Modeling their new winter hats are, from left, Tessa, Tra’mar, Rahjanae, Maya and William. Pastor Jerry Laudermilk is flanked by his daughters, Lauren, left, and Lindsey, an intervention specialist at Woodland Elementary. Woodland
Elementary School students are sporting new winter hats and gloves, thanks to
the outreach of Abundant Life Tabernacle in Ontario and the supporting generosity
of friends and strangers.
Pastor Jerry
Laudermilk said the church’s No Kid Cold project began after a conversation in
the Laudermilk home one evening.
“Our
daughter Lindsey is a first-year teacher at Woodland,” he said. “She was
talking about the kids she saw without hats or gloves on the playground during
recess. We decided that we could do something to help.”
Laudermilk
talked with Woodland Principal Kim Johnson, who gladly agreed to the project,
then shared the idea with his congregation.
“Our congregation
donated many hats and gloves. After we described No Kid Cold on our Facebook
page people from other states sent money to help,” he said.
While some
Woodland students did have hats and gloves, Laudermilk said the decision was
made to give every child in kindergarten through third grade a holiday sack
containing a new hat and gloves. The sacks were delivered to each classroom on
Nov. 27.
Johnson said
the gift of warm, colorful hats and gloves put smiles on students’ faces
throughout the building.
“It was a
wonderful thing for Abundant Life Tabernacle to do. These warm hats and gloves
will make a difference for many children throughout the winter,” she said.
When all was
said and done at Woodland, Laudermilk said there were 110 extra hats which he sent
to Prospect Elementary School.
But that
wasn’t the end of the story. On Tuesday, eight days after the delivery to
Woodland, Laudermilk received 120 pairs of gloves in the mail from a donor in
Indiana.
“We’ll find
a good use for them,” he said. “No Kid Cold was successful because of the
caring generosity of our congregation and the support of others.”