NEW PROJECTS AND NEW CHAPTERS!!
The year 2012 is underway and flood is introducing some new projects on the calendar. Partnering with Meals by Grace , flood will offer students the chance to help cook, pack, and deliver meals to families in Forsyth County living in poverty. Also added to the calendar will be Bingo at the Roswell Nursing home (a sister home to Chestnut Ridge that flood currently serves). Lastly, when the weather warms, flood will offer more regular opportunities to serve at Homestretch by continuing to do yard work and home maintenance projects. Flood will also offer students the chance to outreach with the children living in the Homestretch community by taking a picnic lunch and games to play outside. Students can register for any projects on the website at www.floodstudentmissions.org/serve-now
Believe it or not, as we look at the back side of the school year, flood student leaders are looking ahead! They are currently assessing new leaders and who will step in for seniors that graduate. In addition to establishing leaders for next year in the current school chapters, any students wishing to start a NEW chapter should contact flood to receive a School Chapter Start-up Packet. flood would like to see new school chapters next year at West Forsyth, Forsyth Central, North Forsyth, Johns Creek, the new Cambridge HS, and Alpharetta. It is through the school chapters that student leaders have the opportunity to reach out to other students and engage them in serving and seeing first hand how God can transform their lives and the community! Anyone interested in starting a new chapter should contact flood at 770-289-1834 or email kscales@floodstudentmissions.org
TRUNK AND TREAT- FLOOD STYLE!
Trunk or Treat @ The Garden has become a flood favorite. Students head out to decorate cars and come dressed in costumes in order to pass out candy to the children living in this shelter.
The Chattahoochee chapter put together 150 goody bags at their chapter meeting last week to be handed out during the Trunk or Treat. Students from South Forsyth HS, Legacy Academy, Milton HS, and Taylor Road MS passed out the bags and then got to visit with the children and their mothers afterwards for a great time of fellowship.
The Holidays are a great way for students and families to get out serving in the community. Over the next 2 months, flood will offer projects serving Operation Christmas Child, ACT Together Ministries, Safehouse Outreach, 7 Bridges, Chestnut Ridge Nursing Home, and STREET REACH. Check out the SERVE NOW calendar on the website to start serving TODAY!
AN AMAZING WEEKEND MAKES A HUGE IMPACT!
This past weekend, over 70 students came out to serve all around Atlanta loving on those in the community in many ways. Students from South Forsyth, Chattahoochee, Lambert, Milton, and Legacy Academy were all representing their schools out serving.
On Saturday, 40 students from South Forysth were led out on the streets by former flood student Rebecca Sivak (now a freshman at UGA), current chapter leader at Lambert- Mattson Keator, and many wonderful parents who assisted with transportation.
Regan Dishon, Austin Tibbetts, Carly Cogland, Caleb Hoffman, and other members of the South Forsyth chapter leadership team coordinated the project as part of their first focus project specific for their school. Adult Project host, John Sivak posted this message of encouragement on their schools Facebook page, ” I need to relay a message from many of the homeless people I spoke with on Saturday. They said, “Thank-you for bringing these young adults to visit them”. They were so impressed that the students not only brought food, but that they sat with them, chatted with them, and prayed with them. You all are doing a GREAT work!”
Chloe Weigle, Adrian Salazar, and Marina Han led students from Hooch out serving with 7 Bridges passing out lunches and praying for the homeless living under bridges and in the streets. Milton and Legacy Academy students joined them in their outreach. On Sunday, students from Lambert and former student Emily Sarver (now attending Stanford), and a friend from college served dinner to the women and children living at the Garden – a home for homeless women and children.
We have been receiving stories and testimonies of how all these projects impacted the hearts of students this weekend. We know that lives were changed by their experiences and for that we are extremely grateful!
NEW STUDENTS REACH THE STREETS
flood’s first project of the school year proved to be another AMAZING opportunity for new students to see God in action. Students from Legacy Academy (one of our chapters in development), Milton HS, and a small group from North Point Community Church, were all able to go on the streets and outreach to the homeless for the very first time. Caitlin Fogerty, Alex Scales, and Victoria Yang led students to our favorite park downtown as we passed out snacks and hung out with our homeless friends. STREET REACH has been one of flood’s favorite projects since we began it about 2 years ago. Going downtown once or twice a month has given students the opportunity to connect and build relationships with many of the homeless men and women living on the streets of ATL.
Listen to what Andrew Matthews had to say about his experience, “Hey flood I just served with y’all and I have to admit I was the nervous kid who was about to throw up, but once I got there and they treated me like they have known me their whole life I got so comfortable with them, and that was a life changing experience. I literally had chills the whole time seeing what God is doing. I only talked to three guys and played chess with them but I really got to know these guys and they were the coolest people I have ever seen. Thank u sooo much for that experience. I want to be in this for the rest of my time in high school. Thanks again. Andrew.”
SERVE NOW PROJECTS FOR FALL ARE READY FOR ACTION
As the new school year kicks off, so does flood’s line up of amazing projects. Most projects from mid August til December are ready for students to register- including the flood favorite- Operation Christmas Child. In addition to our monthly SERVE NOW projects, flood chapters will be looking for ways to serve in their schools, neighborhoods, and with families in need. Students can go to the SERVE NOW button on the website, take a peek at the calendar, and then register for a project. If they are interested in getting involved with a chapter at their school, contact flood and we can get them in contact with their chapter.
Projects on the calendar for the fall are: The Garden (women and children’s shelter), 7 Bridges a Day on the Streets, Safehouse Outreach, ACT Together Ministries, Faith House, Movers and Shakers, Rainbow Village, and much more. One exciting new initiative is our new STUDENT COMMUNITY NIGHT. Once a month (on a Monday evening), flood students are invited to come and hang out at a local coffee shop/meeting place in order to hear what flood is doing at other schools and administratively assist in following up with new students who have served. This will be a great opportunity for students to connect with and encourage other students who serve.
