Partnering With Schools (cont.)
5. Sponsor a teacher.
Get $10 gift cards from Walmart or Target for the school staff. Write a thank-you card for investing in young lives. Letting someone know they are valued, from a community perspective, is huge.
6. Volunteer!
Elementary schools take kids to pumpkin fields, hay rides, and fall festivals. Offering to support them might get your foot in the door for future endeavors.
7. Offer to coach a sport.
Want to truly impact lots of young lives? Then try coaching. It’s God’s beautiful way of giving a small-group leader a whistle when needed. And making kids run laps when they don’t listen!
8. Sponsor a classroom.
As a ministry or church, offer to sponsor a classroom by purchasing items such as hand sanitizer, glue bottles, folders, or classroom snacks.
9. Donate backpacks and school supplies.
Connect with local businesses for a mid-school-year supply drive. That way, kids can finish the year with everything they need.
These are small ways of letting schools, teachers, and students know we value them. But the greatest partnership that ministry leaders can offer schools? Letting teachers and staff know we’re praying for them. We thank God for their amazing impact on students’ lives.
School may be the only place a child hears encouragement from an adult. It also may be the only place they get a warm meal. I used to believe that heroes wore capes. But these days, I’m convinced that anyone who invests in the life of a child is a hero in the purest form.
This article about partnering with schools originally appeared here.
