On June 4 Napanee’s St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church will launch its second annual Say Yes! to Kids (SYTK) fundraiser in partnership with the Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC).
“Last year we raised $3,800 and received close to $1,500 in angel donor matching funds from AFC,” says Michelle Hauser, Chair of SMMAC’s Stewardship & Fundraising Committee. “Because we are among the first 25 teams to launch campaigns this year, AFC will once again match the first $1,000 we raise.”
In 2022, funds raised were split between The Heard Youth and the Morningstar Mission High School Lunch Program. Hauser explains the 2023 campaign will also have dual beneficiaries: The Heard Youth annual retreat, and the newly established Ben Rose Memorial Scholarship for post-secondary studies in music. “This scholarship will be the first of its kind for music-minded high school students in Napanee,” says Chris Yeomans, churchwarden. “(The scholarship) aligns very well with the emphasis the church has placed this past year on music-focused outreach to young people through the Harmony Lounge & Music Club. It is also a wonderful way for our church community to honour the memory of Ben Rose, a beloved organist and choir director who taught music to me and so many students across Napanee.”
SMMAC’s Children Youth & Family Ministry (CYFM) Committee is planning an entirely youth-led service on June 4.
“We’re working with members of The Heard to identify readers and music leaders,” says Anne Alkenbrack, Chair of the CYFM Committee. “We are blessed to have such a strong youth group and to have so many talented young people to make a youth-led service possible.”
Parishioners and friends of SMMAC can support this year’s SYTK campaign in several ways:
- Give online through the SMMAC Says Yes! to Kids team portal set up through CanadaHelps https://www.canadahelps.org/s/nHd8ku
- Attend the Say Yes! to Kids Sunday service on Sunday, June 4 where gifts will be accepted by cash or cheque.
- Gifts by cheque or online will be accepted throughout May and June and Say Yes! to Kids remittance envelopes will be available at the back of the church beginning Sunday, May 20.
For more information about the parish’s Say Yes! to Kids fundraiser, please email Michelle Hauser at mhauser@hotmail.ca or phone 613-354-6387.