Kristen Fabick's Blog
cancer walks and street festivals / 06.02.08, 12:21 PM
despite the spotty patches of rain, Saturday was a beautiful day of celebration here in Camden. our church was holding their 4th (?) annual Alberta Wright Cancer Walk at a park in Cherry Hill (a Camden suburb). My roommates and I all went to the walk and had a great time watching some church-league softball (totally unrelated to our walk….it just happened to be at the park), getting our blood pressure and glucose levels and cholesterol checked, eating food (after we got everything checked!), and fellowshipping with our friends from church.
it was a great opportunity to develop deeper relationships and connect with people from church in a more relaxed setting. we even saw George in an athletic suit instead of the full suit, tie, and jacket that he has been wearing every other time i have seen him! outside of church, it is easier to see people’s real personalities shine—to see their passions and gifts that go beyond serving communion and acting as ushers.
after the cancer walk, Haley and i went to south Camden (where a lot of our Urban Promise kids live) and attended the 14th annual Sacred Heart Catholic Church and School’s Street Festival. Sacred Heart is (as you can see) a catholic church that has done more than any other organization or government agency to help better the neighborhood of south Camden. they operate a housing agency that helps Camden residents own their homes as well as refurbishes abandoned homes. they operate a community garden and greenhouse. they are opening a stage theater in the neighborhood and hope to have it open for all of the residents at no (or very little) cost. these things may seem simple, but they are the difference between a neighborhood that brings kids down with drugs and crime and a neighborhood with hope for the future that can give kids a chance for a life above “the street”. sacred heart is helping to build leaders from and in the neighborhood through their investment in the lives of its residents.
at the street festival, we watched some of the elementary school kids (almost all of whom Haley knows since she volunteers at the school in the mornings) perform a dance to honor a teacher that passed away earlier this spring. there was lots of live music, cheap food, t-shirts being made on site and sold for $4, pony rides, sunflower seed planting and painting of flower pots, girl scout sign-ups, face-painting, button-making, and lots of people to talk with and laugh with. no one even noticed the rain that occasionally swept in. a few people had umbrellas, but those that didn’t just kept on enjoying the festival wet or dry. My favorite part of the day was seeing my kids from camp. I love being able to be a part of their neighborhood and seeing them unexpectedly….especially when they give me a hug and are excited to see me too!
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