Appreciation from Thankful Baptist

DEAR EDITOR:

On behalf of Thankful Baptist Church Pastor H. Bernard Young, Out of the Box Ministry’s chairman Lashon Berry and co-chairman Kimberly Brown, we would like to thank John Popham for an awesome job on covering TBC’S Back to School Bash on July 20 as well as our Pack the Van backpack and school supply drive on July 13.

We were extremely happy about the article published on the front page of the newspaper on July 21 that described the success of B2SB. However, the article did not capture all of the blessings received to make this event a hit. TBC’S Out of the Box ministry worked diligently together with community sponsors and we do not want them to go unnoticed. Along with Kellogg, other sponsors included Sweet Frog, Jandy’s, Burger King, Bojangles, Smoothie King, Hot Wings Etc., Rome City Schools, Rome Industrial Cleaning Services, Ameri-group, Brandy Primus of Reflections Hair Salon, Tony Hill of Bubba’s Barbershop, Visio Hair Salon and Barbershop, Kenya Hight, John Wayne Donaldson, Attorney William Byington and Rome High School Principal Dr. Eric Holland. Our youth minister, the Rev. Demaris Smith, hosted our guests, Cleveland Browns’ running back Nick Chubb, who gave words of encouragement to our youth, and EIM Dance Team of Lithonia.

Thankful’s Out of the Box Ministry consists of 14 members that worked tirelessly together to custom build carnival games, as well as transform the Russell Family Life Center into a space that resembled a carnival with free food, games, entertainment and face painting by Skinzartkids of Atlanta. The church also provided most of the book bags and school supplies. Along with the chairman and co-chairman, our ministry includes Julia Russell, Demetria High, Phyllis Lee, Elaine Beeman, Consuelo Saxton, Denise Booth, Rodney Watters, Carlos Spivey, Toni Blanchard, Shauna Ford, Satoya Hartfield, Chanterria Mckeever, Shari Whatley and Charron Woodley. We also had several TBC volunteers who helped make B2SB successful.