenging time for my oldest child, and our family as a whole. I searched for youth mentorship programs that my son would be interested in and came up empty-handed. When I reached out to his middle school they did not have any resources either. I knew I was not the only parent seeking a support system for my child. I wanted a community that could rally behind us, mentor my child, and teach him important life skills, work ethic, etc. Since I didn’t find a program like that, I decided to create one.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am very proud of Wake Harvest and how far we have come. Starting an organization from scratch is a challenging and scary thing to do. And frankly, I could not have done it without the love and support of my loving husband, family and friends.

We went from serving about 30 families in 2019, to serving over 200 families in 2023. We started our youth mentorship program in January 2019 and offered our first summer camp that same year. In the summer of 2020, we opened our first center. We have offered virtual learning through COVID, before and after-school care, summer camps, parent’s night out events, and more. We were even voted #1 for Raleigh’s BEST summer camp by the News & Observer in 2022. It has been a beautiful journey.

Something that I am very proud of is our recent ability to serve more children with special needs. The great thing about Wake Harvest is we do not separate our children. This gives us the ability to teach neurotypical children to be patient, kind, accepting and inclusive with our neurodiverse students. We have had some wonderful success stories. Some of my favorite success stories are of the non-verbal children who start speaking after participating in our programs. Or the children struggling with behavioral challenges who go from having a 40-minute meltdown to being able to self-regulate in less than 3 minutes because of the tools and techniques we work on with them. We have created a great environment where children learn emotional regulation, and feel safe to express their feelings, thoughts, and emotions. We build trust, teach communication skills, relationship building, and many more life skills.

We believe in the importance of offering a safe and fun environment to all children and teens. At Wake Harvest, we are proud to offer camps, after-school programs/clubs, and youth mentorship and development support to children and teenagers. I always love when a child doesn’t want to leave at the end of the day. When they playfully run and hide from their parent in hopes they can stay a bit longer. That is always a good sign.

God willing, we hope to open a 2nd location in 2024. One day we dream of opening a school of our own. Let’s see what the future holds.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friends were visiting for a week, some of the places I would take them would be:

Breakfast favorites: brueggers bagel off Wade Ave, shiny diner, another broken egg, Denny’s on Wake Forest Rd
Lunch/Dinner favorites: buffalo brothers on Lake Boone, Guasaca, Ricar Sazon (seriously the BEST chicharrones de pollo EVER), Perry’s, J Alexander’s, Chopstix – Their salmon lovers sushi is awesome! Morgan Street Food Hall, Empanadas in Wake Forest, Casa Cubana, Kanki

Nails: Lush Nail Bar

Eyebrows/Bikini Wax: Remedy Wax – Carson is great!

Attractions: Urban Air, Galaxy Fun Park, Wet ‘n Wild, NC Zoo, Big Air, Adventure Landing, Movies, Mini-Golf, Polar Ice

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my son. Not only is he the reason I founded Wake Harvest in the first place, but he has also helped me understand and work to fulfill the needs of this generation. He has taught me to be a better mother, mentor, and all-around human being. I am proud of the young man is, and I am excited to see the man he will become.

Website: wakeharvest.com

Instagram: shinealightnc

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-riverawh

Facebook: facebook.com/wakeharvest

Other: Wake Harvest is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. If you would like to support our programs please visit: wakeharvest.com/give. Thank you for your consideration.