Dear Sunnyview Family,

Welcome to the Holiday Season!

And everything that comes with it: family, feasts, giving, thanksgiving, memories, traditions, pain, joy, charity, and so many more things. It is a season of extremes that can overwhelm as well as bless. Many aspects of our society are only done in preparation for this season. It is unavoidable and full of potential.

It is the aim of the Sunnyview Youth to take hold of that potential for the glory of God in our community.

Each year the Sunnyview Youth volunteers their time to the Salvation Army, partnering with them in their mission to bring hope and joy to the marginalized in our community. Our main opportunity for volunteering is separating and organizing toys for their Toys-for-Tots campaign. The salvation army receives thousands of toys for boys and girls from nursery age to teenagers. These toys need sorting and separating, and that is where our youth come in. We volunteer on the day they have the most toys and process close to a thousand toys in a few hours, making sure that the Salvation Army is ready for the giveaway. Amid extreme generosity, we take hold of an opportunity to be God’s blessing to the organizers by ensuring they are prepared.

It is easy to become swept away in the hustle of the holidays. As children of God, we are to step out of our own business strive to be a blessing to those around us.

Our challenge is to go and be a blessing.

In Christ,

Jeremy Coggins