It was a great day at Forest Park Christian Church in Tulsa as we hosted our first ever Backpack Giveaway.  After determining last year during a discernment process that children and youth are a top priority for our congregation, we tried to find ways to serve that population both in our own congregation and in the community.  After deciding to host this event, we contacted James Mission in Tulsa and they agreed to advertise with their clients in addition to our public advertising.  About 90 members of our congregation volunteered at the event including many of our own youth.

During the event, children received a backpack and then went to various stations to receive supplies such as pencils, pens, rulers, erasers, notebook paper, folders, binders and Kleenex.  Once they had filled their backpack, there was face painting and tattoos, balloons, live music, popcorn, ice pops and a lunch of hot dogs, chips and a cookie for everyone.  In total, we passed out all 300 of our backpacks today and another 125 children were put on a list to receive their backpack and supplies next week.  The event was a lot of fun and the church was very excited about being able to give back to the community. Having the opportunity to assist children and youth in the community around us is a great feeling!