6th Grade Graduates

This year we had four 6th graders graduate from our Kids Hope program! We treated the kids and their mentors to a wonderful "fancy" dinner at Camilo's Bistro in Eagle Rock. We had a few basic etiquette reminders and ordered our meals. One of the kids said, "I'm not even trying to be nice, but this is the best food I've ever eaten in my life!" :)


This evening was special for so many reasons. All four of these pairs had been together since Kids Hope started three years ago. My little mentee, Miranda was among them! :) Before the food came I asked each mentor to come prepared with a statement about what they love about their Kids Hope kid, what talents/skills they see in them, and what their hopes are for them for the future. We shared these thoughts with one another and each child smiled shyly as their mentor spoke...soaking in the words!


When we were done speaking, I asked the kids to tuck these words from their mentor into the back of the photo frame we were giving them. And when the day comes (which we all have) and they don't feel like they can do anything right or don't feel like they're good enough, I instructed them to pull out this sheet of paper from their mentor and remember this night.


I don't know if they will, but I can tell you the words that were spoken over them were life-giving, affirming and true. I am so thankful for mentors that go the distance and continue to believe in their kids, continue to love and affirm them and remind them that they matter. I left that restaurant fully convinced that anything is possible for these graduates!

2010 School Year Ends with a Splash

Root beer floats, beach balls, bingo...Seriously, what else could be more fun?!

For more pictures, click here.

From the Assistant Principal

Teacher Appreciation Day 2010

Mother Teresa says "There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread". And taking a quick look around our world, I agree.



We want our teachers to know that we don't take their support for granted. This year our events team put together a fantastic spread to show our teachers how thankful we are for their critical role in our Kids Hope program. We celebrated Teacher Appreciation Day on Tuesday, April 27th, by providing snacks and encouragement before a difficult staff meeting.



Kids Hope students worked with their mentors to write on colorful stars why they were thankful for their teachers. These stars brought many smiles to a meeting that involved budget cuts and state testing information for teachers. The Desserts from Portos were a real hit too!



By Wednesday morning I had a thank you note in my box. It said:
"Kids Hope
...where to begin?
Thank you so much for ALL you do. You are amazing!
The treats were delicious, beautiful, and very thoughtful.
You are the best!
Again....thank you for all your support and positive energy.
Gratefully-
Sylvia Florio, 5th grade teacher

Thanks to our Events Team: Sara Schommer, Carmela Calderon and Megan Blaze, for planning a great appreciation day! Thanks Kids Church staff for serving our teachers and helping them feel loved. I have to agree with Ms. Florio, you guys ARE the best!

Letter from Staci

Hello fellow mentors!

Sarah is in Haiti this week.  Prayers for her as she visits a country that holds her heart are appreciated! 

Today while mentoring one of our kids asked if they would still have a mentor in fourth grade.  I thought it was so cute.  As a room, we started talking about having a mentor until the child goes to Jr. High.  My child, Reed, said so proudly, "I have been in Kid's Hope since the beginning...... I was in fourth grade."  It was so special for me to see Reed excited about Kid's Hope and how long he has been involved in it.  I can't believe this is my last year with him.  I am so sad that I will only have 8 more meetings with him.  After three years of being his "mentor" I will simply become his friend.  

Please remember as you meet with your child this week, this is about relationship.  It is not about math, spelling or science.  It is about you having hope for a child.  It is about you making a child believe they are worthy of your time and attention.  I know that it seems small- to sit in a room for an hour once a week, but I know we are impacting the rest of their lives.  

Thanks guys!

Staci Kennelly

A Letter from Staci (KH Mentor)

Hello Mentors!

Our dear sweet Sarah was not able to reach Haiti. She was very sick and had to make the very hard choice of going home so she would not infect the people she was going to serve and see. Sometimes the hard choice and the right choice are the same. Her heart aches, but she is hoping she will be able to go to Haiti in early March.

As I have been praying and thinking about our fearless leader the quote from Mother Teresa comes to mind, "Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." Sarah had to make the difficult choice to simply not get on the plane headed for Haiti. It was one act of obedience that is going to change the next few weeks of her life, but God is showing His strength in her through this one act.

There are some days that I just don't want to be at Kids Hope. There are some days that seem too full or days that I seem to grumpy. There are days when my KH mentee is being difficult and defiant. There are days when he doesn't want to be respectful to others in the room. On those days, and let me say today was one of them, I must be faithful. I must go in every Monday and be my best and give my best. I must treat him with respect regardless of his actions. I must show him that I am faithful to him and our time together. Really, it is only one hour of our week, but I think it is one of my most important hours. To others, it may seem like a small investment, but after three years of being faithful to my mentee, I can confidently say it has the greatest rewards.

I drive my mentee to daycare after Kids Hope so we had a very deep talk about his attitude in the car today. We talked about how much our time means to the both of us and how we need to be respectful of others. He said the most amazing thing. He said that he is looking forward to the freedom of Jr. High next year, but he doesn't want to be freed from me. I almost cried!

Keep it up you guys! One hour, one day, and one kid.... We are changing lives!

Blessings!
Staci Lee

This is What Christmas Means to Me!

Photos from our Christmas celebration are here! Special thanks to Carmela, Megan & Sara who poured their hearts into organizing this amazing event. Thanks also to all the prayer partners and mentors who helped make this night so filled with warmth and joy. Just look at all those wonderful smiles!












There's a bunch more where these came from. Please click here to view them all!