It's been 25 years since the first church building of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was dedicated in Allen, TX--so we celebrated through service! Our stake (a group of congregations, generally about 4,000 members) had a goal of 2,500 hours of community service in one morning!
Twelve "Mormon Helping Hands" projects included decorating thanksgiving boxes for food distribution, making blankets for cancer patients, making chew toys for the animal shelter, picking up trash and removing debris from grass allies, greenbelts, creeks, and future community building sites, mulching trails, refurbishing a BMX track, staffing the bounce house and serving refreshments at our community's outreach grand opening, and painting and repairing uninhabited historic homes. The projects benefited the city of Allen, Allen Community Outreach, Joyful Foundation, Carter BloodCare, and Allen Ministerial Alliance.
Unlike our friends with older children, who were able to get in and get their hands dirty, Keri and the kids participated in the only project appropriate for Sophie's age. She colored Thanksgiving pages, tried her hand at cutting with scissors, and helped glue and tape her decorations to the food distribution box. Mom provided guidance and Rhys supervised.
Neal was unable to participate in the church's celebration because he was busy doing some good of his own--completing the last class of his CERT training which included hands on work in a simulated emergency. In a team, he worked on a scene where a tornado had hit and there were 17 injured people to attend to. He said it was fun doing the simulated emergency. Congratulations to Neal for pursuing a way to assist in the community and following through.
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