Youth Group Fundraisers

The youth group of Kirkwood Baptist Church decided to stay in the St. Louis area to minister rather than take a traditional mission trip requiring transportation and lodging.

This year, the mission trip dollars were able to go to people in need instead of funding travel, said associate pastor for students Daniel Johnson. The funds will go to organizations supporting the United Nations Millennium Development Goal to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger — particularly focused on those who make less than a dollar a day. Nearly $13,000 will go toward that cause, Johnson said.

He decided to stay local when he sensed a trend for thinking about where the next “big trip” would be. Kirkwood is becoming more community-focused, he said, so he started planning the trip in a way that would reflect that — and allow the student to be “change agents in the world,” he said.

First Presbyterian Church of St. Louis provided housing for the week. Students took showers in the afternoons at Fontbonne University.

Each day, five teams went to different locations across the city. Ministry partners included the Christian Activity Center, St. Louis Food Bank, Nurses for Newborns, St. Patrick Center — an urban farm — and Gateway Homeless Shelter, among others.

The older youth participated in “the walk.” A homeless man led them through what someone who is homeless in St. Louis does during the day. He spoke of particular struggles for females. “You will not meet a woman on the street who has not been beaten or raped,” Johnson reported him as saying.

“It was a great idea Daniel had to put together projects in our own town, because the youth — and I — had no idea of the opportunities to help others right here,” said adult sponsor Susan Eaton. “One of the kids in my group even said one day, ‘Well, I could come here and volunteer someday during the summer when I’m off school.’”

Johnson said the idea was to expose the youth to as many different organizations as possible and to demonstrate the great need within their own community. With work in the St. Patrick Center’s urban farm, time at the food bank and service in the homeless shelters, the youth had the opportunity to “see the whole chain of how hunger is taken care of in the city,” Johnson said.

“In general, the youth of Kirkwood did not shy away from any task that was requested of them,” Eaton said. “They shared their time and energy willingly and had fun doing it. They are a great bunch of kids, and I am very proud of them.”

They planned a worship service at one of the downtown shelters. Johnson said the youth are accustomed to planning worship due to experience leading on youth Sundays at the church.

Eaton especially enjoyed watching the youth interact with the children at the Christian Activity Center in East St. Louis. The youth played with the kids, worked on tumbling skills and led arts and crafts. “Several of our girls sat patiently for quite awhile, allowing young girls to fix their hair in all kinds of ‘unusual’ styles,” she said.

“I believe it was good for our kids to see that sometimes, all it takes to help someone is to give a smile and a hug — things that cost nothing, but might be priceless to a needy child.”

Jennifer Harris is News Writer for Word&Way.

“At this time of year, when we are scrambling to buy back to school items for our kids, we thought this fundraiser would be a good way to raise awareness about those in need of the most basic living essentials. Not only does it help a great cause, but it is a unique way to fundraise for our youth group. We are looking forward to this service project.  We’re hoping that while people shop for back to school clothes and supplies they can donate five to ten dollars to help a child somewhere who cannot afford shoes,” says Jeff Partain, Youth Minister, Redlands Church of Christ.

Like many other schools and organizations, Redlands Church of Christ often utilizes fundraising programs to generate critical revenue for its operations and goals.

The Soles4Souls program provides an innovative alternative to traditional fundraisers, so students are able to raise money while making a significant difference in the lives of others.

Here’s how the program works:

·        Students collect monetary donations from family, friends, teachers and neighbors for the purchase of new Soles4Souls clogs or flip-flops.

·        Soles4Souls ships the shoes directly to people in need, domestically and internationally.

·        For every pair of $5 flipflops or $10 clogs sponsored, the school organization receives 40% of the proceeds in the form of a check from Soles4Souls, along with unique incentives for students and the programs they are representing.

“We are excited to host the BACK TO SCHOOL SOLES4SOULS FUNDRAISER at Redlands Church of Christ,” states Partain. “With this program, we are hoping to further plant the seed of philanthropy in our youth, congregation and community.”

To participate or find out how you can make a difference, visit the website at WWW.RedlandsCoC.org.