Youth for Christ - Andre Lewis

 

 

 

 

            Sept. 28: Rotary Connects: In-person gathering at 4:30 p.m. at Olmsted Park in Kendall Yards at Nettleton and Summit Parkway.

 

            Oct. 5: Rotary Lunch (on Zoom): President’s quarterly report.

 

            Fund-raising ideas needed: With our fall wine event and dinner postponed, President Steve Bergman asks members to think of ways to supplement the money that will be lost to fund Holmes Elementary projects. 

 

            Project possibilities: Ridgeview needs some help in transporting lunches and stationery items in the next few weeks.  Contact Past-president Melinda Keberle or President Steve Bergman.  

 

            Position wanted:  The club still needs a president-elect to fill out the board roster.

 

 

            The mission for Youth for Christ in Spokane is serving marginalized youth in the most under-resourced neighborhoods in the city.

 

            The West Central area, including Holmes Elementary School, is a top target, especially since the area’s zip code is the poorest in three states, including Washington, Idaho and Oregon.

 

            Members met Sept. 21 via Zoom to discuss the YFC program with Executive Director Andre Lewis.

 

           “We know about 350 kids by name,” said Lewis.  The program serves young people 11 to 19 ages through those in West Central and Hillyard centers, partnerships with churches in Mead and near Lewis and Clark High, he said.  He added three Holmes students are in the YFC program.

 

            Lewis said YFC was started in 1944 by the late Rev. Billy Graham. The organization now has 160 U.S. chapters and groups in 100 chapters overseas.

 

            The Spokane chapter has seven board members and eight staffers, including marketing and events director Jennie Heideman, wife of club member Jon Heideman.

 

            Lewis said “we are lucky” if the young members stay with the organization two or three years, and while many “have street cred,” few have had much schooling in issues like literacy and health and safety.

 

            Many of the participants, he said, have never been out of Spokane.  So the leaders and staff arrange van trips like visiting Coeur d’Alene.  One program was a “Peak 7” trip last month for an outdoor adventure.  Another program was a “Girls Night Out” barbecue and a way “to dream other ways we can reach women during Covid days.

 

            For YFC, the Covid restrictions, like much of life, create special challenges.  Lewis said Dr. Bob Lutz, the county’s health officer, was limited the chapter to groups of 9 young people.

 

            He said 150 meals were delivered to homes on Mondays and local sources have contributed headphones, water bottles, stationery items and artists’ items.

 

            YFC offered a Safe Learning Program, “where high-risk kids can do their distance learning in a safe environment.”

 

            Some YFC funding gets grants from Innovia and others, but most gets help from individual donors and a few events like a banquet and a golf tournament.  Both of those events were Covid casualties.

 

            The on-line YFC message: “A time like Covid truly makes us examine our hearts and roots out our desire to do things ‘our way’ instead of ‘God’s way.’”

 

 

 

            Working with masks and sanitizers at the ready, about 20 Rotarians and Rotary Interactor high school students joined Aug. 25 to produce a small mountain of oatmeal and rice packets for delivery to poorest venues in Africa.

            The Food for Kidz program was organized by Kristin Thompson of Rotary South as part of the six “small Rotary clubs’ group” in the area which have joined to merge for international projects.

 

            Joining the effort from Rotaryrth were Dave and Robin Hayward, Ron Schurra and Chuck Rehberg.  While Robin and Ron added ingredients, Chuck poured in the brown rice and Dave filled the bags, which then were weighed and sealed.

 

            Taped music had the workers singing along – the loudest was Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”

 

            After two hours of work in the warehouse space at Sprague and Sullivan, the Rotarians amassed more than 6,000 packets in 28 large cartons.  Jim Dodds, the local Food for Kidz organization leader, said each packet, after water is added, will feed at least four meals.