global FCS club gives back to Nicaraguans The saying goes “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”This was the plan the Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) club had when they began gathering sewing supplies to send in kits to families in Nicaragua. The FCS club, the Harding chapter of the Arkansas Association of Family and Consumer Science (AAFCS), began this project after club member and historian junior Anna Justus learned she was going on a spring break campaign to Nicaragua in March of 2008. The campaigners decided the best gift they could give was a skill that the people of Nicaragua could use forever. That was when the idea emerged to put together sewing kits to distribute to a special skills school in the area they planned to visit during the week. “We are collecting supplies that are not available to the students there such as fabric, notions and sewing supplies,”AAFCS President senior Jentri Cupp said. The process of collecting sewing supplies for the kits began in the fall semester in November and continued on into the spring until the departure for the campaign in March. Donations for the kits began pouring in from not only students but also from church congregations and families of students who were involved. Once the kits were completed, the team planned to pack and deliver them to the children in Nicaragua, and, if there were too many supplies to be carried, they planned to ship the rest. Once the kits would be delivered, the students attending the skills school would be able to learn how to use the supplies so they could make their own clothes for their families or sell in local markets.“The children can earn money with these skills, and it will give them a future,” junior Brenna Griffen, member of the AAFCS club, said. This project proved to be rewarding for both the children of Nicaragua and for the students in the AAFCS club. “The best experience was knowing that we are helping children and providing them with a way to learn a very valuable skill,”Griffen said. Cupp said she felt that not only would the kits be beneficial in a monetary sense but also would be a good ministry to the people of Nicaragua. “Thebestthingaboutthisisgettingtoprovidefortheeducationofadevelopingcountry and fulfilling the needs of the studentswhowill be influencedbyChristianmissionaries,” Cupp said.“This is a simple way to serve their needs and show Christ’s love.” The AAFCS members also served in other ways during the year including sending Christmas cards to recovering soldiers and Valentine’s Day cards to the elderly in the community and also to working with His House, a local charitable organization in Searcy. [Katie Ulliman] Row 1: B. Griffen, J. Cupp, A. Owens, A. Fletcher. Row 2: R. Teague [sponsor], A. Justus, K. Shields, J. Scott, H. Hampton, S. Crockett [sponsor]. [science] 233 [family and consumer sciences association]
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==