November-December

Family Fall Festival

At the end of October, we held our 10th annual Family Fall Festival where hundreds of neighbors came to enjoy trunk or treat games, candy, food, a bounce house, music, and so much more! This is our biggest event of the year and we partner with JHA (the Jacksonville Housing Authority), many churches, and health vendors who come out and donate their time and energy to the people in our community. This was one of the colder and windier festivals to date (normally it's blisteringly warm) but that didn't stop people from enjoying time with family and friends. Our high schoolers in LEAD worked the grill, the food, the face painting, and the bounce house. Our middle schoolers in Connect worked on a photo wall a few weeks before the event so that people could take their pictures and share them on social media. 

7th grader Semajah (right) and her mom pose in front of Connect's photo wall

Voices of Health Competition

As many of you may have heard or seen, 2nd Mile Ministries was involved in an online voting competition from Oct. 1st through Nov. 9th. Eight non-profit organizations in Jacksonville battled it out to see who could get the most votes. First place was awarded $20,000 and 2nd place was awarded $10,000. After being in 1st for more than half the competition, the numbers from St. Vincent's hospital overtook the lead while we managed to maintain our 2nd place slot. Thanks to many of you, we won $10,000!!! We hope to use eventually use this money to revitalize our programming with supplies and possibly help with a new irrigation system in our nutritional garden. With such a heavy focus on health programming the past few years, we definitely were happy to be a part of Aetna's Voices of Health competition.

New Role

The past few weeks, I have taken over the director position for our Connect Middle School Program. I've been fortunate enough to partake in the weekly activities and lessons with this age group for the past three and a half years. However, even with that exposure to this age group, I still have much to learn about what life is like for a middle schooler in 2018 and in this neighborhood. Please pray that God grants me wisdom and energy to lesson plan and bring helpers into this new experience with me. 

Wishlist

If you are in the giving mood this month, here are a few things you could donate by either sending them to my house (3646 Brentwood Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32206) or the church (4003 N. Pearl St., Jacksonville, FL 32206).

two:fifty two After School Program: Click on Amazon wishlist, kid-sized footballs, adult-sized basketballs, dodgeballs, construction paper, canvases, learning games, etc.

Connect Middle School Program: Click Teen Bible for guys (I could use 10), click Teen Bible for girls (I could use 10 of these as well), anything you feel a middle schooler would enjoy (?). I know Bibles shouldn't have genders attached to them, but I'm hoping these types of Bibles will allow for greater willingness to read on their own.

LEAD High School Program: Donations to go on a retreat this year with those in the program.

Me: I'm hoping to raise another $200 in monthly support. If you're led to eat up half my goal with a $100/month donation, great! If you want to give but can only give like $5/month, great! If you want to give but can only commit to one time at this time, great! Click on our website, 2ndmilejax.com, and you can give in any manner and amount you wish. Any amount helps.

Thoughts?

To end this blog, I'd love feedback. Do you like the new format? What would you like to see or hear more about in these blogs? Know anybody that might want to be added to my email or mailing list? Any ways that I can be praying and advocating for you?

Max in Wisconsin during Thanksgiving, unsure of the cold