My day with Project Outreach started bright and early (6:20 to be exact)! I was joined in this adventure by Sarah (Founder of Volunteer Odyssey) and our friend Lauren Ready who helped take pictures and video during the day. We made our way to the Collierville Walmart parking lot where we met up with the other excited volunteers. Project Outreach is a ministry committed to the support and empowerment of the poor in Fayette County. Most of the volunteers we met in the parking lot were from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, where Project Outreach began its mission. The group’s leader, Shona Moore, prepared us for what the day had in store before we caravanned over to Fayette County.
Project Outreach began through the efforts of a woman named Sister Elaine Wicks. Sister Elaine was a Franciscan Sister who responded (with other sisters) to a bishop’s appeal to set up a health care facility in Fayette County. At this facility, she saw other needs in the area and decided to devote her time and energy to providing food, clothing, and support to this rural community. Twice a month the Project provides supplemental groceries to families, and school supplies are provided for children before the start of the school year. Thanksgiving and Christmas are the busiest outreach days because larger items such as toys, clothing, and turkeys are donated for the families. Sister Elaine elicited the help from a fellow parishioner, Shona Moore, who helped grow the project into what it is today. Before Sister Elaine passed away, she asked Shona to continue its mission…and she has!
Clothes were passed out in addition to all the new school supplies. It amazed me how much was donated!
After setting up all the school supplies, clothing and books in an organized fashion, a local volunteer leader named Janet led the volunteers and residents in a heart-warming prayer of thanksgiving. She then explained how the morning would go and commenced the start of the project. Lauren, Sarah, and I were assigned to a table for college students. Students who turned in an application for a scholarship prior to today were given a $50 scholarship check and a bag of school supplies. Any extra bags were given to college students who did not fill out an application for a scholarship. I felt honored to pass out these scholarships and witness their steps toward future success. Even though the scholarships were very small, you could tell they felt honored to receive them and proud to show off their acceptance letter or class schedule.
I was truly impressed by the amount of young adults in the community who had plans for college. One girl we spoke to was about to start her last semester of college at UT Martin, and would be graduating in December with a degree in Psychology. She also had plans to pursue her Masters after graduation! For an area with so much poverty and a very small number of college graduates, this young lady was definitely making great strides for her community. I also met a lady who was there to pick up supplies for her two college aged grandchildren. She told me she raised both of her grandchildren since they were very young, and although they both were able to acquire student loans for college, she was spending her own money to pay for any other expenses involved in their education. All the extra costs have added up to a lot for her to spend; yet she does it with joy because she knows what college means for their future. Such a self-less woman and a great example of the gracious hearts in Fayette County.
I truly enjoyed this experience with Project Outreach and would LOVE to return for one of their holiday projects.
What I learned about myself today: I am thankful for every blessing in my life, but my education is by far one of the most important. It has contributed to who I am and opened the door to many opportunities that I would not have had otherwise. Outreach that promotes academic advancement is so vital for communities like Fayette County.
With all the college school supply bags!