Planet Ark

Posted on July 17, 2015 by aboutproximity

Our last summer service play group took place this past Tuesday! We had such a great time for all five weeks. I’m so thankful.

We read the story Planet Ark about how we can all be modern-day Noah’s through caring for our environment.

We were able to support seven families in Bangladesh in receiving a fruit tree seedling that will provide food and income through World Renew.

The kids made leaf creatures and were awesome at the nature scavenger hunt!

Next week I would like share about the groups more personally, but for today I’m so thankful they became a reality, for all the participants, support, and amazing difference makers! And… there will be more. Hopefully forever and forever.

About Proximity formed some wonderful partnerships and we will be moving to hold more events throughout the year with Jodi Baron of Grace Episcopal Church in Holland.

Please, join our facebook service play group page for details and opportunities!

We’d love your ideas and to partner with you. I really mean that! Partnerships are what make a difference in our world. Every story and everything we did was better because we worked together as a community! aboutproximity@gmail.com

Mimi’s Village

Posted on July 6, 2015 by aboutproximity

Last week we had a little group, but that didn’t stop us from making a big difference!

In a world were numbers are a big deal, we can be reminded that what you do does matter so very much.

We were able to read the story The Red Bicycle. The red bicycle began with a boy named Leo in the United States, then journeyed to Burkina Faso to Alisetta, who grew her family’s sorghum crop with its help. Later, a young woman named Haridata, used the bicycle as a clinic ambulance! We had our own bike parade to celebrate the power of one bike!

We were able with the help of Grace Episcopal Churchs’ Lent collection raise money for a bicycle through World Vision to help a girl have a safe pathway to education!

We hope you can come out to this week’s group!

We will be reading Mimi’s Village and talking about clean water and immunizations.

Remember to bring along a stuffed animal for our ‘immunization clinic’! We will also be participating in a water carrying relay, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, inflatable world volleyball, soccer, and a coloring page.

If you are able please bring along $1.00 to support Shot@Life. $20.00 protects a child in the developing world from pneumonia, polio, measles, and diarrhea. We also have five adult and 5 children’s t-shirts from Shot@Life to give away!

We have had so much fun, we hope to combine forces and continue play groups for the West Michigan area past this summer! Make sure to join our Service Play Group Facebook Page to get all the updates as we make a difference together as a community!

If the World Were a Village

Posted on June 8, 2015 by aboutproximity

Two and a half days of school left for us. After another year, I know how important it is to love- beyond what you feel, others response, the deepest challenges- you don’t let go. You refuse to break. Jesus asks it of us and we have a beautiful life when we can do our best to give that love others. A very beautiful life.

For the next five weeks it’ll be about Summer Serve Play Groups! I’ll share the upcoming play group details, and later in the week share photographs from our evening together. We begin next week, but I’ll start now and leave this one up a little longer.

Here is the post with printable PDFs for all the groups.

Join the Facebook Event Page here.

Do you have kids 10 and up that might like to serve by helping with a play station for the younger kids? Sign up here.

We are so excited to meet you all and join together in community to learn and make a difference together! I’ve been waking in the early morning hours, which means a little bit of nervous and also a chance to pray for God to establish our work.

Our first group is June 16 at 6:00 pm at Kollen Park in Holland. (Parking in the Kollen Park lots and the streets surrounding.) If rains happens (don’t happen) I’ll let you know on the Facebook Event Page by 5:00 if we’ll go ahead or need to cancel.

We will be reading portions of If the World Were a Village from CitizenKid Books.

Here is a Printable PDF of If the World Were a Village group.

We will be welcoming the kids of ACTs to share art from the book! Our play stations will be a coloring page, bubbles, world volleyball, soccer, sidewalk chalk, and sack races.

We would love for families to contribute to our serve project supporting the local ministry of Holland Rescue Mission. The mission’s volunteer director shared these ideas. This is a great opportunity to talk to your kids about need in the community and how we can respond, while gathering supplies together. You can work together with another family to bring a donation too! Just bring it along and we will gather them all together for the mission.

Ideas for Kid Kits for the Holland Rescue Mission:

Rescue Mission Welcome Kit:

travel size shampoo, soap, and lotion
kids size toothpaste and toothbrush
small comb
small crayon pack and small pad of paper
sippy cup, or kid-size cup with top and straw
bedtime story book
stuffed animal (beanie boo or beanie baby sized)
Packaged in a bag
Include a welcome card with each kit (hand-drawn picture)

Birthday Kit:

Balloons
Birthday Candles
Cake Mix
Frosting
Gift Wrap
Small Childrens Toy or Book
Packaged into a bag

Stepping Stone Daycare and Rock Day Camp:

Snack Kit:

Granola Bar
Fruit Snack
Pre-Packaged Cracker Pack (Goldfish, Cheez-Its)
All Packaged together in a large sized Zip-Loc bag

Daycare Kit:

Puffs Tissues
WetOnes
ColorWonder Paper and Marker Supplies

Email me with any questions! aboutproximity@gmail.com

For all those not in Holland, hold tight… my hope is for this to be a full resource for families and groups to use in the future. So thankful for all of you!

Family Service Ideas for the Winter Season

Posted on January 24, 2013 by aboutproximity

1. Head on over to a neighbor’s to shovel off their sidewalk, driveway, or brush off their car.

2. Remember the elderly and new Mom’s who can’t get out as easily when the temperatures dip. Stop by with a special treat, lunch, and some conversation.

3. Deliver a care package to a family fighting the flu or facing the winter blues. (This is a cute idea from Katherine Marie Photography discovered via pinterest for a sunshine care package!)

4. Valentine’s Day! Create homemade cards for far-away relatives and friends. Everyone loves getting mail!

5. Deliver a special Valentine’s Treat to someone who needs a pick-me-up.

6. When stuck inside, pick an extra cleaning/organization job around the house. Have everyone in the family participate. Each child can earn a specified amount afterwards: half for piggy banks, and half for your family giving bank.

7. Deliver a bag of soup to your local food pantry.

8. Host a Sledding Party. Serve cookies and a hot chocolate bar afterwards. Ask everyone attending to bring a small donation to a specific cause. Make a difference as a community!

9. Winter items will be shifting to sale and clearance racks soon. Consider purchasing new or gently used winter items to donate to your local rescue mission or One Warm Coat (an organization that has collection points all over the US.)