The Seahorses partner with Whittier Area Community Church ( WACC) and the SAY Yes Ministry Outreach to the Greater LA Area Children
On Sunday March 11 an event was held at Whittier High School. Below are a couple e-mails: the first being from Kelly Warner-Sports Pastor at WACC and the second from Jennifer Hicks, one of the SAY YES leaders.
“Glory be to God,
Wow, what an amazingly fun and smooth day. Hosting 100+ kids from inner cities around Southern California we had a great time serving together with over 40 volunteers from WACC Youth Hoops/Kicks and somewhere around 40 “Say Yes” directors blended with a number of Biola students. The kids were able to learn sports, play with their friends and the directors & college students who normally have to guide & direct them. I heard from a number of the “Say Yes” volunteers that this was a dream come true for them because they normally have the responsibility on their shoulders which cuts into their relational time with the kids, on Sunday they were with the kids 100% of the time.
The kids really enjoyed playing on the bounce house and maze while shoving cotton candy down their mouths. Doing the chicken dance & swabbing the deck on the ship was such a blast. It was hot, hot & hotter then hot,we only sent two kids to Dr. Rodriguez (heat exhaustion & ankle) praise God for a safe day. Rewarding the kids with fake money for positive behavior was fun and purposeful. I was completely inspired by the “give, give, give” attitudes our volunteers had. The head “Say Yes” director (John) came up to me after stating that this was an amazing opportunity for them and he was sooooooooooo grateful. He mentioned that the kids left with huge smiles on their faces (and that was our goal). The food was delicious and we know they went back to there centers with full stomachs.
A HUGE thank you to Paul Shedd (Seahorses) and the dozen Seahorses who showed up to volunteer; Michael Varos (Basketball) and the Whittier High School varsity basketball team that showed up to volunteer; Ben Orr (Seahorse Missionary-Baseball) and the Whittier High School Varsity coach who showed up to volunteer. These guys could not have run their portions without the help of our very own Youth Hoops/Kicks coaches A GIGANTIC thank you to you guys. I am most impressed with & happy about everyone’s attitudes out there – you definitely loved (1 Corinthians 13)…Kelly”
“Kelly, I want to completely echo the sentiments you expressed in the email...I just came from the say yes! association meeting and the shared debrief about games day was that it was awesome and kids are still talking about it...a lot of "next year" statements. Saying thank you would be an understatement, but in thinking about Sunday the last few days, I feel like what we shared was a window into the kingdom I for one don't always see. Your volunteers worked in their areas of expertise with a high degree of joy...things were seamless even among the center directors and volunteers it was this sense that the kids were our kids. I know you put in so much behind the scenes work that went into making Sunday amazing. Jen”
Praise God for the continued partnership with WACC is ongoing with Indoor Soccer Tuesday mornings and Indoor Tournaments. The Seahorses will be partnering with the SAY YES program and Central City Church-June 26-28 at a Sports Camp in the Skid Row area in Los Angeles.
