You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. – Psalm 18:28
This year has been hard for lots of people, but when I say hard, it can mean both good and not so good. I can’t say enough good things about the great things the Children’s Centers have been able to accomplish. When we were told during the summer that school would not be back in session, we began to dream. What if we could create a space for children to do their schoolwork and still have other activities to occupy their days and allow their parents to continue working, even if it was at home. We would have extracurricular activities the children could participate in, such as music, art, soccer, and ballet.
As we were dreaming and putting our plan into fruition, the Department of Human Services, led by Justin Brown and his great team, came up with a program called “Community Hope Centers.” It was the same concept we were implementing but they were willing to fund this program through the CARES Act to help support the school age programs. What a blessing! We were able to buy Chromebooks for the children to use for schoolwork and pianos along with a piano teacher to teach them to play. This program is still developing, but along with these wonderful gifts came a partnership with the non-profit, Lilyfield. They have provided Hope Navigators, mental health specialists available to the teachers and the children.
They have been rotating through three of our childcare Hope Centers, as well as the El Sistema Hope Center. We are creating an environment where children can express their frustrations about the anguish in the world, and talk about how it is affecting them. They play games and talk about their different feelings and learn different coping mechanisms.
As we began this journey, we prayed that God would use us to be a beacon of hope to the community. It became apparent that during a time that is so dark for so many people, we are able to share the Light to families in need.
As we move into the Advent season, we will continue to offer this amazing program to the community. Our wonderful childcare team is the shining light in so many lives. None of these programs would be possible without their loving and caring spirits. They bring joy and happiness to the children and their families every single day.
Gabrielle Moon, Executive Director of St. Luke’s Children’s Centers
