Giving back to the community

Honor students reach out to the Lynchburg youth by volunteering at the Jubilee Center

Alpha Lambda Delta (ALD) officers went to the Jubilee Center Wednesday, April 9 to host an Easter Outreach event for nearly 30 elementary-age
students.

According to its web page on liberty.edu, ALD is an honor society on campus made up of students who complete their academics with excellence. Throughout the year, ALD hosts many events in Lynchburg in an effort to reach out to the youth in the community. One such event is the Easter Outreach.

This year marks the fifth year the Easter Outreach has been held by ALD, according to faculty advisor Dr. Marilyn Gadomski. Seven ALD members and officers spearheaded the project and spent their Wednesday afternoon running the event.

The officers began the event with a craft, chosen by ALD historian Anna Charuhas. The craft turned a paper bag and colorful tissue paper into trees, from which students hung a notecard with the verse John 15:5 written on it.

During snack time, the volunteers took the opportunity to tell the kids the story of Adam and Eve.

“I learned how to do this activity on a missions trip in Peru, and I thought the students at Jubilee would enjoy it,” Charuhas said. “It was great that it was a tree because it worked perfectly with the verse we chose to focus on with the kids.”

The students began arriving from school around 3:45 p.m. and trickled in as they completed their homework.

“At some of our other events, we don’t have a huge turnout, so it was cool to have so many kids show up,” sophomore ALD member Abby Coyle said. “… I was grateful today went so well, because I think our gospel story was a good reminder to the kids on why we celebrate Easter. … I would love to help out with the event again next year.”

The ALD officers ended the day by taking pictures with the kids and going to the Jubilee Center gym to play more games.

For more information about ALD and future events, call 434-582-2080 or email bgrayson@liberty.edu.