Chick-fil-a christmas dinner 2024
What a FUN NIGHT! We had so much fun serving these teens tonight! Chick-fil-a, Christmas Tree Cakes, Sparkling Cider, and PRESENTS! A room filled with JOY. Teens were welcomed into a room decorated with lovely tables and candle-lit dinner. They remained seated as our volunteers served them their meals, drinks, and desserts. Then we passed out gifts for everyone! Each box contained fun novelty items for the teens to enjoy together. One item that was included was a retro WWJD bracelet (what would Jesus do).
Our goal for this event was to allow the teens to be served by us with no expectations from them whatsoever. We spent time talking with teens at each table and were able to encourage them. There was a lot of laughing, and a lot of fun!
Thanks to Marcy Pettyjohn for donating all the little paper ”crackers”, and to St. Paul’s UMC for the use of your Family Life Center!
The PvilleYI Very Merry Chick-Fil-A Christmas Dinner
On December 20th, 2022, PvilleYI hosted the Very Merry Chick-Fil-A Christmas Dinner! Middle and High School students were invited to attend. The event was held at Fairview Christian Church and catered by Chick-Fil-A. Teens were welcomed with festive tables and a small stocking filled with candy and fun items. Marcy Pettyjohn sewed each little stocking and donated them. The teens loved them!
It was a very fun night and everyone left with full tummies and a lot of great memories.
Christmas Party Drop-In at Smokey Row
On December 23rd, 2021, we set up at Smokey Row for a couple of hours so teens could stop in and get a treat and a gift from us! We had cookies, hot chocolate, and of course a gift bag full of fun small gifts for each teen who dropped in. It was a lot of fun! HUGE thank you to Smokey Row for donating Hot Chocolate and allowing us to use their awesome facility! WE LOVE SMOKEY ROW!
5th and 6th Grade Christmas Gifts 2019
On Monday, December 16th, our team delivered 100 small gifts to our 5th and 6th graders at Pleasantville Elementary. It is so important to us that kids this age know we care about them, and that we are looking forward to hosting events for them when they are in middle school.
Each gift contained some candy, a bracelet, a sticker, and a small faux diamond. This little gem was to serve as a reminder that they are unique and full of purpose. The boxes also contained a special note of encouragement, which you can see and read below!
We hope this small gesture made kids feel special and loved!
Christmas Party 2019
Hot Chocolate, popcorn, music, and gifts? What more could a kid ask for! On December 14th, 2019 we hosted our first ever Christmas party for 7th-12th graders. It was a blast!
This event was different than events we have done in the past. Rather than just being a hang out night, this event brought the kids center-stage for a series of fun activities including a Christmas Tree making contest, a lip sync battle, and a Christmas Q&A.
The highlight of the night for PvilleYI volunteers was handing out a gift to every kid. Everyone got the same thing: a brown box containing gummy bears, takis (chips), a PvilleYI bracelet, a PvilleYI decal sticker that says “Every Person Matters”, a few pieces of candy, a candy cane, a pack of gum, and a really cozy pair of LazyOne Christmas Socks! Every gift was wrapped and a bow was placed on top. Why go to all the trouble to wrap all these presents? Because unwrapping gifts is SO much fun!
Ultimately our goal behind giving each kid a gift is simple: They matter to us. And when people matter to you, you go the extra mile and show them that you care in tangible ways. God gives to us in such a lavish way. We didn’t really need the color purple, but He gave it to us anyway. We didn’t really need a singing bird outside our window, but He gave it to us anyway. These kids might not need these gifts in the same way that they need their survival needs met. But we gave them to them anyway. Because good gifts make life special, worth enjoying, just like a C chord or a chocolate chip cookie. It’s a small way to bring joy. And small things add up.
The youth surprised us all by counting to three and in a unified voice expressing thanks.
On Christmas God gave us the most beautiful gift of all: His Son, Jesus, the Prince of Peace. And we want to love the way He does!
Merry Christmas!
