Wendy Weiss Southern,
Director of Religious Education dre@westsideuuc.org
Last Sunday was our Teacher Appreciation and Bridging service. The sanctuary was filled to overflowing with celebration and song. Vibrant, interactive, and spirited: it was a momentous closing to the RE Program year.
Now we turn to summer, with all of its yearly activities: Wizarding World Camp of Fantasy and Fun, Youth Trip to General Assembly, and the RE Summer Program. Just like the rest of the year, we need the support of the entire congregation to run these events. Donations of time and resources are essential to their success.
Westside’s Summer Camp runs from June 13-17. Registration is open through June 4 or until camp is full. We’ve had a great response so far, so be sure to register your children and grandchildren and tell their friends too: Summer Camp
Each year we do a different service project as part of camp. This year we are working with Smoky Mountain Service Dogs; they will visit camp with some of their dogs and teach us what they do to train the dogs and what kinds of services the dogs provide. We will make tugs toys for the dogs and collect and donate dog food for the organization. The Care of Magical Creatures is always a highlight of summer camp!
Youth Trip has one final fundraiser. We are launching a Faithify campaign to help raise as much as we can to offset the costs of our invaluable trip to General Assembly. Our goal is $750, and we need to meet that in full to collect any funds. The youth have worked tirelessly throughout winter and spring planning and running fundraising events that have been creative and successful. Now we are asking for your help in this final push to GA. We will announce the launch of the campaign later this week, so be sure to check the WUUC website and Facebook page for more information.
Our Summer RE Program is a vacation from curriculum and formality. We combine Pre-K through 5th grades, so it’s a chance to have the children and adults play together and get to know each other in a more informal way. Bring out the kid in you and sign up to lead an activity (gardening, playing on the playground, games, or any activity of your choosing). We can also use assistants in the classrooms. The sign-up sheet is on the RE Bulletin Board.
So, a hearty thank you again and again to everyone who has contributed this year to making Westside’s RE Program an enriching part of Westside. The lead teachers, the assistant teachers, and all the various people who helped filling in pieces here and there have created a wonderful experience that our congregation can be proud of. Every contribution matters and is wholeheartedly appreciated.