Imagine if your financial contribution had the potential to fuel the next transformative idea within our community. Over the past few years, Arapaho UMC has harnessed the impact of North Texas Giving Day as a platform for inaugurating fresh ministries. This time around, every donation received by AUMC will directly enhance our capacity to engage with and embolden novel ministries within our faith community. As we step into 2023, our aspirations involve both the expansion of an emerging ministry and the exciting launch of an entirely new initiative. Your support can make these visions a vibrant reality.
The story of the Childs' family deeply resonated with many of us. We joined in prayer, provided nourishing meals, adorned our trees with orange ribbons, and shed tears alongside our beloved friends and community members. In honor of Luke's inspiring approach to life, his parents, Derek and Beth, have initiated the Live Like Luke fund. This fund aims not to remove the weight of cancer-related challenges from families, but rather to alleviate some of it through financial assistance.
Last year, we successfully rallied funds to back the appointment of a ministry coordinator, Sarah Ewalt. As we look into 2024, our commitment to supporting Live Like Luke remains steadfast. This ministry's momentum is growing, and we are eager to contribute to its continued success.
We are thrilled to unveil a new initiative slated for launch in 2023 - Open Mesa. The core objective of the Open Mesa program is to nurture the growth and well-being of families with young children by fostering a sense of community through shared meals and engaging monthly activities. Our aim is to cultivate strong connections among the residents of La Mirada, an apartment complex situated near the intersection of Spring Valley Road and Coit Road in Richardson, Texas. Many of these families have children attending Dobie Pre-k.
Thanks to an initial grant of $4,000 from the North Texas Conference of the UMC, we've taken the first steps in bringing this vision to life. However, we're now turning to the generosity of supporters on North Texas Giving Day to help us secure the resources needed to appoint a dedicated ministry coordinator. This coordinator will play a pivotal role in further establishing a sense of community and belonging for the families of La Mirada and Dobie Pre-k, amplifying the positive impact of the Open Mesa ministry.
So what will the gifts from North Texas Giving Support?
For both of these undertakings, our goal is to appoint a ministry coordinator and provide a stipend for their dedicated efforts. In the case of Live Like Luke, we are pleased to announce that Sarah Ewalt will continue in this capacity. Under her guidance, this ministry has experienced remarkable growth. Sarah played a pivotal role in forming a functional leadership board and played a key role in orchestrating the inaugural fundraiser, which successfully generated over $20,000.
Turning to Open Mesa, we are excited to introduce Adriana Hire as our newly designated ministry coordinator. Adriana has already been actively engaged in a leadership capacity, generously volunteering her time to help lay the groundwork for this initiative. As we look ahead, her involvement is set to play a significant role in the continued development and success of Open Mesa.
What are our North Texas Day giving goals?
The overall goal is to raise $25,000. We are aiming to find early donors for us to reach an initial goal of $12,500. These gifts will become matching gifts and allow our community to give towards an additional $12,500 with hopes of going over our goal on North Texas Giving Day on September 21, 2023.