Project LION (Learning In Our Neighborhood) was a community partnership between a local University, a Charitable Foundation, the City, and the Parish (County) School System that provided affordable afterschool academic and enrichment activities for students who are at risk in grades 4 through 8. The multiple-year foundation grant provided program development and fee waivers that allowed a broad participation among low-income students with low educational attainment levels. The program goal was to improve middle school student outcomes by providing programming that focuses on school engagement, academic performance, and social-emotional skills while enhancing real-world opportunities for preservice teacher candidates to work with diverse populations, as well as build after-school program sustainability.