This after-school program is changing family life in Freeland, founder says. Frankenmuth is next.

SAGINAW, MI — R1SE is on the rise.

The before- and after-school program that began with a Freeland facility in 2019 and then expanded to a second site in Midland will break ground on a new planned facility in Frankenmuth while eyeing another location down the road, its founder said.

“When we opened R1SE in Freeland, it was only meant to be one facility for the surrounding communities; and we thought we were onto something exciting and kind of neat,” Trevor Szafranski said.

“But, shortly after that, we realized we were onto something much bigger. I’ve had some wonderful mentors who have said to me, ‘This should be in every community in the country.’”

Szafranski isn’t quite ready to expand at that rate right now, but planning for a presence in the community colloquially known as Michig