Picture
Traditionally the Glenwood Camp has been a fast-paced affair, filled with places to be and things to do. We have visited major cities like Atlanta, GA and Washington, DC and tried to soak in as much of the history and culture as we could in a four-day time frame. This year, due to budget limitations, we took a more laid back approach, trading in hotels and big cities for a rustic campground in eastern NC. Going into the week I thought we had a recipe for disaster with no AC, lots of bugs, and not as many things to do and places to be. Our theme for the week was “Pirates” and visions of a possible mutiny crossed my mind.

            Instead, what we received was a tremendous gift from God. Camp wasn’t flashy or fast-paced, but it offered plenty of time and space, which, as it turns out, is just what the doctor ordered for our Glenwood youth. Time and space to play cards, swim in a lake, go fishing, shoot hoops, and watch one of the four snakes that crossed our path during the week. Time and space for daily small groups centered on Bible passages that related to their lives. Time and space to rest and enjoy being away from the things in life that crowd their hearts and minds.

            As kids let their guard down, there were very real conversations about faith and forgiveness, about the role of God in our everyday life, and a path for the kids of our neighborhood to be a part of our church’s youth program was made clearer and more open because of the relationships developed with the adult volunteers. Seeds of love were truly sown, and hearts were changed.

 

(Excerpt Taken From Marshall Benbow’s  Intervarsity Newsletter)
 
 
Picture
In July we partnered with the Glenwood Public Library and held a summer reading club for  our students  in K-5th grade. Reading is one area that all of the students struggle in.  In K-2nd grade students “Learn to Read,” and then in 3rd grade and beyond students are expected to “Read to Learn.”
If students do not have a firm grasp on the basics of reading there is a significant gap that continues to grow.
                For 4 weeks each student had an individual Reading Buddy at Grace on Tuesdays for an hour of reading. We then went as a group to the
Glenwood Library and participated in a reading-themed activity for the second hour.
              We ended the month with an ice-cream party and a “Tutoring Store”where the students could purchase fun school supplies with “Tutoring Bucks” that they had earned with each book they read during the month of July. 
           Last week as I was taking a walk around Glenwood, one of the students joined me and asked, “Ms. Suzanne, do you think we can have Reading Club EVERY Tuesday next summer?” When I heard a student ask for more reading time, I knew that it was indeed a success! J
 
The Glenwood Tutoring Program exists to break cycles of poverty and hopelessness in the lives of families in Glenwood and surrounding neighborhoods.