Back Pack to School
GAP Ministries +
School Supplies =
Growth, Learning and FUN!
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Parents and students choose backpacks at last year’s
Back Pack to School event. |
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Two students show off their new backpacks. |
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| A group of students prepares backpacks for the Back Pack to School event. |
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Each Back Pack to School event features kid-friendly food and carnival-style
games, including inflatable jumps like this one. |
Many thoughts come to mind when one considers the possibilities and the practicality of a vision. Just four short years ago GAP Ministries and their founders Greg and Pam Ayers had a vision to give back to the community. This “debt” was spawned out of the love inherent in their ministry which is all about children – to be more specific CPA kids that GAP nurtures and mentors in nearly a dozen elegant group homes.
Like the proverbial mustard seed in scripture, Back Pack to School was initially tested and proven both successful and doable at one school – Lulu Walker, a Title 1 school in the Amphi School District. The second year, all seven title 1 schools in Amphi hosted GAP ministries and partners in the distribution of Back Packs filled with school supplies in a carnival atmosphere of sno cones, cotton candy, popcorn, games, hot dogs and jumping castles. With parents and siblings in attendance the crowds swelled to a thousand or more at all the events.
Last year, true to GAP’s vision of reaching more, Flowing Wells School District was added and four additional schools hosted the GAP-sponsored events. This year, seven of Sunnyside School District’s Title 1 schools will be added to the ever-expanding list of recipient schools. No school has been dropped from the program as long as it maintains its Title 1 status. (Not being a Title 1 school can be a good thing. The change in status reflects an improvement in the socio-economic condition which largely drives the reason for the Title 1 designation.) GAP is now at eighteen schools and counting.
Last summer, Pastor Janet Alstrom, Children’s Pastor at Pathway of Hope Foursquare Church in Oro Valley, served as a volunteer at Coronado school in the Amphi school district. In recounting her experience she stated that her first impression was “look at all those Back Packs!” As the event progressed, this impression changed to “Look at all those happy kids!” Her parting thought as she assisted in the clean up effort was in regard to her own experience which she heralded as an “Amazing day” and one in which she “Would definitely do again!”
The events are conducted at the very beginning of the school year. Administrators testify that they are able to register the kids in a very friendly environment, meet parents on amicable terms and see more interest in PTO programs and general appreciation of the high quality environment these schools represent. Given the events all done within days of each other and with 18 schools this year, there will be four events on the first Saturday, three on another day and two on another – a late afternoon and weekday night.
No vision comes without a plan of execution and expansion. There are presently 150 Title One schools with over 80,000 youngsters in both unified districts and charter schools. There are well over 300 churches and congregations in our community and many are doing great works of city transformation near their faith homes and in other areas of the city and county satisfying many needs and conditions of urban stress.
Congregations represent a dynamic influence on their neighbors and in the extended neighborhood represented by commuting congregants outside the city center.
GAP’S vision suggests a strategy where congregations agree to sponsor schools. This sponsorship can occur in many ways. A congregation may support the Back Pack effort in time, talent or treasure. This has occurred already in several instances. School partnership and support is being provided now by seven congregations. Grace Community Covenant provided monetary support and volunteers at Lulu Walker school. St Mark’s UMC sponsors Nash elementary. Victory assembly will partner with Homer Davis. CDO Assembly, St Andrew’s Presbyterian, and Northwest Community church are also school partners for the event. Pathway of Hope which meets at Coronado school is working with Resurrection Lutheran.
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“We’re thrilled to be able to support this event again at Coronado,” said Randy Hinton, youth leader at Pathway of Hope. “Our church meets here at Coronado every Sunday morning, and it feels great to be able to give back a little something to the kids who attend this school.”
GAP is the catalyst for this support effort and hopes that relationships between the congregations and the schools will continue and lead to school-year-long adventures in mentoring and tutoring. The congregation/ school model gets to the heart of the holistically healthy child and then to the parents.
With 18 schools and growing, the opportunities are endless in terms of partnerships. Corporate, congregational and individual support is still needed to fulfill this year’s cycle of events. GAP welcomes teaming, partnering, volunteers and monetary support. If your company, group, or congregation feels called to this much needed and expanding outreach please contact Julie at GAP Ministries at 877-8077 or Julie@gapministries.cc.
Photos provided by Don Blascak.
© 2008 Good News Tucson™
