The is a copy of an article by the Church News. Our stake did this great service project and I drug Amber out of her bed to go help out. Little did we know that we would have our pictures taken and I bad one at that. Oh well. It was fun and felt good to be a part of something that will benefit others in our community.
Texas: 'Giving Thanks by Giving Back'
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
Photo by Jennifer Boster, Photo by Jennifer Boster
The theme for San Antonio Texas West Stake First Annual Service Fair was 'Giving Thanks by Giving Back.'
Photo by Jennifer Boster
Members from the Helotes ward posing in front of a banner sent to troops in Afghanistan.
Photo by Jennifer Boster
Volunteers of all ages helped shop for clothing for underprivileged recipients from a nearby elementary school.
Stake leaders provided a venue to hold the Fair and invited wards within the stake to voluntarily conduct service projects related to the theme. Participating wards hosted booths that provided service opportunities at the stake center on Saturday morning, Nov. 20. This included drives to collect clothing, food, school supplies and quilts, the latter of which were donated to the local Ronald McDonald House. Church leaders also invited philanthropic community groups to participate including the San Antonio Food Bank and the Christian Senior Services. The latter organization runs the Meals on Wheels program for homebound seniors.
Photo by Jennifer Boster
Members from the Helotes ward posing in front of a banner sent to troops in Afghanistan.
Photo by Jennifer Boster
Volunteers help sort donations during the clothing drive.
In the weeks leading up to the service fair, stake leaders coordinated efforts with a local elementary school to identify struggling families in the area willing to receive donations. School representatives were very excited about the opportunity and touched by the "compassionate thoughtfulness" of Church members. Teachers and counselors quickly identified 53 children who would most benefit from the donated items.
Photo by Jennifer Boster
Sister Munoz and her daughter Sister Hutchings help with the food drive.
Photo by Jennifer Boster
Volunteers work to organize clothing donations as part of the Service Fair.
Hundreds of volunteer hours were donated by members of the stake in preparation for the service fair. Bishop Mark Gorman of the Parkwood Ward asked auxiliary and priesthood leaders in his ward to coordinate the effort. "I did nothing," Bishop Gorman said with a smile, "It was all the ward council." Home teaching companionships distributed most of the 2,000 door flyers announcing the clothing drive, and the Parkwood youth collected the donations and dropped them off at the fair where the Relief Society sorted by gender and size.
Photo by Jennifer Boster
Children write letters and draw pictures that were sent to the service men and women at Bagram Airfield military hospital in Afghanistan.
Photo by Jennifer Boster
Sister Tuft (left) and Sister Singer (right) help with a box of donations at the Service Fair.
The clothing drive produced hundreds of articles of clothing used to help the families of the elementary school children. More than 60 large boxes of additional clothing were donated to the local University Hospital, battered women's shelter and a homeless shelter. "This clothing drive has exceeded my expectations by one thousand percent," said an emotional Stephani Singer, who serves as the stake service fair director.
Photo by Jennifer Boster
The Bingham family helps tie a quilt that was donated to the local Ronald McDonald House.
Photo by Jennifer Boster
The Parkwood Ward Relief Society organized the sorting during the clothing drive.
Stake volunteers of all ages were given unique checklists for each of the 53 children, and tasked with the assignment to find coats, pants and shoes for each child. When completed, members of the stake personally delivered the donated items to the homes of each family.
Photo by Jennifer Boster
A young girl carries a box during the clothing drive.
Photo by Jennifer Boster
Volunteers were able to help tie a quilt for the local Ronald McDonald House.
The Helotes Ward elected to send packages to injured U.S. military personnel and children at the Bagram Airfield military hospital in Afghanistan. Dianna Tuft, whose husband is a physician currently stationed at Bagram, explained, "We're sending toy bags filled with bouncy balls, coloring books and harmonicas over to these injured Afghan children for them to use as therapy, but also for fun."
Photo by Jennifer Boster
The Patrick family helps sort and organize some of the donated clothing.
Photo by Jennifer Boster
The Varney family helps tie a quilt to be donated to the local Ronald McDonald House.
Two of the most salient items sent to the soldiers were handwritten letters of appreciation and a large handmade banner reading, "The Alamo Remembers You!"
Photo by Jennifer Boster
The Freckleton family pauses for a photo during the Service Fair.
Photo by Jennifer Boster
This banner was signed by children from the Helotes Primary before being sent to troops in Afghanistan.
As a result of the service fair, the stake was not only able to help school children in the community, but was also able to strengthen its relationships with other community groups and neighbors. A joyful Sister Singer remarked, "This is the first San Antonio Texas West Stake Service Fair, and I am already excited about ways we can improve it for next year."
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