With its 30th anniversary on horizon, New Directions, the Greenfield community’s youth Christian program for students in grades 3-12, has set a goal of raising $25,000 during its annual telethon that will take place from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22 at McClain High School.
New Directions will turn 30 years old on May 1 of this year.
The telethon is the organization’s largest annual fundraiser, and in recent years has brought in around $18,000 to $20,000. But ND Director of Youth Ministries Mike Anderson said it is shooting for a little more this year because the organization has planned two summer mission trips rather than one.
The telethon will be staged from the GCTV-3 studio at MHS where anyone wanting to can make a pledge in person. The school cafetorium will also be open offering food, fellowship and prayer.
“We like to try to use the telethon both as a fundraising event, and to inform the community about all the good things happening at New Directions,” Anderson said.
It will include musical talent and testimonies from students and adults that have been impacted by the New Directions ministry.
The telethon will air live on the Spectrum Cable local access channel (3) in Greenfield, and on New Directions’ Facebook page.
Pledges are being accepted now, and anyone making one before the telethon will be recognized on air during the event. Early pledges will also be counted toward the telethon total. On the night of the telethon, pledges can be made by calling 937-981-7731, or in person, during the hours of the telethon.
This year New Directions will be making summer mission trips to Costa Rica and Milwaukee, Wisc. Twelve ND representatives will make the trip to Costa Rica, and 22 will visit Milwaukee.
Anderson said ND has been making the trip to Costa Rica for years. It runs children’s programs, packages food, then delivers it door-to-door daily. In Milwaukee, ND will work in the inner city holding children’s programs, running a soup kitchen and food pantry, and offering other programming.
New Directions is open to students from anywhere, and Anderson said it currently serves 100 to 200 kids a week. The program is centered at the Greenfield Area Christian Center, 910 N. Fifth St. There is a Kids Connection program for kids in grades 3-6 from 6-8 p.m. Thursdays at the center, a Wild Side program for kids in grades 6-8 Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. at the center, and a Student Action Leadership Team for kids in grades 9-12 that meets during lunch at MHS on Wednesdays. There is other programming throughout the year, and the center is open to students at other times throughout the week.
New Directions operates on a budget of about $100,000 annually. It has other fundraisers throughout the year including a silent auction and pledge dinner in the spring, a couple rummage sales, and a has a monthly pledge program where Friends of New Directions can pledge to give $10 or more each month.
For more information, contact Anderson at 937-876-9868 or visit the ND Facebook page.
“We are excited to be celebrating our 30th anniversary of this program in the community,” Anderson said. “We think it’s an honor and privilege to have served the community for that long, and we ask people for their continued support and prayers.”
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.
