“When you give, give out of love, not motive.” – Art Jonak
On Sunday, August 6th, 2017, Life Members came together to support a local non-profit, YNOTU2, at Spirit Communications Park (home of the Columbia Fire Flies Baseball Team) in Columbia, South Carolina. Life Member, Kimani Davis leads the organization and the Life on Life project was to serve at The First Day Festival. The support was a joint effort between the city of Columbia and the Life community.
The Mission of YNOTU2 aligns perfectly with the Life on Life Initiative. The festival mission states:
“This event aligns with our goal of elevating the community through education. Our vender consists of nonprofits and community organizations whose mission it is to provide financial and social support for the underserved demographic. It is our experience, that access to information can open their mind to the possibilities beyond their current situation and inspire “Hope”. Our goal is to continue to make this a yearly event for the disadvantaged youth in Columbia. We anticipate an attendance of approximately 1500 kids between the ages 5-18, members of their families, volunteers, and members of various organizations”
The First Day Festival was a completely free event for parents and K-12 students in the City of Columbia. The event is an effort to reduce the burden on parents for school supplies for their children and increase students’ excitement for the upcoming school year.
“It was both a fun and meaningful day in our city.” – Chris Shull (Life Member)
1,320 disadvantaged children in the community were given backpacks filled with school supplies and spent an afternoon enjoying free back-to-school haircuts, health screenings, bounce houses, live music, and prize giveaways for the kids.
The team also collected gently used (but clean) book bags for Ngoli; Ngoli is a non-profit organization based out of Ghana, Africa. The backpacks were shipped to students in Africa who cannot afford to purchase their own backpacks.
Thank you to all of the Life Members who participated in this Life on Life event in Columbia, South Carolina. Your service and contribution truly made a difference.
Leslie Gebhart says
Inspiring story!!
Belle McClain says
Loved being able to help with this event! Completely eye opening and a great opportunity to serve and “wash the feet” of others!