A Touch of Elevation

It was a beautiful Saturday morning like many that we have had in Charlotte as of late, but this Saturday wasn’t like others because our Promising Pages warehouse was buzzing with chatter and young teens were busy at work.  On August 25^th we had 100 teenagers from Elevation church come and volunteer at our warehouse.  It was the largest crowd that we have ever hosted, and all that we were able to accomplish exceeded all our expectations. 

         Elevation Church began just over six years ago with less than 20 people. In just a few short years, they have grown to over 10,000 in regular attendance.  The church has dedicated itself to giving back to the community in the form of “Elevation Outreach.”  We were lucky enough to be a part of the major initiative as we were one of the organizations that Elevation came to volunteer with.  In total, they had over 1,000 teens throughout the city volunteering!    

         When the teens arrived there was an instant burst of energy throughout the warehouse.  We had 4 stations set up and they all jumped at the opportunity to complete various tasks to help us out.  The supplies were all laid out for them and once they were given directions the magic began to happen. 

         In our carpet station artistic volunteers were able to decorate carpet squares that will be placed in classrooms after we host our signature "Magic Book Parties."  These “Magic Carpets” will be used as reading corners for children.  It will be an incentive so whenever a student is having a good day they get the opportunity to go and read on the carpet that is decorated with our mascot, "Erm the Book Worm."  By using it as a reward system it will allow the kids be reminded of their encounter with our program and the underlying lesson which is that reading is fun and exciting, and that in doing so they can be anything they want to be when they grow up. 

       Our bookmark station was a major hit and our volunteer’s creativity was truly exhibited. Instead of throwing away books that are in such poor condition that we are unable to give them away, we recycle their pages.  These pages are then used to make specialized collage bookmarks for the kids.  The Elevation teens really enjoyed this activity and their faces lit up once they were able to see their finished laminated product.  The bookmarks also included positive messages such as “Reading Rocks” and “Reading is Cool” that the kids always love to see.

        One of our most innovative stations was the wrapping paper section.  We used large white butcher paper and the teens were able to decorate it.  After they were decorated with beautiful images, inspiring quotes, and other various colorful doodles we rolled it up and will later use it to wrap books for the kids.  In the past, kids have loved the personal wrapping paper so much that they carefully opened their books and kept the paper!

       Our final station allowed the teens to clean and wrap the books.  The teens quickly caught on to our specialized technique.  They quickly grasped how precious all our resources are to us, and they made sure to use all the supplies sparingly while still producing quality work.  These are the same books that will bring smiles to so many children in our community.  The entire event was an inspiration to myself and the rest of the Promising Pages staff.  These teens were not only selfless enough to take the time out of their day to come and help us, but they put thought in everything they were doing.

 

Seeing all the work that happens behind the scenes to present quality books to kids, who are our most innocent members of society, reaffirmed my thoughts on this organization.  This was my first major event with Promising Pages and I left that day with a huge smile on my face.  I know that I am now a part of something that is so much greater then myself and the rest of us here at Promising Pages.  I am a part of a movement that is working to be the change that it wishes to see in this world.

Have a great and blessed week!

-Sandrine Uwera