The Apostolic Christian Church of Tremont opens the eyes of its children the joy of sharing their blessings at an early age. From the young preschoolers to the older bunch of high school seniors, everyone in the church's Sunday School took part in contributing to the month-long collection.
As announced ahead of the 2015 holiday season, the joint effort of the children would benefit the Journal Star Christmas Fund which has been serving central Illinois for 104 years.
Dale Koch, one of the instructors and the treasurer of the Sunday School said that they chose an organization that directly benefits residents of the said area. Each year, the organization gives out over 5,000 food baskets and 1,700 toy-stuffed stockings for families who live in Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford and Fulton counties.
From the small coins of the preschool kids to the $20 bills of the high schoolers, the children of the Sunday School raised $1,100 which arrived in late January and will go toward the 2016 goal of raising $155,000. Parents also participate by giving checks, but the fund raised was largely from the children.
The Sunday School wanted the children to be aware of how their donations can help their less fortunate neighbors, so they tied the meaning of the donation to the lessons preached in classes every Sunday. The children were also taught that although offering money is helpful, it is not enough.
"Their prayers are just as - if not more - important than the money they're giving," Koch said.
Individuals interested to join the effort of raising $155,000 may mail their donations to Christmas Fund, P.O. Box 1549, Peoria, IL 61655, or online via Visa and MasterCard at www.christmasfunddonation.com.
Those who want to request a Christmas basket may submit their letters by Dec. 12. The letter must contain the reason there is a need for the basket, the number of people in the household as well as their name and ages, address, and contact information. This can be mailed to Christmas Basket, Journal Star, 1 News Plaza, Peoria, IL 61643, or sent to pjordan@pjstar.com.
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