I love Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts (especially Eagle candidates). They are dedicated to serving their community. It is always a delight to give these scouts tours of Open Door Mission so they can see first-hand what we do. Most of the time they are surprised to see all we do.
Recently I gave Girl Scout Troop 41403 a Saturday morning tour. I was told they would have lots of questions and they did! Before the troop started their tour, they donated handmade fleece blankets and five cases of Girl Scout cookies, always a favorite. The girls very engaged in learning all they could about the Mission. They had insightful questions and comments. Some of my favorites are:
“The guys here are so nice and polite.”
“I would never want to leave this room (the Bright Space at Lydia House).”
“How do you get all the food you need?”
“Everyone we have seen seems happy and says hello to us.”
“You mean everything is free to those that come? (Timberlake Outreach Center)”
“How can we help Open Door Mission?”
By giving tours, especially to young people, we can let them see for their self how easy it is to help change lives. They began to become engaged in community service and volunteering. They will often encourage parents to join them and that brings more people to a better understanding of homelessness and how to help. At their schools, they advocate for Open Door Mission and how the students can make a difference. These young people become “ambassadors” for Open Door Mission and their compassion ripples out to the community. Would you like your youth group learn more about Open Door Mission? Call, we would love to give you a tour.
Maggie Cope
Gift In Kind Coordinator