We're Going Back to the Y...MCA

I met the guy who runs the afterschool program put on by the Y at Quigley Elementary a few months ago when he called me for a reference check. A number of phone calls and a faxed criminal record check later, I finally went last Tuesday to check out the program. I ended up being a full-on volunteer for 3.5 hours, playing foosball, then dodgeball, then out on the playground with the kids. It was interesting to find out that a good number of the kids signed up are kids that were too much to handle (behaviour-wise) for the other afterschool sites run by the Y. The supervisor said he "liked the challenge" but reading between the lines I could tell that he really cared for the kids and wanted to make a difference in their lives. Many of the kids come from single parent families with low socio-economic statuses and next to no positive adult male influences in their lives.

While we were playing dodgeball it became evident that bullying is an issue with some of the kids. It again showed me that because it can bring out the worst in kids, organized sport provides opportunities for "life-lessons" like few other activities can. I've always tried to avoid sports because of the conflict resolution that's needed, but now I'm starting to see that as a benefit rather than a detriment.

When we were outside we were talking about keys and I showed a little girl my "work keys". On the key ring is a metal cross that Shayla made in middle school. The little girl saw the cross and asked, "Do you work at a church?" She said she figured it out because she had seen those "things" on churches. Who knows what tiny little piece to the puzzle might that little discovery have been in this little girl's spiritual journey...

Please pray that God would reveal to us what part this experience has to play in the future of our kid's outreach--whether it's just that I would be an occasional volunteer...or that I apply to work for the Y part time (apparently I'm pretty hireable because of my experience and bus license)...or that we would motivate people in our church to volunteer or...that we would start our own afterschool program...or all of the above!