Central Elementary Renovation – Part 2

 Four days, and in four days, I mean three days of 8:30am-3:00pm – one 9am-9pm day …  so not even full days.  If it weren’t for the help of the community coming together, this project would not have happened – not the way it did.  Thankfully the school was able to clear all the large items out of the room for us, which still left us with an abundance of things to be removed from the room before any work could happen.  Which then left cleaning, A LOT of cleaning.  And a lot of painting.  I will spare the details of the renovation itself for after the reveal and instead share with you how our community came together.

We had so many volunteers that at times I didn’t have enough to keep them busy!  We even had people sign up mid-week to help out.  And in the midst I witnessed not just a room being renovated, but a bridge being built.  I saw people showing up after they had already worked a 10-12 hour day, I had teachers from other districts show up to lend a hand, kids came who fell in love with the school, community partners showed up to offer not just their financial gifts but their hands to help.  And in the middle of it, new bonds were made, new friendships made, previous friendships strengthened, kids working along side school mates … the bridge was being built.

 

 Our goal is to empower and bridge communities together – to better the world …  in any way that He presents it to us … I would have never thought this would have been a way.  Seeing the principal of the school be so excited for her teachers, melted my heart … watching the custodian who has worked at the school for 27 years come in and offer to take the trash out for us, look around and say ‘looking good’ filled us with joy … learning that a community partner, also a friend, is going through a difficult time with a rare family illness and I was able to connect him with a family friend who ironically went through the same thing, and without this project I most likely wouldn’t have been in contact with him at this time … all God’s hand my friends.  So as hesitant as I was to take on this project with the size of the scope, our budget for it, and the time frame … I have learned to listen to God’s calling, to watch, look and wait on Him because His timing is always perfect.

 Please take a few minutes to check out our Community Partners, without them we would not have been able to do everything we did!  We are so very thankful!  If you would like to be a part of Bridging the Gap and contribute to future community projects, be sure to take a look at our newest product in our shop!