(Editor’s note: Each month we honor an individual KidWorks “Volunteer of the Month. August is a little different. We're delighted to recognize the incredible team at Orange County Teen Challenge who made our summer programs so special for hundreds of students.)
This July, our kindergarten through fifth graders imagined themselves as Israelites fleeing the pharaoh’s bondage in Egypt. They sensed what it was like to enter the promised land under the leadership of Joshua. And they were filled with the exhilaration of what it must have been like for the children of Israel to hear Jesus calling his disciples.
It was all possible because a team from Orange County Teen Challenge generously spent three weeks with our students as part of their “Bible Adventurers”-themed program. The experience included learning Bible stories, competing in Bible quizzes with winners awarded prizes, memorizing key verses and Bible-oriented projects such as building a desert tent.
Established in 1963, Teen Challenge is a faith-based non-profit that has partnered with KidWorks for several years, first at our Bishop Manor center, and this year also at our Cedar Evergreen and Dan Donahue centers.
“We are deeply grateful and very thankful to partner with such a passionate and dedicated team,” says Noemi Juarez, KidWorks’ Director of Afterschool Programs. “Like us, Teen Challenge is embedded in the communities they serve. It was so uplifting to see hundreds of kids attending our summer program connect with the Teen Challenge team from the very start.”
Daniel Delgado, Outreach Team Member at Orange County Teen Challenge, says, “We hoped to impart the Love of Jesus Christ to the children, as well as teach team building, the word of God, and a lifelong memory of Christians performing their duties and pouring into the community.”
He adds, “It was wonderful to see the children light up and be sincerely excited to learn about who Jesus is, and why He is so important.”
KidWorks sends out a big “Thank You!” to these Teen Challenge team members who made summer so special for our students:
Ruben Alfaro, Outreach Team Member
Jessica Ambriz, Timothy House Direct Care Staff
Daniel Delgado, Outreach Team Member
LeeAnna Harb, South County Outreach Coordinator
Silvia Kim, Outreach Team Member
Ricardo Mejia, Orange County Teen Challenge Apprentice
Skyler Robinson, Timothy House Direct Care Staff
Kristy Smotherman- Volunteer
Our young “Bible Adventurers” truly had a memorable faith-building experience thanks to the generosity of Orange County Teen Challenge.
By Glenn Leibowitz, volunteer writer