During eight Friday afternoons each semester, you will find a group of dedicated volunteers in Portsmouth’s Benjamin’s Park. They meet in the park on Fridays to spend their time with local youth at an after school program called In.Light.In. Dedicated volunteers meet the children, ages three and up, in the covered area above the bleachers in the park after school on Fridays for fun games and snacks.
The program was started several years ago as an outreach ministry for the local community. A handful of RUSM students and spouses began spending time with members of the Portsmouth community and slowly built this relationship into a weekly after school program for the children with snacks, Bible stories, crafts, and games. To this day, many of these initial families still form the core group that frequents In.Light.In on Fridays, while new children are welcomed to the group each week.
After school on Fridays, children flock to the park to await the In.Light.In volunteers. The first portion of the afternoon is spent coloring, playing dominoes, kicking the soccer ball, throwing the Frisbee, and hula hooping. Once most of the children have arrived, In.Light.In leaders give a short lesson which ranges from a Bible story to a lesson on friendship and kindness. Following this lesson is a craft project, which varies weekly, from making cards to creating masks or puppets. Next, it is snack time: macaroni and cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a sweet treat, like cookies, popsicles, or fruit.
The program is run entirely by donations. Money is raised at bake sales and through monetary donations. Volunteers make and bake the food for the children and A&E Juices at the Shacks kindly fills a cooler with juice each week. In.Light.In even has change jars at several local stores including Picard Grocery. The money raised is used to buy program supplies like crayons and coloring books, paper plates, and craft supplies. The money is also used to provide transportation for all of the volunteers and some of the children from the Shacks to Benjamin’s Park each Friday. In.Light.In also helps many of the families they work with by buying groceries and donating clothing, toys, and school supplies for those in need. Before Christmas, an online fundraising drive was held to raise money to help out six In.Light.In families with groceries, which were delivered to each family near the end of the semester.
“In.Light.In is hands down one of the most rewarding experiences that I have had on the island,” said Emily Shelman, a Ross Spouse who helped lead In.Light.In several semesters ago. “The kids are amazing and are full of so much love. I love coloring with them, hugging them, and just hanging out with them. In.Light.In is the highlight of my week,” said Emily with a huge smile. In.Light.In is currently run by three fourth semester spouses, Tanya Goodman, Kristen Morgans, and Clare Wilkinson.
As old volunteers leave the island each semester, new volunteers are always needed to help prepare and donate food and to spend time with the children on Friday afternoons. In.Light.In is always is always in need of volunteers and happily accepts donations. For more information, check out In.Light.In online at http://inlightindominica.blogspot.com/.
No comments:
Post a Comment