Hillsboro Mayor Justin Harsha presented a proclamation to representatives of Good News Gathering Church declaring the weekend of June 24 as “Big Give Weekend.”

Harsha said he wants to “urge and encourage all citizens to give a helping hand in giving back to their communities.”

Big Give Weekend is an event that started with the church three years ago. “We actually did a streetwide cleanup on Johnson Street and we had 140 volunteers,” said Ron Hennison, the director for outreach missions for Good News Gathering. “Every year we try to do something to help the community and help other people.”

The weekend will include a concert, kids activities, a food drive, and a park cleanup. “We have projects at the homeless shelter, the pregnancy center, the Ohio Mission Bible Training Center down by the lake, and then we have a crew that is going to do uptown cleanup and another team that’s going out to Liberty Park cleaning up some weeded areas and doing projects around the park,” said Hennison.

The same evening, there will be a free concert by the GNG Worship Band at Crossroads Park at the city of Hillsboro’s new green space off West Main Street. There will be kids activities, bouncy houses, a food truck and Kona Ice truck. There will also be a food drive for 937 Ministires. It is open to the public.

“Jesus was here to serve others, and one of our driving principles is to serve others and help others, and the whole weekend, with Mayor Harsha, we’re trying to encourage other groups,” Hennison added. “They don’t have to be involved with our activities, but we just try and encourage other people to get out and do things to help others.”

Reach John Hackley at 937-402-2571.