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Going Above and Beyond
Going Above and Beyond
Donna, a longtime volunteer, is losing her sight–but that doesn’t stop her from serving others. She can no longer drive, work or do the things she had been used to doing for a number of years. But that doesn’t stop her from coming to serve in the kitchen at BsideU on a weekly basis! She takes Tarc 3 to get to us and even brings donations of things to help with our lunch! She has expressed a tearful gratitude to us for allowing her to come and feel needed and use her culinary talents! Her servant’s heart has blessed us tremendously and we honored her for her dedication and commitment to us while overcoming such a personal struggle. Thank you so much for your dedication to this ministry, our clients and our Lord. We love you Donna!!
San’s Journey to Success
San’s Graduation Story
Colin Powell once said that “there are no secrets to success.” “It is the result of preparation,” he said, “hard work and learning from failure.” These wise words from Powell prove to be true, especially for our clients working towards their GED.
A client for many years, San Cing Numathang, has put in hours of preparation, hard work, and learning in hopes that one day she would pass her high school equivalency exam. As an English-language learner, her journey has been arduous and long. However, San’s determination kept her spirits high and allowed her to move past failures and disappointments she experienced along the way. What’s more, because of her steadfastness, she was able to complete and pass the last test standing in the way between her and her GED!
On June 5th, BSideU for Life was able to celebrate with San and her family to mark the completion of something she has worked for during the past few years. We were delighted to be able to celebrate her achievement and praise God along with her for His work in her life. As she marched down the hallway in her cap and gown that day, other clients applauded and praised her accomplishments. The beaming smile that San wore during the celebration demonstrates the joy that comes from trusting the Lord and relying on His strength to get us through our most trying times. So, with elated hearts, BSideU praises San’s achievement and cheers her on as she continues her education at JCTC and continues to trust in the Lord throughout her life.
Say and Play
Say and Play with words is an initiative to help children get prepare for kindergarten and maintain their grade-level reading. This initiative is intended to bridge the ” word gap”. Studies show that by age 3, children from lower income homes are exposed to about 30 million less words than children that come from more financially secure homes. The “word gap” contributes to disparities in academic performance, such as kindergarten readiness and achieving grade-level reading.
Sudies also shows that vocabulary skills are incredibly important and that a lag in vocabulary development puts children at an academic disadvantage before they start their first day of kindergarten. In addition, studies identifies the vital role that families play in helping their child/children develop the vocabulary and conceptual skills they will need over their lifetime.
As parent leaders for this initiative, Kinshasta Reed and I, April Hickman decided that BsideU for Life would be a great place to share what we are learning. The girls that walk through the door here are not often aware of their childs/children educational disadvantage or what they can do to help their child/children. They don’t fully understand the role that they play during their child/childrens educational career.
As parent leaders we help to provide them skills by introducing activities that require parent/caregiver interaction and vocabulary building. These activities are a great way to have fun and teach at the same time. Our involvement as clients and advocates, helps us too passionately present skills we believe will change the future of the children in our neighborhoods. We don’t take our role here at BSideU lightly and with the help of God we will continue the mission of helping to RAISE THE BAR of our represented communities.
Unbanquet Events
Unbanquet Events
This year BsideU decided not to have a formal banquet as we have for the past 15 years. We wanted to give our donors a break from banquets this year and new different, so instead we went with the UnBanquet idea. We had several smaller UnBanquet events including: a night of Laughing For Life with the UnPresident John C. Morgan, held at Okolona Christian Church.
We hosted a screening of the acclaimed pro-life movie UnPlanned, the story of Abby Johnson, held at Highview Baptist Church (east campus); and several board members hosted dessert/appetizer parties at their homes.
These events gave us a chance to get new people involved on our ministry & gave us a chance to get to know some of our long time donors better at smaller gatherings.
Our goal was to raise the same amount of funds as we normally do at our banquet. And we are so close! Thanks to all of you. If you have not yet donated to our UnBanquet and would like to help us meet our goal click here https://unbanquet.org/)
To see pictures of the UnPresident event click here. http://wwwbsideu.kinsta.cloud/benefit/
Team Life Bike Ride Wrap Up
This year we had 96 riders participated and we’ve received $40,177.15 in donations and sponsorships so far. We are so thankful for you.
Our goal is to raise $45,000.00. Please help us reach our goal by sharing this link http://wwwbsideu.kinsta.cloud/teamlife/ to our bike ride fundraising page with your family and friends. You can still raise money through the end of August to get us to our goal so we can save more babies and help more moms in need.
The Team Life Bike Ride began in 2011, making this year’s ride the 9th annual ride. Each year the Ride has grown steadily in the numbers of riders, (even to include motorcyclists) donations received and in sponsorships. Thank you to Scheller’s Fitness & Cycling, 5th 3rd Insurance, Swope Family Foundation for generously sponsoring the ride.
Mark your calendar now for next year’s event! The 2020 TLBR will be on
Saturday, August 8th. See our www.bsideu.org/teamlife webpage for more details as the ride approaches!
