Who Doesn't Love Field Trips!?

We have had a blast at our first two field trips of the semester! Swimming, water polo, laser tag, arcade games, and so much more!

Before Spring Break, we went all the way to the Pendleton Heights High School Pool! ;) Who says you have to travel a long way to have a great time?? Despite the frigid and windy day outside, we had an awesome time at the indoor POOL PARTY! Kids were swimming up and down the lap pool, playing an intense game of water polo, floating on inner tubes, and doing wild and crazy animal-inspired jumps off the diving boards. Haha. One of our volunteer leaders - Isaac - even made up a new game with a bunch of the kids, a beach ball, and splashing each other. They were at it for almost the entire field trip! Another volunteer leader - Matt - was holding contests with the kids to see who could retrieve the diving sticks the fastest, who could get the most of them, and so on. That peaked the competitive side in some! My personal favorite was watching the kids (and participating some) in the animal jumps and dives in the diving well. People watching shout out an animal as you go down the diving board, then when you jump you have to act like that animal.



Our second field trip of the Spring Semester was this past Saturday We went to INCREDIPLEX! (in Indianapolis). Where there's "10 acres of fun under one roof!" We played rousing games of laser tag, racked up the tickets at the arcade - each kid received $10 free for the arcade -, and went wild in the bounce houses and extreme jungle gym! With all that energy that was burned, we had to refuel... so we filled up on a delicious pizza lunch! The kids were so excited to pick out prizes with the tickets they had won in the arcade and of course were racing out of the laser tag arena to see which team - Red or Blue - came out victorious. One kid - Quinten - even got me a prize with his tickets. Another kid - Akshdeep - was sharing the candy he was so excited about with us leaders. When he had given away some of his candy, and what candy he had left then went missing, another kid - Shane - stepped in and gave him more than he had lost from his own stash. What sweet and thoughtful kids we have!!




Field trips are such a huge part of our program. It may seem like we're just entertaining the kids and having fun, but there is so much more to it than that. We love to give the kids opportunities that they may not have otherwise while also having them earn these opportunities through good behavior, coming to program and participating in all aspects, and striving to grow academically. It's a fun release and a wonderful way to bond with the kids. And we all know that bonding with the kids leads to deeper relationships and growth in different areas in their lives. So tell me... who doesn't love field trips!?

Big Things!

Big things are happening!

1.  Summer Camp registration is opening TODAY! This summer send your child to "Enter the Danger" and learn to walk with Christ, face life challenges, be lights in a world of darkness, and become conquerors for our Savior! Register at our website - imagineif.us. We are still in dire need for scholarship sponsors for many of our kids to have a chance to experience this unforgettable, life-changing summer. Please contact Nanci [nanci@imagineif.us] or Esta [esta@imagineif.us] for details or to give. You can donate/sponsor on our website - imagineif.us. Thank you in advance for your support! Whether $5, $50, or $500... it all makes a huge difference!
2.  Spring Program is going strong! If you aren't a part of it yet, then get to the program nearest you.

• East Elementary (4th-6th grade) meets at Fall Creek Christian Church (ride from school provided at car riders area) from 3:20-6:00pm. -- This program is led by Nanci Custer [nanci@imagineif.us]
• Pendleton Elementary (4th grade), Pendleton Elementary Intermediate (5th-6th grade), and Maple Ridge (4th-6th grade) meet at Pendleton Elementary Intermediate in the Auxiliary Gym from 3:20pm-6:00pm -- This program is led by Katie Torrence [katie@imagineif.us] and Elliott Bramley [elliott@imagineif.us]
• Pendleton Heights Middle School (7th-8th grade) meet at PHMS in the Auxiliary Gym from 2:25pm-5:00pm -- This program is led by Esta Henderson [esta@imagineif.us]
• Pendleton Heights High School volunteers are greatly appreciated and super beneficial at each of our programs. If interested in volunteering one or more days a week please contact Katie [katie@imagineif.us]

3.  The Great Snack Stack is in full swing! We have successfully kicked of the Imagine If Snack Stack [#iiSnackStack] campaign. Our first generous host was Pendleton Christian Church, which was quite a success! Now the bin has moved to Pendleton First United Methodist Church [located on W. State Street in Pendleton]. Nanci and I [Esta] had such a warm welcome there on March 23rd as we introduced ourselves, the Imagine If program, and The Great Snack Stack to the congregation. Our church families are so awesome! It is incredible to see those connections and relationships growing :)

4.  We are excited to announce that we will be participating in the Highway 38 Sale again this May! The sale is May 2nd-3rd. We are still looking for a yard, driveway, or garage [preferably smack dab in town on Highway 38] to host our sale. We are also accepting donations for items to sell -- furniture, clothes, toys, dishes, electronics, odds & ends, etc. As always, we love our volunteers, so if you are available the weekend of the sale, please join us in selling items to raise money for our after school and summer programs. 100% of the proceeds go to benefiting IMAGINE IF! Contact Esta for details, donations, volunteering, or encouragement [esta@imagineif.us]

5.  The BIGGEST news of all -- nearly 100 kids have accepted Christ through our programs, praying with our leaders, or making the choice on their own and sharing it with us. God is moving and He is doing incredible things through these kids, in their lives, in their schools, and in their homes. We'd love for you to be a part of this joyous movement! Visit our website to find out how you can help - imagineif.us. If you'd like to volunteer your time contact Katie [katie@imagineif.us].

Thank you so much for all your time, effort, giving, and continuous support! We love you all so much, and I can't begin to explain to you all the countless ways you have blessed us as a program and individually.