The 8th Grade girls small group spent Saturday, June 4th at Lake Eola with the Make ‘m Smile Buddy Walk for Nathaniel’s Hope. Make ‘m Smile is a community festival that celebrates kids with special needs and their families. The girls participated in a Buddy Stroll where these families are “buddied up” with people from around the community for a walk around Lake Eola.

Group leader Jessica Reynolds: “We arrived at 7:30am and registered to become ‘buddies.’ We were assigned a family composed of a grandmother, her grandson and his cousin — both boys were about 12 or 13 years old. We didn’t ask about a diagnosis because that wasn’t what the day was about — it was one day that was all about them being a kid! Then we spent the morning walking around Lake Eola with our VIP family, participating in worship at the amphitheater, enjoying a butterfly release in honor of kids with special needs who have passed away, and picnicking with the family.”

Each GraceStudents small group (all 9 of them) is encouraged to develop and participate in a service project this summer. It’s just one way we’re encouraging students to “exist everyday to demonstrate God’s love to a broken world.”

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Hebrews 13:16