This week, I'm trying to tie up all my loose ends before my vacation starts on Monday. I've been struck recently about how the theme for this summer at Christ Church seems to be youth and young adults:
We hosted New England Climate Summer last week (last week's e crier post was about them--if you missed it, you can see it on the blog).
We worked at B Safe last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday:
B Safe is the Episcopal urban day camp we've volunteered with for several years. This year, we added an extra day, helping for 3 days instead of 2 as we have in the past. In sponsoring days at B Safe, we are responsible for providing lunch and paying for a Friday field trip. As one of the kids said to Bill on Wednesday, "You're the guy with the good sandwiches!" --chicken salad, not just tuna! Christ Church has been very generous with donations--about $525 gathered so far--but we are still $164.00 short of covering the cost, so if you have funds to spare, we are still collecting. Special thanks to Bill Fowler for organizing us, and to everyone who made lunches and came to Houghton's Pond and St Augustine and St Martin's in Roxbury.
We have been getting ready to (hopefully) host an intern from the Micah Project:
Rev Christine Nakyeyune, the pastor of St Peter's, and I have been interviewing candidates for an intern position as part of the diocesan Micah Project program. If we are matched with the right person, an intern for 30 hours per week will work with Christ Church and St Peter's to facilitate our joint work, and also help out in each individual congregation. The selection process is, in the end, up to the director of the Micah Project, but I am hopeful that we'll have a person work with us. They'd be here September 2010-July 2011.
This week we are work site for young people from Rediscovery, Inc:
Rediscovery is a local non profit that serves those who are "aging out" of the foster care system. Working with ages 16-24, they help provide resources for children to gain leadership, employment, and life skills. Rediscovery has an impressive record of success. 72% of youth have either received a high school diploma or GED or are on track to do so before leaving their care, compared with 33% average among all youth aging out of foster care. The Rediscovery program we're involved in is a grant they received for summer jobs; for an eight week period, crews of workers go from site to site helping out in the community (at no cost to the host). Here at Christ Church, they painted our bike rack (by the way--thanks to Plug & Play for donating it, and Ken Johnson for delivery) and put a coat of waterproofing on the handicap ramp. They also painted the downstairs back hallway for us, and are now working on the entry way and stairs down to Lower Fales Hall and the Grandma's Panty area. We are thankful for Rediscovery's work with these young people, and thankful that we can benefit from their hard work! Thanks to Warren Barret, Peter Lobo and Jonathan Duce for their support of this project as well.
Our confirmation students' book drive just wrapped up, and our partnership with Children of Incarcerated Parents is beginning with our drive for school supplies. So many thanks to those who have, and will, donate!
I am so proud of how we have been able to open our building, and ourselves, to the needs and gifts of the community around us. Every summer, I think, "Maybe it will slow down this year..." and it never quite does. Thanks be to God!
Blessings,
Sara+
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