I’m very slow getting this post written but, as I think you’ll recognize, it’s been pretty busy around here. And we at CHI have a lot for which to be grateful.
The week of 4th of July is always a break from the regular summer schedule on our campus. The three-day-per-week summer program takes a week off for the Independence Day holiday, as does Crowley’s Ridge Youth Camp. But that doesn’t mean everybody lays around sipping iced tea. That is the week of Workcamp.
We have so many wonderful volunteers who support CHI, not only with their money, but with their time, talents and hard work. The week of July 4th, two groups came from Illinois (the Vaughn Hill Church of Christ near Alton, IL) and Kentucky (the Glendale Road Church of Christ in Murray, KY) to stay at CRYC and help CHI. As is becoming the pattern for that week, they arrived on Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday evening, they had hamburgers and hot dogs for supper and the CHI residents who were to work with them that week were invited to share dinner and some evening activities to get to know one another.
Wednesday morning, the work began. The volunteer groups and the residents involved were divided up into five teams. Each team had a designated project for the week and they worked hard to accomplish their goals. A couple of the teams worked on campus doing a landscape project at one of the homes and expanding the playground. (New equipment was added to the extended playground area and a pavilion was constructed.) Other teams worked on jobs at the camp and one of our farms.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning were spent completing the assigned projects. But don’t think the days were spent entirely at hard labor. The groups made time each day for some good, clean fun together to help cement the bonds they were forming. (Perhaps I should rephrase that. One of their fun activities was a trip to Clay Mountain and nobody was clean after that!)
On Friday, the time came to say goodbyes. Much work had been accomplished and new friendships had been made. In fact, many of our volunteers looked for and asked about specific kids they had worked with last year and those friendships had been renewed. It was a wonderful week of service and Christian fellowship. Thank you to all of our dear friends who use their vacations and time off to serve God by blessing children. We appreciate you.
