A sweet Lent project by St. Peter’s youth leads to a great lesson for life
The goodness and compassion of giving with nothing in return is a wonderful lesson to learn anytime, but during Lent it can be even more meaningful. For a group of about a dozen CCD students at St. Peter’s Church, the season of giving during Lent meant creating bookmarks, on which they drew designs, then decorated, and eventually sold to the church members for donations.
The money the third through sixth-grade students made in turn was donated to the Love Center Food Pantry in Millersburg, where they asked that it be used to purchase candy for the Easter season for other children in need, who maybe could not afford to fill Easter baskets on their own.
The group designed, colored and laminated bookmarks, which they then sold for donations to church and family members. All told, the youth raised $71.30 through their efforts, and then presented the check to the Love Center. A trio of youth, including Ryan O’Donnell, Preston Baker and Anne Straits, presented checks to Mark Rohrer, Love Center director, on Monday, April 18, at the center.
Rohrer said that the money will now be spent wisely through the Akron Food Bank, where they can purchase far more than the kids ever could have imagined. There, by scouring the food bank’s sales, Rohrer said that they could get 30 to 40 pounds of various candies, from M&Ms and Twix candy bars to Easter snacks, hard candy and all kinds of assorted goodies, for around $5.
“Their donation will go a long way in purchasing a whole lot of candy,” said Rohrer. “This is something that these kids will always remember doing. This is the kind of thing that helps build character in our youth, and it also gives the community an idea as to how they can help those in need all over the county.”
Rosemary Piar teaches the fifth and sixth-grade students at the church, while Elaine Barczyk teaches the third and fourth-grade class. Barczyk said that the experience was a good one for the kids, noting that they had a great deal of fun designing, coloring and providing a message of hope on the bookmarks. She noted that the youth wanted to do something for Lent, and that their immediate thoughts turned to other kids.
“It helps bring meaning to Lent for the kids,” said Barczyk. “This was something that they really enjoyed doing together as a group and, more importantly, they did it for the good of others, which is a wonderful thing to teach our youth today.”
That idea evidently rubbed off on the kids, who were thrilled to be able to donate something that would be meaningful to a group of youth that they may never meet.
“We know that it is better to give than to receive,” said O’Donnell, summing up a lesson the St. Peter’s kids will hopefully take with them throughout life.
The money the third through sixth-grade students made in turn was donated to the Love Center Food Pantry in Millersburg, where they asked that it be used to purchase candy for the Easter season for other children in need, who maybe could not afford to fill Easter baskets on their own.
The group designed, colored and laminated bookmarks, which they then sold for donations to church and family members. All told, the youth raised $71.30 through their efforts, and then presented the check to the Love Center. A trio of youth, including Ryan O’Donnell, Preston Baker and Anne Straits, presented checks to Mark Rohrer, Love Center director, on Monday, April 18, at the center.
Rohrer said that the money will now be spent wisely through the Akron Food Bank, where they can purchase far more than the kids ever could have imagined. There, by scouring the food bank’s sales, Rohrer said that they could get 30 to 40 pounds of various candies, from M&Ms and Twix candy bars to Easter snacks, hard candy and all kinds of assorted goodies, for around $5.
“Their donation will go a long way in purchasing a whole lot of candy,” said Rohrer. “This is something that these kids will always remember doing. This is the kind of thing that helps build character in our youth, and it also gives the community an idea as to how they can help those in need all over the county.”
Rosemary Piar teaches the fifth and sixth-grade students at the church, while Elaine Barczyk teaches the third and fourth-grade class. Barczyk said that the experience was a good one for the kids, noting that they had a great deal of fun designing, coloring and providing a message of hope on the bookmarks. She noted that the youth wanted to do something for Lent, and that their immediate thoughts turned to other kids.
“It helps bring meaning to Lent for the kids,” said Barczyk. “This was something that they really enjoyed doing together as a group and, more importantly, they did it for the good of others, which is a wonderful thing to teach our youth today.”
That idea evidently rubbed off on the kids, who were thrilled to be able to donate something that would be meaningful to a group of youth that they may never meet.
“We know that it is better to give than to receive,” said O’Donnell, summing up a lesson the St. Peter’s kids will hopefully take with them throughout life.
Published: April 19, 2011
