Photo: Jon Robertson

From left: Audra Butler, Tennille Martin and Diana Chen perform the scenario of a proper doctor visit procedure for pregnant, Spanish-speaking women as part of a South Carolina Rural Interdisciplinary Program of Training (SCRIPT) presentation at Oconee County Health Department’s Seneca branch. Sixteen students lived and worked in the Upstate, collaborating with local agencies in a community-based project. In Oconee, the students studied with Walhalla Mobile Clinic, SENIOR Solutions and Safe Kids Upstate.

Community Involvement…

Monday I was honored to accept a gift from the Clemson Rotary Club. The club members worked very hard this year to raise money for many charities throughout Pickens and Oconee Counties. We are so appreciative of local civic organizations that support the work we do. Thanks to the efforts of these Rotarians, we are able to provide necessary services to our children and hurting families. If you know a Clemson Rotarian, please express your gratitude, also.

Educating Little Ones… Wednesday I had the opportunity to present Collins Home to the children attending Vacation Bible School at Clemson United Methodist Church. This church partnered with St. Andrews Catholic Church and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church for Bible School. As you can imagine, it can be quite challenging trying to explain the reality of our work to precious, not to mention innocent little children. Fortunately, these little ones did a great job asking questions and paying attention. We were blessed to receive household items that the children had collected prior to my visit. This time of year is especially challenging for Collins Home and these gifts are truly helpful. It saves funds that we need to care for our children and the families we are serving throughout the community.

Safety Month Comes to an End… This month has been filled with exciting events for our children. They enjoyed the Safe Kids Upstate bike rodeo I told you about. They also had two other events with college students working in conjunction with Safe Kids Upstate and SCRIPT. The college students are Amanda Reuis, Andrea Adkins, Allen Pendarvis and Rachel Dasher. They worked really hard to help educate our children on safety issues in a fun and interactive way. As you can imagine, it is not always easy to keep the attention of elementary age children. During the last two events, the students spent two hours with the children at the Home playing games, doing crafts, and talking about bike safety. They decorated shirts with their names, favorite things and played get-to-know-you games. The favorite part of one evening for everyone was playing charades where they all really enjoyed acting out movies, different people and animals. This past week they had water relays, a water balloon toss, and a water gun fight! Everyone had so much fun big AND small children alike! The students said they were sad for the month to end because they had really bonded with our children, not to mention all the fun they had with them. I want to personally thank Louanne Whitmire for her hard work in making all the events associated with Safety Month possible. She has such a heart and passion for children’s safety.

Welcome Aboard… Our new houseparents for the Roxie Anna Collins Home, Lynn & Mary Forester will officially begin their duties on July 2nd. We are so excited to have them joining us and we know they will make a great addition to our team of caregivers. Please pray for them as they begin their duties and for the children who will be under their care.

For all of you traveling over this Fourth of July holiday, we ask God to keep you safe and we hope you create many happy memories you will recall for years to come.