Summer '17 Update
June and July have been busy, full months in Lake Providence. Three different church groups have come to learn about and volunteer in the community. The youth group from Church for the Highlands visited in June, helping paint a building that community members hope to make an operational community center in the future. The group also learned about the civil rights history of Northeastern Louisiana and concluded their trip with a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.
Woodland Baptist Church (Louisville, KY) visited for their fifth consecutive year in July and helped run a Reading Day Camp at Southside Elementary School. We focused on rising third grade students and provided one-on-one tutoring/learning sessions for the kids. Our goal was to further strengthen the reading skills of children at this important stage of their development. The week concluded with a cookout and an opportunity for the students and their families to spend time at the Mission House and with the Woodland volunteers. The week was also special in that some local students from the Art Club and the GED program were able to join in as volunteers and tutors, also.
The Gayton Kirk Presbyterian Church’s high school youth group (Richmond, Virginia) also came in July. This group helped with a variety of community projects, including a partnership with the Cemetery Association to help with beautification efforts in the historic Lake Providence Cemetery. Later in the week, the group worked together with local artist, Leshawn Hardmon, to rehab an old community center. Leshawn, recent General Trass salutatorian, led the group in painting a new mural (see the above photo). The group capped off their week with a visit to the Grammy Museum in Cleveland, Mississippi, learning more about the rich music history of the Delta.
Additional students have completed their GED/HiSET over the summer, and others are increasingly getting closer.
Please continue to pray for our students in Lake Providence and for the upcoming Back to School Carnival! We look forward to continuing our partnership with the educators and children of Lake Providence and supporting their efforts to provide a high quality education for the young people of East Carroll Parish. All of your efforts are greatly appreciated!