Blog: July 2010
"I hope I capsize today!"
"Yeah! Me too!" exclaimed the young boatwrights as a 92 degree New Jersey sun seemed to cook them in their life jackets. Though last week’s heat wave was largely responsible for their newfound zest for the Cooper River, something else was happening as those young sailors boarded their vessels.
These eager kids were the same ones who just a month ago would yell, scream, and clench any part of that 15’ boat that they could when the even slightest wake would cause it to tip gently. To see them on that sunny afternoon, months into their sailing classes, not only okay with falling into the once terrifying river but hoping for it- that’s the kind of moment that makes the hard work worth it.
These outstanding young men and women have completed the construction of two gorgeous 15’ Skerry sailboats; christened The Monarch and The Journey. They have become proficient swimmers and by the end of the month will be sound sailors. Still, what is truly remarkable is that these scared, immature teenagers have become responsible young people who know the strength of their spirit, rely on the work of their hands and believe in themselves. That is what could be felt from the dock of the Cooper River Yacht Club as those confident young sailors took to the river, hoping to get wet. Thank you, all of you, for making these moments possible.
Thank you to everyone who donated to this project!
You have helped inspire a community.
We have received some great press on this project. Please take a few minutes to look over the articles.
UrbanPromise Boats in the News!
- CamdenForward students build boats and esteem -The Philadelphia Inquirer (7/10/2010)
- Hope Floats - The Moorestown Sun (7/6/2010)
- UrbanPromise: Boat Building & Character Building - NBC (Video) (6/9/2010)
- Students build boats, sail on Cooper River - Courier Post (6/3/2010)
- Building boats helps dreams set sail for urban students - Courier Post (4/15/2010)
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When we see hunger, blindness, and violence, we should mourn because it falls short of what God wants for humanity. - from Bruce Main's book Why Jesus Crossed the Road Last week, a small workgroup did just that. From northern New Jersey, the Global Vision Church youth group spent an entire week helping out all over the UrbanPromise campus. They had two main projects. The first was to repaint a school bus white. Did you know that school bus are legally supposed to be painted yellow for just 10 years? Yeah, I didn't. They washed the bus first, then ate popsicles while waiting for it to dry in the blazing sun, and then taped up the windows and other designated areas where the white paint was unnecessary. The next day was paint day. They did an awesome job, it looks practically professional...not kidding. The following two days, they spent filling up trashcans and transporting debris from the basement of the East Side building to a dumpster right outside. My name is Heather. I am the Workgroup Intern. I just graduated from Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. You might be thinking this and I do actually get questioned a lot, "Why Camden?" Pepperdine has many volunteer opportunities, one being called Project Serve. They send out 10-15 teams of students, lead by students, to domestic and international areas. My freshman year, I applied to these places in the following preferential order: Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Camden, then Philadelphia. I was so pissed because I got my third choice, Camden. Turns out, that I fall in love with the place. It broke my heart that there are such places like Camden that I have never been to, let alone didn't even WANT to come. The people here are just as broken as me, broken in different ways but are still people, people who are ALL loved by God. He is good and I thank Him for opening my eyes and heart for the things that He sees everyday. The next year that I applied for Project Serve I ended up going to Panama and spent my week as a part of YWAM (Youth With A Mission). My junior I went to Dominican Republic and taught english through an organization called Orphanage Outreach and then once it came time for applications during my senior year, I ended up missing the deadline because I was preoccupied with who knows what. I got a call one week later and the director of the Pepperdine Volunteer Center asked me if I wanted to lead a team to Camden. I took the position without hesitation. This time around, however, I decided to step back and watch what was going on. I took pictures. Around 800 in just one week. I saw some of the most beautiful things, beautiful people, and a slightly larger revelation of how beautiful our God is. Why I wanted to share that was because the project that Global Vision Church was working on, the one where they spent a few days cleaning up the basement, was the same one that my team started. We spent a few days prying up the tiles on the floor and tearing down the ceiling and GBC cleaned it up. Pretty cool that I could witness the transformation. Have a good night!
