Who are the Graduation Guardian Angels?
The Village Chapel family are the Graduation Guardian Angels! This all started in 2018 when a few members of Men of the Chapel, Ministry (MOCM) discussed, “what if we could raise enough money to give each of these unaccompanied/homeless youth/youth in dire need a scholarship” to start their career in college, community college, trades school. So, they scratched out some steps on a napkin and it was born at the Village Chapel.
How it happens:
* In February a member of MOCM contacts the HS social workers and they each work with their respective principals and counselors to identify the students. MOCM also reaches out to the Boys & Girls Club. This is completed by the end of February. They provide MOCM the “initials” of the students.
* In March we know just how many students we need to help. We send out an Eblast to Men’s Ministry, write an announcement for the Chapel’s weekly bulletin, and publish a short article in the Herald. The bulletin announcement runs weekly in March, April, and first week of May. The months of March and April we have a Heraldarticle.
* In April MOCM writes a personalized “congratulations” note for each student. These are handwritten notes of encouragement on a Village Chapel card. MOCM completes the cards by the end of April. They are all signed: Blessings, The Men’s Ministry.
* It is now the first week of May and our goal is to get the cards in the hands of the principal, social workers and counselors to present the students at graduation or in a prior awards ceremony. So, assume we have a total of 16 students to receive a $500 VISA gift card. The funds donated exceed the $8k needed – the remaining funds go into or “Homeless/Human Trafficking” account code we established in 2018. If the funds are short a large amount, we submit a request to the Outreach Committee or split the smaller shortage among willing MOCM members. NOTE: we have never had to take funds from the Homeless account code. We have had to split the shortage twice, but normally this Congregation rises to the need!
* The Chapel cuts a check to First Bank and receives the gift cards. First Bank never charges a service fee for the cards! We place the gift cards into the encouragement notes previously written. Then we deliver, always trying to have them to the respective schools and Boys & Girls club the second week of May. Last year we finished our seventh year by helping to “jump start the career of 118 Moore County “unaccompanied/homeless” youth. This year we have fourteen(14) youth to help, so our goal is to raise $7000.00. Please consider becoming a Graduation Guardian Angel.