Articles:
| Raising Awareness at Monarch PCS |
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| Friday, 26 August 2011 00:03 |
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Volunteer Profile: Adriana Greidanus
By Hanna Luong
Providence Christian School in Monarch, Alberta is a long-time supporter of Word & Deed. In 2001 they committed to supporting their first sponsor child, and since then they’ve taken on the support of three more children. When that disastrous earthquake shook Haiti in early 2010, their students responded by holding a Penny War to raise money for the relief effort.
Adriana Greidanus, current President of the Student Council and previous Secretary, believes that their student body has taken such an active interest in the ministry of Word & Deed because many of the churches that the students attend support it, and because it’s strongly Reformed, “more so than a lot of other organizations.”
In 2008, the Student Council initiated the first Hunger Awareness Campaign (HAC) in support of Word & Deed. They’ve held one every year since and have found that the HACs are eagerly participated in by “about two thirds of all the students from Grade 8 and up.” The role of the seven members on Student Council is to set up “pretty much everything,” Adriana said with easy humor. Meetings about fine details like planning activities to participate in during the 30 hours without food, and about what to eat after those 30 hours are up take a lot of time and preparation. One year they found out that swimming on an empty stomach doesn’t do much to alleviate hunger pangs!
By using the IMPACT articles on the back of each Word & Deed magazine for a devotional, they are able to present the different needs of countries in the developing world to their student body.
So does the HAC really work? Adriana affirmed that going for 30 hours without food makes you realize “how hard [being hungry] is” even with the promise of a big meal at the end of it. It also “makes you see how blessed we are to have clear fluids,” which all participants in a HAC are encouraged to take. Many people in the developing world don’t have either of those luxuries.
The Student Council at PCS plans to continue supporting Word & Deed through the HACs. In the past they have raised funds for the John Calvin Christian School building project in Colombia and for the Nakekela HIV/AIDS Clinic in South Africa. Adriana hopes that it will remain an annual activity.
How about your school? If you would like to organize a HAC please contact Hanna at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
(877.375.9673) or on Facebook (“Word & Deed North America” page).
Hanna Luong is the Administrative Assistant at Word & Deed Canada.
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