Arts

Arts Camp

ARTS CAMP

by Mikya Wright, Children Ministry Apprentice




	“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalms 139:14.


That was the theme of this year's Arts Camp because we believe wholeheartedly that every child is fearfully and wonderfully made! The Lord is faithful as always, and that was shown time and time again during our Arts Camp last week.

This past Monday through Thursday our building was so full of excitement and laughter! We welcomed over 100 kids through our doors, and over 20 volunteers helped pull this huge event together. I am beyond grateful for the generosity and the love shown by our amazing volunteers who took time out of their super busy schedules to come serve with us! We had awesome community presenters come and share with the kids about the different arts. We had Caroline from Epic Clay Studio share about pottery, and Liz from UMKC came and played the flute for the kids, and even made up a song with their help!

We had 11 classes - arts & crafts, crochet, jewelry, sports, keyboard, guitar, keyboard, dance, theater, cooking, and candlemaking. The kids had a blast learning new skills and developing friendships with other students and teachers! On top of all the fun, the week went so smoothly and everyone stayed safe, which is just as important to us as the fun times. On the last day, we had a water party to celebrate! We had two waterslides, a dunk tank, face painting, lots of food, and a huge water balloon fight to end the week!

I want to say a huge, huge thank you to Carla Garcia, Patrique Harris, Erick Flores, and the interns! Carla and I have been planning Arts Camp 2024 since last year, and I truly would not have been able to lead last week without all of her guidance and support. She has been the best mentor and supervisor that I could have ever asked for, and she has empowered me to be the best version of myself.

Patrique has also been one of my mentors since I did the summer internship three years ago! She supported me so much during camp, as she does every day! And, she taught her dance class the Wacky Dip which was so fun to watch. I have known Erick for a while because we both went to the Teens Program back in the day! He started working as an apprentice a few weeks ago, so we have partnered very closely with the interns leading various programs. He was a fantastic co-leader! Even though this was his first Arts Camp, he dove right in and didn’t hesitate to do what needed to be done. He goes above and beyond for the kids here at MA, and I can already tell how deeply he cares for each of the kids here.

Lastly, thank you to our amazing summer interns, Eli, Sonia, Unisha, and Keziah! They got to camp early and stayed late, and they went the extra mile the whole week to make everything go as smoothly and as fun as possible. It has been a full summer for them, but they never cease to show up with the most energy in the room, ready to serve our community! Carla, Patrique, Erick, and the interns - I love you all so dearly and am overwhelmed by how much you all mean to me!

I think it is safe to say that Arts Camp 2024 was a success! As I was walking a few kids home after the first day, I asked them how their day was, and the 6-year-old boy, whose family just moved to KC as refugees said, “It. was. perfect.” And I can’t help but agree! Thank you to all the kids, volunteers, and staff for making Arts Camp perfect!!

BE PART OF OUR PROGRAMS!

 We are so excited for everything that is happening in our programs and we are grateful for all our volunteers who make everything possible. Would you consider partnering with us next trimester?

How can you help?

  • Pray for our program participants would create an impact in our community and grow with their walk with the Lord.

  • Volunteer – Come to our volunteer Orientation. For more information visit: http://www.missionadelante.org/serve

  • Donate to join us in building a multicultural community of disciples making disciples.

Two Amazing Brother and Volunteers - The Pollock Brothers

Two Amazing Brother and Volunteers - The Pollock Brothers

by Carla Flores, Kids Ministry Director

All siblings are different from each other, and they share similarities too. Personally, I get the blessing to be the oldest sister to my two younger brothers. Each of us is very different from one another - I enjoy spending time outside, hiking, and enjoying nature. My middle brother, Diego, enjoys video games and watching anime. My youngest brother, Erick, enjoys playing soccer and the violin during his free time. But we also have many similarities like we all have the same sense of humor, love our mom’s mole, and enjoy watching action movies. 

During my time here at Mission Adelante, I have met many families with siblings just like mine that have different personalities but might share a few similar interests. A pair of brothers that always come to mind are the Pollock brothers. Andrew and Michael Pollock have been a part of the Mission Adelante family for as long as I can remember. In fact, when I think about Mission Adelante, I think about them. These brothers just like any other siblings have distinct personalities, interests, and hobbies. But they share one big similarity that impacts everyone who walks through our building: they love our community and are eager to serve and share life with people from all places. 

Andrew Pollock has been a part of Mission Adelante since 2009. He has volunteered in many of our programs and has supported Mission Adelante through many projects. Currently, Andrew serves in Adelante Arts Community and has been leading Arts and Crafts class. If you know Andrew, you know he is creative and God has blessed him with amazing artistic abilities. This year, he has been a big help with our hallway expansion project and is often seen in our building fixing or adding new things like shelves. His daughters are part of our programs and you can tell they share dad’s trait of having a servant’s heart. Thank you Andrew for all you do for our community! 

Michael Pollock has been a part of Mission Adelante since 2010. He has served in a multitude of our kids and youth programs and he is a natural leader. Michael is someone you can always count on to help with any task! Currently, he serves in Youth Club and Leaders in Training. He is a blessing to me personally since I have known and been mentored by Michael since I was 15 years old. My favorite thing about Michael is how genuine and authentic he is with his faith. He taught me what it means to be a true follower of Jesus and he inspires me to continue pressing into those questions and doubts. Thank you Michael for always being someone I can count on and loving our community so well! 

These brothers are different and similar just like any other siblings. Their gifts and talents are a blessing to our building and everyone who walks through our doors. From the bottom of my heart, thank you both for your generosity, kindness, and friendship. I pray you and your families are blessed greatly and know that as much as you love our community, our community loves you too! 

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES?

VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION

Join our team of volunteers for the summer trimester and be part of "loving people from all places." Attend our volunteer orientation on May 20th and find your place serving kids, youth, or adults in the immigrant community in KCK

For more information about volunteer opportunities visit www.missionadelante.org/orientation

Be part of our programs!

 We are so excited to start this year and we are grateful for all our volunteers who make everything possible. Would you consider partnering with us this trimester?

How can you help?

  • Pray for our program participants would create an impact in our community and grow with their walk with the Lord.

  • Volunteer – Come to our volunteer Orientation. For more information visit: http://www.missionadelante.org/serve

  • Donate to join us in building a multicultural community of disciples making disciples.

SUMMER 2023

SUMMER 2023

by Carla Flores, Kids Ministry Director

The year is flying by and I can't believe it is already time to start thinking about Arts Camp 2023 and backpack week!
Last year, Ashley Delgado, our past apprentice, and I were blessed to host over 90 kids for an entire week during Arts Camp 2022. Volunteers from all over the metro area came together to help this awesome event come together. Amazing churches like Christ Community Downtown and Hillcrest Covenant supported us with supplies, volunteers, and food for our students to have breakfast and lunch.

This May, we will have Mikya Wright join us as a new apprentice and begin planning for this year’s camp! Together, we are hoping to reach our goal of hosting 100 kids from our community this summer. 

Every year as the school year is set to begin, we have the opportunity to provide backpacks filled with school supplies for our students. This helps them begin the new school year off on the right foot. Bible study groups, local churches, and generous people from all places gather to put these backpacks together for our kids. Our kids join us for the last week of summer program and are able to pick out an awesome backpack that same week! 

There are a few ways you can join in on this summer’s fun: 

  1. Join us for Arts Camp 2023! Anyone age 13 and up can join us as volunteers and help either lead/co-lead an arts class, set up classrooms, and prepare meals. Fill out this form if you're interested: https://missionadelante.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/126/responses/new 

  2. Help us prepare backpacks for this summer’s event! This is a great opportunity for a group to come together and support our community. We are in need of girls’ elementary backpacks, here’s a link to get started: http://www.missionadelante.org/serviceprojects/backpacks

  3. Join us in prayer! The summer is our busiest, most fun time at Mission Adelante. Youth from our community fill our building with life and vibrancy.
    Pray for our students to enjoy their time with us, grow in their faith and leadership skills, and make lifetime long friends. Pray for our leaders to be filled with energy to teach and guide our students, to stay healthy during such a busy time, and for God to continue working through them.

Be part of our programs!

 We are so excited to start this year and we are grateful for all our volunteers who make everything possible. Would you consider partnering with us this trimester?

How can you help?

  • Pray for our program participants would create an impact in our community and grow with their walk with the Lord.

  • Volunteer – Come to our volunteer Orientation. For more information visit: http://www.missionadelante.org/serve

  • Donate to join us in building a multicultural community of disciples making disciples.

Arts Camp 2019

P1020383 (1).JPG

Written by Sara Forsythe, Arts Community Volunteer

This year we held our third annual summer Arts Camp at Mission Adelante! Since 2017, Christ Community Church and Mission Adelante have partnered together to offer a week-long arts camp to equip and encourage young artists in the Mission Adelante community. Our theme this year was Created to do Good Works, which is based on Ephesians 2:10: , “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” This year we had over 35 campers participate in our camp, and we had a blast being creative together. Here are three things that made me smile during our week of camp: 

Watching the apprentices and interns take the lead: The apprentices and summer interns at Mission Adelante were a vital part of the Arts Camp this year and we could not have done it without them! Phul Maya Rasaily leads Adelante Arts Community during the year, and she stepped up and took on the role of running things during camp week! She was AMAZING. The other apprentices and interns helped our teachers during class time, they helped set up and tear down every day, and they were in charge of games and recreation. 

Seeing the campers get to know each other: We had a few different cultures represented at the camp this year, and several of the campers did not know each other. At the beginning of the week they were all fairly shy, but by the end of the week we could see a difference. They were talking to each other, laughing, and creating together. It is fun to get to know people who are different than you!

Our exceptional volunteers: One of my favorite things to do was walk through the building and watch our volunteers in action. Our sewing teachers would load up a wagon with all their sewing equipment each day and pull it to their classroom. Our videography/photography teacher had photos on the wall in his classroom. Our theater teacher always had fun notes on her whiteboard. The improv teacher had her kids make the funniest faces! Our food team fed us breakfast and lunch every day. Seriously, these volunteers are the best!

This year’s camp was awesome and filled with creativity! We will be hosting another Arts Camp next summer. I invite you to come join us next year and experience it for yourself!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

  • Love running? Want to support local non-profits? Join us on September 7, 2019 for Dream KCK 5K Race! Your registration fee and any additional donations support Mission Adelante and/or Second Wind. Register here: https://runsignup.com/Race/KS/KansasCity/DreamKCK

  • We will be hosting a New Volunteer Orientation on Saturday, September 14th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. If you are interested in volunteering with kids, youth, arts and music, adult ESL, or citizenship classes, this is a great opportunity to jump in the fall trimester (September 16 - December 5). Sign up for the registration here: http://www.missionadelante.org/orientation

CURRENT NEEDS:

  • Do you have a heart for kids? Do you want to make a difference in a kid's life? Mission Adelante's Multicultural Leaders In Training (LIT) program needs volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website at www.missionadelante.org/kids

  • Thinking about decluttering your house before fall? Adelante Thrift is in need of gently used items in all departments: Men's, Women's, and Children's Clothing, Housewares, Electronics, and Furniture. Adelante Thrift is located at 3720 State Ave KC KS 66102.