Today we celebrate the work of Radiant Church. An emerging faith based partner with CIS, Radiant was honored this past May at the seventh annual Champ Celebration. CIS Board Member Dr. Randall Eberts along with Jen DeWaele, CIS Site Coordinator at Woodward School for Technology and Research, presented the award.
When volunteers from Radiant Church plan on giving, they think BIG…so big that their BIG Give Winterfest at Edison Environmental Science Academy involved over 250 volunteers who created a special holiday experience for the elementary students. The centerpiece of the event was a free shopping spree that gave every student a new winter coat, hat, boots, and gloves. No detail was left to chance.
The night before the event, a semi-trailer truck full of merchandise and department store racks pulled up to the school. Volunteers literally decked the halls, creating a winter wonderland to greet the students the next morning. They transformed the gym into a department store with separate sections for boys and girls. Each child was assigned a personal shopper to assist them with finding just the right winter wardrobe. At lunchtime, students were treated to pizza and holiday songs. The teachers were not left out. They enjoyed a special lunch and each received a holiday gift bag. Every child left school that day with a shopping bag filled with beautiful winterwear. But they left with much more than that—a feeling that despite the polar vortex we all endured this past winter, they were cared for by their community.
Radiant’s warmth spread beyond the walls of Edison and entered Woodward School for Technology and Research, providing winterwear for many more students. Jen DeWaele, CIS Site Coordinator at Woodward, said “We were simply overwhelmed by the generosity of Radiant Church. They were so genuine, not to mention super organized. In addition to providing coats, boots, hats, and mittens for the students, they cooked a delicious, homemade meal for teachers and staff, welcoming and serving them over the course of the afternoon.”
Radiant Church also helped make sure students got off to a great school year by providing mountains of school supplies. CIS Site Coordinators throughout were able to make sure that all students were able to start the new school year with the tools they needed to be successful.
What Radiant Church provides is more than the material things many of our students need for school success. It is the abundant spirit that their volunteers generously impart to our children that is the true gift.
Radiant Church, we thank you for helping kids stay in school and achieve in life.
If you didn’t get the chance to read the blog post, “A Gift of Warmth for Edison” by Donna Carroll, Director of Health Initiatives for CIS, then do yourself a favor and read it now. It really captures the beautiful work of Radiant Church in our schools.
Tags: Champs, Dr. Randall Eberts, Edison Environmental Science Academy, Jen DeWaele, Pastor Lee Cummings, Radiant Church, Woodward School for Technology and Research
