Friday night.
Saturday morning.Monday, December 21, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Annual Awards Ceremony
This evening found us attending the Annual Awards Ceremony at Girls, Inc. Every December they have this ceremony to thank their volunteers.
A buffet of mostly finger foods is the first event of the evening. The table included a cracker plate, fruit platter, veggie tray, a cheese ball, the little hot dogs in barbecue sauce, a broccoli cornbread (one of the staff makes this & it is requested every year), spinach dip w/bread, punch, ice water, coffee and then a cake.
After most people had had a chance to go through the line, the CEO stood up & called the meeting to order. The pastor of her church gave the invocation. Then the CEO (who is not afraid to talk & is never at a loss for words) gave some general remarks. The Girls Inc. choir sang Silent Night/Away in the Manger, Jingle Bells & closed with We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Then 4 girls who comprise the Praise & Worship team came up & "danced" to a contemporary Christian song. They had choreographed the dance themselves. Then the awards.
The first award given out was Alumna of the Year. The lady who receives this award has usually gone on to better her circumstances. This awardee has also attended Girls Inc. during her school years. The alumna award for this year went to a lady who is actually my age. She graduated from the city high school & is married to a pastor. She has 4 children & 5 grandchildren. Am I old enough to be a grandmother? She has just recently opened a gym for ladies.
The next award was given to the board president. I cannot think of the award now but I do believe she deserved it.
Then the volunteer awards were handed out. Every volunteer received a picture of some of the girls smiling & holding letters which spelled THANK YOU. Churches received awards for mowing, leading a Bible class for the teenagers, providing tables & chairs for events, etc. The snack ladies received a volunteer award. Of course we received an award for teaching Bible club. When your name is called you go to the front of the gym, the CEO hugs you & then hands you the award.
All throughout the evening, the CEO kept referring to being good stewards of what we have been given or with what we've been blessed. We also learned that on Wednesday evenings, one of the staff members takes a van load of girls to church with her. I'm sure her church offers some sort of program similar to AWANAS or PIONEERS.
At the end they recognized the board members. The board president had decided to rotate off so another board member took the reins as president. I'm not sure if the past president will still be on the board or if she is stepping out from the board responsibilities also.
A buffet of mostly finger foods is the first event of the evening. The table included a cracker plate, fruit platter, veggie tray, a cheese ball, the little hot dogs in barbecue sauce, a broccoli cornbread (one of the staff makes this & it is requested every year), spinach dip w/bread, punch, ice water, coffee and then a cake.
After most people had had a chance to go through the line, the CEO stood up & called the meeting to order. The pastor of her church gave the invocation. Then the CEO (who is not afraid to talk & is never at a loss for words) gave some general remarks. The Girls Inc. choir sang Silent Night/Away in the Manger, Jingle Bells & closed with We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Then 4 girls who comprise the Praise & Worship team came up & "danced" to a contemporary Christian song. They had choreographed the dance themselves. Then the awards.
The first award given out was Alumna of the Year. The lady who receives this award has usually gone on to better her circumstances. This awardee has also attended Girls Inc. during her school years. The alumna award for this year went to a lady who is actually my age. She graduated from the city high school & is married to a pastor. She has 4 children & 5 grandchildren. Am I old enough to be a grandmother? She has just recently opened a gym for ladies.
The next award was given to the board president. I cannot think of the award now but I do believe she deserved it.
Then the volunteer awards were handed out. Every volunteer received a picture of some of the girls smiling & holding letters which spelled THANK YOU. Churches received awards for mowing, leading a Bible class for the teenagers, providing tables & chairs for events, etc. The snack ladies received a volunteer award. Of course we received an award for teaching Bible club. When your name is called you go to the front of the gym, the CEO hugs you & then hands you the award.
All throughout the evening, the CEO kept referring to being good stewards of what we have been given or with what we've been blessed. We also learned that on Wednesday evenings, one of the staff members takes a van load of girls to church with her. I'm sure her church offers some sort of program similar to AWANAS or PIONEERS.
At the end they recognized the board members. The board president had decided to rotate off so another board member took the reins as president. I'm not sure if the past president will still be on the board or if she is stepping out from the board responsibilities also.
The evening ended. The girls that had attended were excited as they were leaving. The parents of the girls who had some kind of responsibility were proud of their daughters and their behavior. The CEO was glad the evening had been a huge success.
We left, came home & got ready to leave for our time in the prayer room. Our church has opened a prayer room. The goal is to have someone(s) praying 24/7 in the prayer room. We signed up for the 9-10 pm Tuesday hour. Since we, during the school year, have Precepts Tuesday evenings from 6.30-8.45, we decided that would be the best time for us to use the room. Right now while we are waiting for the next study to start after Christmas is the hardest time for us to use the room. We're not there & have to make it a point to drive over there at night. Also cold, rainy weather like we're having tonight makes it even more difficult. But we kept our commitment. There's nothing like being away from the distractions of our home, work, etc. to spend time in prayer. I appreciate the quiet room provided. I'm also thankful for the little clock which chimes (like a grandfather clock) announcing every hour.
We left, came home & got ready to leave for our time in the prayer room. Our church has opened a prayer room. The goal is to have someone(s) praying 24/7 in the prayer room. We signed up for the 9-10 pm Tuesday hour. Since we, during the school year, have Precepts Tuesday evenings from 6.30-8.45, we decided that would be the best time for us to use the room. Right now while we are waiting for the next study to start after Christmas is the hardest time for us to use the room. We're not there & have to make it a point to drive over there at night. Also cold, rainy weather like we're having tonight makes it even more difficult. But we kept our commitment. There's nothing like being away from the distractions of our home, work, etc. to spend time in prayer. I appreciate the quiet room provided. I'm also thankful for the little clock which chimes (like a grandfather clock) announcing every hour.
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