GreenHouse Summer Highlights #1

Summers at The GreenHouse are typically gruelling and filled with trials (episodes of youth violence, out-of-control behavior issues, extreme heat, increased crime). But this summer was different. This summer, there was a general sense of calm over the neighborhood, kids eagerly participated in the day camp activities with positive attitudes, there was less fighting, and we had some nice, mild weather - which always helps. And to top it all off, we had a phenomenal number of opportunites for our youth, thanks to our awesome summer staff, volunteers, donors, and collaborators. As I look back on all that God did this summer, I am completely humbled and grateful.

In a series of posts, I'll share some of my personal highlights of the summer, one at at time, in no particular order.

Summer Highlight #1: The LIT (Leaders in Training) Summer Projects, and in particular, overseeing Johanna's "Caring is Sharing" project.

This summer, our LIT teens were given the opportunity to "apply" for a "mini-grant" from The GreenHouse to fund a service project that they would plan, develop, and implement from start to finish. One of the LIT members, Johanna, chose to provide toys for kids in the hospital - to make them smile. She wrote up a proposal, formulated a budget, and went through an interview process before being assigned to a GH staff person to help her oversee the final phase of the project - implementation. I had the privilege of supervising this particular project.

About half-way through the project, Johanna got an unexpected boost. After reading about Johanna's project in a GreenHouse newsletter, Kristina from Sanctuary Covenant Church, was moved to organized a women's lunch to raise money for the project. To Johanna's (and everyone else's) delight, that lunch raised $465 dollars! What fun we had going shopping together after the lunch and spending all of the money on toys. We filled three shopping carts with all kinds of games, books, and toys for babies, school-aged kids, and teens. Two days later, we delivered the toys to the Play Room at Sutter Memorial Hospital, making many kids very happy.

Overall, it was an great learning experience for Johanna. She gained self-esteem, confidence in her ability to lead, more compassion for children who are sick, and a vision for her future. Can't wait to see what she does next summer!