St. Peter's youth initiate Camp Beckwith Scholarship Program
St. Peter's Youth raises Beckwith Scholarship funds by cooking breakfasts
The Coastline October 2007
By Bridgette Vail
Special to The Coastline
Mobile, AL
St. Peter's Episcopal Church of Bon Secour has been cooking up something good and I'm not just talking about our famous, mouth watering monthly Fish Frys (May-Sept)! It is something new we call the "Beckwith Breakfast" and the monies raised go to the Camp Beckwith Scholarship Fund. At least once a month at 7 am on Sunday morning a group of sleepy eyed young people, parents, and leaders come together to cook breakfast so that evry child who attends our church regularly has the wonderful opportunity of experiencing the joy and spiritual rewards of attending Camp Beckwith.
It all started in 2005 with a determined youth leader by the name of Danielle Slattery. Her son Sawyer had been attending Camp Beckwith regularly for the past few summers and she wondered why more of the children at our church didn't go, so she decided to ask them. Some of the answers were "I just didn't know about it", "I don't like to be away from home that long," and "My family can't afford it because..." Danielle came to me and said she wanted to do something about the ones who wanted to go and would benefit from a little financial assistance. So we started putting out the word about Camp Beckwith and before we knew it 11 children expressed an interest in going and so the fundraising began! By the summer of 2006 those same 11 children attended Camp Beckwith on full scholarships that they had earned by cooking breakfast, a bake sale, and even a lasagna bake. Even better than that in 2007 we raised enough to send 13 children. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the heartfelt generosity and support of our loving congregation. They say it takes a village...and I want everyone to know we have an awesome one here at St. Peter's. There is no doubt the children are a top priority. If you don't believe me, then come on by and check us out!
But its not about just raising money. Its also about teamwork, building strong bonds among the youth and leaders, creating lasting memories, and learning how good it feels to achieve goals. When we say one for all and all for one we mean it. For example, Michelle and William Griffiths, our pre-school leaders, have children that aren't even old enough to attend Camp Beckwth but Michelle and William are still there for every fundraiser. Why? Simply put, because they care so much for these chldren. There is also a young man by the name of Brett Burgett, who hoped to attend camp but due to his age group filling up was unable to and guess what...he still helped at every fundraiser.
The Beckwith Scholarship Program has also helped to increase Sunday School attendance. Two of the main factors in determining how much of a scholarship each child receives is attendance in Sunday School and fundraising events. Attendance has defintely been on the rise since the program began. It has also been a great form of fellowship. We are a small church and we have two services, holding the breakfast between services gives everyone a chance to come together as a whole. I hope that after hearing about this wonderful program and all of its benefits, other churches will be encouraged to start a similar program.
In closing, I would like to recognize the young people who worked as a team to raise funds for Camp Beckwith in 2007: Cody & Lacey Bemis, Hunter & Brett Burgett, Casey & Lucy Harkins, Ariel Juvenal, Kevin Klose, Colton & Julia Mewbourn, Aaron Retherford, Zachory Russell, Sawyer Slattery, and Dustin Vail. Also special thanks to our greatly appreciated parents: Andrea Mewbourn, Sonya & Sandra Dukes, Michelle & William Griffiths, Patty & Darryl Russell, and Danielle and Shawn Slattery for volunteering endless hours of their time and talents to support not just the above mentioned children, but all of the chldren who attend our church.
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Bridgett Vail is the Sunday School Director of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Bon Secour, Alabama.
Email her: rbvail7@gulftel.com
