There is perhaps nothing more comforting than baring your soul to someone that has truly been where you have been, seen what you have seen, lived what you have lived, endured what you have endured. This is precisely why the Saint John’s Alumnae Association is so important to our program.
Now led by President Lucy G., a 2017 graduate of Saint John’s Program, the Association’s board is made up of six former clients, all of whom have gone on to become self-assured, self-sustaining, self-motivated, contributing members of our community. Their mission is to remain “committed to keeping our roots, and anchored by staying connected and giving back, using inspiration and encouragement as our message.”
The Alumnae Association meets monthly to discuss ways that they can engage with and provide support to our current clients. They have some exciting activities planned for 2019, including hosting dinners, movie nights, arranging for speakers at our community meetings, and speaking on behalf of Saint John’s at outside events. And word has it that they’ve got something special up their sleeves for Mother’s Day — we can’t wait to see what they’ve got cookin’!
To kick off the year, the Association hosted a movie night at Saint John’s in January, with snacks, cookies and juice provided by Grocery Outlet. While the PJ-clad kids enjoyed the movie “Small Foot,” the moms were led in prayer by our “Alumnae Almighty,” followed by a movie of their own.
“We’re looking at adding a special movie night for teens soon,” comments Lucy. “I don’t think any of us knew quite how rewarding this experience was going to be. It’s been amazing! We’re having so much fun, and it’s so fulfilling to give back in this way.”
If you’re interested in hosting a movie night here at Saint John’s, please contact us at volunteer@saintjohnsprogram.org.
By Sue Cawdrey, Grants & Communications Manager, Saint John’s Program for Real Change
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