When 4th grade teacher Sheryne McConnell challenged her students to take time each day to think about what they were grateful for and record them in a gratitude journal, she had no idea what was stirring inside 10-year old Andrew Bacik's head. He "got it" and was filled with a desire to find ways to share his blessings and pay them forward. Andrew started volunteering with neighborhood friends at Rainbow Village. As Andrew served meals to the families and got to know the kids personally he really wanted to find a way to share his blessings with them more directly.

In February Andrew went to his parents and suggested that instead of having a big birthday party for his 10th birthday where everyone brought him presents, he'd rather have people give something to the kids at Rainbow Village. Andrew shares, "Writing in my gratitude journal at school each day has made me realize how much I have. I didn't need more toys and video games. I really wanted to help my friends at Rainbow Village. I wanted to make them happy too."

So, with that thought and the help of his parents, Andrew did just that. They sent out emails inviting people to come for an open house style celebration on Andrew's birthday and drop off gifts and donations to Rainbow Village. They provided a wish list of items that the kids needed in their after-school program and the response was overwhelming! More than 50 people came by that day. Family, friends, and friends-of-friends they didn't even know that had heard about what Andrew was doing. The most special guest of all though was Ms. McConnell herself, who came with an armful of goodies and tears in her eyes. She reflects, "I cannot tell you how much it meant to see what Andrew had done with my simple lesson of gratitude. As a teacher you sometimes wonder if the message gets through. No doubt this time it did!"

In the end, more than 100 gifts were collected and over $500 in donations. Andrew personally came and presented the gifts to the Rainbow Village kids on Tuesday, March 1st and shared a big birthday cake with them. Everyone was so excited! Michelle Alcorn, the volunteer coordinator that brings Andrew to volunteer on Tuesday nights said, "It is amazing to see how God is shining through Andrew. He's inspired so many with his giving heart and he's set a powerful example for the Rainbow Village kids too. No doubt this was a teachable moment for us all!"

Click here to see the great photos from the birthday party!

Get all the details here!

Golf tournaments come and go but Rainbow Village's 16th Annual Golf Classic on Monday, May 23rd at TPC Sugarloaf will offer a unique intra-tournament twist for those tournament foursomes representing our faith-based partners. Like golf's Ryder Cup, which physically "goes with" the winner, the Rainbow Village Faith-Based Cup will travel for display at the church/organization whose team has the lowest net (handicap-adjusted) score when all the balls are played. The "cup" is a one-of-a-kind trophy you will be proud to share with your congregation. A plaque will also be hung in the Rainbow Village office memorializing this year's winners. To be eligible for this friendly competition, at least two of the four golfers in a foursome must be members of the church or organization the team represents. The fee per player is $225 and a foursome is $800. Teams are now forming. Register Today!

Duluth Civitan Club has always been a tremendous supporter of Rainbow Village. Recently they made a generous donation of $1400! We send a special thank you out to our friends in Civitan and look forward to working with you again in the coming year.

Click here to learn more about the great work of Civitan in our community!

• Among the nation's working families, 10 million are poor. 15% of all American families and 32% of single parent families live below the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) in 2006.
• Many families struggle to earn adequate wages. 1/5 of all US jobs do not keep a family of four out of poverty. The federal minimum wage leaves even a single full-time wage earner living below the FPL.
• The 2009 Federal Poverty Level is $22,500 for a family of four. On average a family needs an income twice as high as the FPL to meet their most basic needs.
• The federal standard of housing affordability is that housing is considered affordable if a household pays no more than 30% of its income to housing expenses. For economic reasons, more families are having to "double up" with one another in housing to make ends meet.
• Share these facts with others to help us educate people about the tough issues facing families right here in our community.

(source: The National Center on Family Homelessness and The US Dept of Health & Human Services)