What could be more fun than sitting in a high school cafeteria, surrounded by hundreds of young children and milling teens, calling out Christmas BINGO cards…. “Ice skates…….Santa’s face….Baby Jesus in a manger.. “???
Honestly...not much! Not much could be more fun. We spend Saturday morning volunteering at Ogden-Weber Community Action Partnership’s “Community Christmas” event and we had a great experience. Sign us up again for next year!
The “Community Christmas” served 2000 area children and their families, all of whom fall below the federal poverty line ($24,000 annually for a family of 4). While parents “shopped” (all items had been donated and were free to participants) at a “store” for new and gently used clothing, and toys, children were escorted from booth to booth at a carnival by volunteer teens. When the parents were done “shopping” they could join their kids at the Christmas carnival and/or take them to visit Santa. Good times!
Good times indeed. Chick volunteered as a runner, taking the parents’ purchased items from the store upstairs to a check out area downstairs, allowing parents to enjoy the festivities with their children unburdened by bags of gifts. Lance and I ran a Christmas BINGO game and Miles and Jacob Reanos, a fellow Scout, facilitated “Don’t Eat Frosty”. Tanah circulated, giving bags to kids whose arms were overflowing with carnival goodies and using to her Treehouse Museum skills to counter chaos.
We had a rough start….leaving home at 7:30 a.m. on a snowy Saturday morning was not easy for some of us….Lance had a pounding headache, Miles wanted to give someone a pounding, and Tanah felt like her stomach was pounding her…..but the finish was fabulous. The pounding headache and petulant stomach didn’t disappear but the “I would rather be somewhere else” feeling did. Replacing it were the “life is good, I am good, and God is good” feelings of gratitude that nearly always accompany voluntary service. Yep, yep, yep! Feeling lousy? Just serve!!
Wondering how, whom, and where to just serve? Go to https://www.justserve.org/ and type in your zip code. The website will automatically connect you to service opportunities in your area. There are 118 opportunities for service within 5 miles of Roy, UT, everything ranging from reading tutors to playing games with families on Monday nights to sewing doll clothes to writing letters to service men and women. Good times!
Just serve!!!
Honestly...not much! Not much could be more fun. We spend Saturday morning volunteering at Ogden-Weber Community Action Partnership’s “Community Christmas” event and we had a great experience. Sign us up again for next year!
The “Community Christmas” served 2000 area children and their families, all of whom fall below the federal poverty line ($24,000 annually for a family of 4). While parents “shopped” (all items had been donated and were free to participants) at a “store” for new and gently used clothing, and toys, children were escorted from booth to booth at a carnival by volunteer teens. When the parents were done “shopping” they could join their kids at the Christmas carnival and/or take them to visit Santa. Good times!
Good times indeed. Chick volunteered as a runner, taking the parents’ purchased items from the store upstairs to a check out area downstairs, allowing parents to enjoy the festivities with their children unburdened by bags of gifts. Lance and I ran a Christmas BINGO game and Miles and Jacob Reanos, a fellow Scout, facilitated “Don’t Eat Frosty”. Tanah circulated, giving bags to kids whose arms were overflowing with carnival goodies and using to her Treehouse Museum skills to counter chaos.
We had a rough start….leaving home at 7:30 a.m. on a snowy Saturday morning was not easy for some of us….Lance had a pounding headache, Miles wanted to give someone a pounding, and Tanah felt like her stomach was pounding her…..but the finish was fabulous. The pounding headache and petulant stomach didn’t disappear but the “I would rather be somewhere else” feeling did. Replacing it were the “life is good, I am good, and God is good” feelings of gratitude that nearly always accompany voluntary service. Yep, yep, yep! Feeling lousy? Just serve!!
Wondering how, whom, and where to just serve? Go to https://www.justserve.org/ and type in your zip code. The website will automatically connect you to service opportunities in your area. There are 118 opportunities for service within 5 miles of Roy, UT, everything ranging from reading tutors to playing games with families on Monday nights to sewing doll clothes to writing letters to service men and women. Good times!
Just serve!!!
Preparation as a BINGO caller requires a quick sort through the Pinochle deck... ????
 Breakfast for people with headaches and upset stomachs |  Playing BINGO does not require Pinochle cards....but it does take concentration! |
Petulant stomach
 Don't eat Frosty!! |  Coaching and encouraging....serious stuff! |
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