This morning, Saturday, October 31, around 7:15, a group of volunteers gathered together in the pavilion at Oak Hill Park. Though it was still dark, we started getting ready for the much anticipated Compassion Step Up event.
Jan Maxwell, one of the event’s coordinator, thanked us all for coming. She said that if just one child was sponsored, it would make the day worth it. Well, the last I heard, there were eight children who were sponsored!
When Bobby and I agreed to be on the steering committee of the pilot program for Step Up walk, we didn’t know what to expect. None of us did. Over the course of about eight weeks, the event was planned and executed. With the help of Compassion staff, Edward, David and Gwen, and the generous donations of Certified Angus Beef, Buehler’s, Bowman Beverage, Frito-Lay (Wooster), Carol Jameson, Brian and Deanna White, The Gathering Grounds Coffee, First Amendment, RKO, East of Chicago Pizza, Troyer’s Bakery, The Daily Record, Action Sales & Service, Dan Fagert of Edward Jones Investments in Wooster, and Moreland Fruit Farm. the event was a huge success.
The Step Up experience took the participants to different stations around the trail of the 1.7 mile park. The stations were meant to raise awareness of the plight of children born into extreme poverty in third world countries as seen through the eyes of a young man from India, Sandeep. At each station there was a corresponding video to enhance the experience.
I plan to write more about the different stations in a future blog, so be sure to check back. A big thank you goes out to Ron and Jan Maxwell for all their hard work. I honestly believe that without their passion and coordination, the event would never have happened. Most of all, I pray God blesses the families who sponsored those eight children. Their lives have been forever changed.
