Our Donated LEMS School Supplies Have Been Delivered!
Our local schools begin the 2021/22 season this week, and so it was time for Christ Church to deliver all of the school supplies donated to Lake Elkhorn Middle School by our parishioners over the summer. You can read more about our school supply drive here and read about its progress here. With the strong leadership of Catharine Whittaker and Onyx Williams, and following the guidance of Deacon Denise, we far surpassed our goal. Many, many thanks to all of you who donated time and/or treasure so that we can help students in need begin the school year with the necessary tools - and then some - for success.
When it came time for the assembly of the school supply bags, Melissa Shindell, principal at LEMS, sent us a list of 14 items that each middle schooler would need. Yetti was a tremendous help in ordering all the supplies online for us, and they were delivered directly to the church so that when Onyx, Virginia, Jo Emily, Angela, and others came to Christ Church on August 11th to put the bags together, it only took a few hours. They also organized and labeled all the additional supplies in boxes so that school staff knew what was available if families just needed individual items. On August 23rd, Nathaniel and Jo Emily came with their truck and we were able to load all the boxes in it. Father Manny organized the boxes on the truck. Onyx brought her son, Tunji, daughter-in-law Victoria, and their new daughter Rosie to help with the loading. Also, Steve and Angie, a young couple who has just started attending this summer, also carried a lot of the boxes and bags. Light work was made of the process thanks to all of you!
When we arrived at LEMS, the maintenance crew brought out a big transporter and everyone pitched in to get the supplies off the truck. Principal Shindel greeted us along with some of the school staff and was so elated to see all that we had brought. She also held up the blue LEMS shirt that Christ Church purchased and all faculty and staff wore at the orientation for new students on August 26th. Principal Shindel then invited us to the LEMS orientation, so Onyx and Cathy attended. There was a long line of parents and students who took a bag and/or selected items that they had not already purchased. The remainder of the supplies will now be distributed by the teachers to students who need them.
It's truly incredible what a community can accomplish when we gather together and work collectively towards a common goal. THANK YOU to each and every one of you who helped make this a reality. Our LEMS Ministry, one of many Christ Church Outreach programs in need of volunteers, demonstrated this perfectly. If you would like to help out in the future, please learn more about CEC Outreach here, and email us at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org
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