Every year our children participate in a variety of projects which help them build skills while giving back to the community. Our kids recognize the value of volunteering and seek ways to get involved. Our volunteers and teaching parents set a great example of how to make a difference in the world. Whether it involves manual labor, words of support or putting gifts together, BGC children are eager to show love to those in need.
One Boys and Girls Country service project has been awarded the Youth in Philanthropy First Honorable Mention and a $1,000 prize from the Greater Houston Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Diversity and Outreach Committee! Led by Jayna Harris, a BGC teaching parent, about 30 girls participated in a project with Days for Girls International. This organization makes reusable, sustainable feminine hygiene kits and provides them to girls who would otherwise miss school during their monthly cycles. Living in a home which emphasizes the importance of education, our girls were inspired to help and ensure that girls around the world would not miss school because of a lack of monthly hygiene supplies.
Our Cottage 7 family, in partnership with Second Baptist Church – Cypress, participated in a community service project at Miracle Farms, a children’s home in Brenham. Our boys worked cleaning flower beds, replacing mulch and planting new plants for two of their cottages. The boys also learned to mix concrete and lay pavers.
Our Cottage 5 boys participated in a beautification project at The Cramer Center, a Christian resort. They painted benches and tables and repositioned bricks in the Labyrinth garden. The boys enjoyed chili dogs, potato salad and cold beverages after they finished. Not only did they enjoy themselves, but they were able to give back to the community.
We could not be more proud of our young men who volunteered at Resale for a Purpose. Starting at 7:00 a.m. they worked for 3.5 hours with positive attitudes. The guys reorganized an offsite shed which was full of Valentine, Easter, Halloween and Christmas decorations and clothing. Mark and Estifanos were asked to join the Resale for a Purpose staff the next day because the managers were so impressed with their skills and work ethic. God is good, and we are blessed to see His work in our children.
Cottage 2 enjoyed volunteering with Champions Forest Baptist Church during an event to support “Feed My Starving Children”. The girls were able to set up tables and equipment for filling thousands of bags of rice and seasoning to feed the hungry around the globe. The next day, girls worked in different stations: filling the bags with rice, adding the seasoning, sealing the bags and packing the tubs, taking refills of rice to the stations to do it all again. Tirzah said she was “struck by the impact this ministry has on truly needy children.” Esme enjoyed how the girls in her cottage all worked side by side doing the different jobs. “It was really cool how people who didn’t even know each other all came together to pack food for the hungry,” commented Penny.
A week before Thanksgiving our children served at the Houston Food Bank packing meals for those in need. Serving is an important way to count blessings, and the kids enjoyed giving back.
