Newsletter ~ November 2008 SERVING INNER-CITY YOUTH & FAMILIES IN

THE DOWNTOWN ATLANTA AREA

Interview by Brett Bentley-Desire Street Ministries

Loretta Wilkins is radiant with

enthusiasm. Sitting in a wicker

chair at the kitchen table in her

home on Washington Street in the

shadow of Turner Field, Ms. Loretta

cannot say enough about

Summerhill Community Ministries

and Justina Dix.

Despite her current battle with

cancer, Ms. Loretta excitedly relays

story after story of how SCM has

transformed her neighborhood,

and, more personally, the

incredible impact that the ministry

has had on her family. Her

grandsons, Josh (now 12) and

Jordan (9), have both been

involved with the ministry’s after

school and summer programs, but

Ms. Loretta’s roots with Justina run

deeper than that.

A smile creases her face when she

recounts the first time they met. Ms.

Loretta would ride the bus to school

with Josh, but without any mode of

transportation of her own, she

would have to ask others for a ride

back to her neighborhood. But on

Testimonial - Ms. Loretta Wilkins one fateful morning, it was Justina

rolling down the window, offering

assistance to her. “Ever since that

day, I have felt blessed to call

Justina my friend.”

When Ms. Loretta’s gas and

electricity were in jeopardy of

being shut off, Justina came in to

offer temporary help. When her

grandsons and other children in

her family needed clothes, shoes, a

coat for the winter time…they knew

where to turn. Recently, when Ms.

Loretta learned of her cancer

diagnosis, Justina would routinely

drive her to and from the hospital

and, “she even went into her own

purse one time to help me pay for

some medication. That really meant

a lot to me.”

Ms. Loretta also raved about other

staff members at SCM, Jennifer

(Brumfield-Caraway, formerly with

SCM) and Mr. Phil (Yarberough) in

particular. “My boys loved Mr. Phil.

He’d take them to the movies and

football games. They love that man.

And Jennifer… oh, my! ...that girl

was always going above and

beyond the call.”

When asked what she would like to

say to the staff of Summerhill

Community Ministries, Ms. Loretta

responded without hesitation, “Just

keep doing what y’all are doing.

May the Lord keep you strong –

and keep Ms. Justina on her feet!

“I love you all.”

“Ms. Loretta excitedly relays story after story of how SCM

has transformed her neighborhood…”

Community MinistriesCommunity MinistriesCommunity MinistriesCommunity MinistriesCommunity MinistriesCommunity MinistriesCommunity MinistriesCommunity MinistriesCommunity MinistriesCommunity MinistriesCommunity MinistriesCommunity Ministries

The playground has been refurbished and now

needs certified “Play Safe” wood chips. The

chips need to be in before the kids come.

The cost is $600 to purchase the chips. If you

would like to designate a gift to help (even $10),

please write “wood chips” in the memo section of

your check to Summerhill.

Jordon at last year’s Wrapping Party

After School Program Move-In Target Date December 1st

The target date for the After School Program to

start using the Mission House is December 1st.

Summerhill Community Ministries, Inc. November 2008 ~ Page 2

This winter season, the Summerhill

Community kids are participating

in a “Hats for the Homeless” Drive.

While driving around the city of

Atlanta, especially downtown,

Justina noticed many homeless and

needy people that were walking

the cold streets with no covering.

After receiving a donation of coats

from the Hall Family of Redemption

Fellowship, she looked for some of

these people that she had seen and

gave them a coat. They were so

happy to have something to help

keep them keep warm. Justina

wished she had hats and scarves to

give.

This year our after school program

children and teens are going to

give a gift to the community. They

will earn or save a dollar, to

purchase a “skull cap” from Wal-

mart for a homeless person. The

teens will deliver these hats to the

homeless and needy women,

children, and men throughout the

city.

Will you please join us and donate

a hat, scarf or a pair of gloves to

support our “Hats for the

Homeless” project? If your church

or group would like to collect these

items, SCM staff would be more

than glad to pick them up if you are

in driving distance. Please mail

other donations to SCM, P.O. Box

160294, Atlanta, GA 30316, or 275

South Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30315.

Hats for the Homeless

Our website has a new look! Thank you Chanelle Henry!

www.summerhillcm.com

A Note From Justina

As we celebrate the greatest gift ever given, would you

consider doing three important things to sustain this

ministry?

• We desperately need your continual prayer support.

• Consider a special year-end gift. Your gift will help to

fund our after-school program, summer camp and job

training program . By contributing you are helping to

address needs and improve lives throughout our entire

community.

• Present Summerhill Community Ministries to your

church. We have many volunteer needs and would love

to welcome you for a day or a summer to get to know

the people in our community

I would love to talk to you about Summerhill and how

you and your church can partner with us in the coming

year. Please contact me. Thank you for prayerfully

supporting the important work we do here. May God

richly bless you this holiday season and in the coming year.

Sincerely,

Justina Dix

Executive Director

soli deo gloria

“This year our ASP children & teens are going to give a gift to

the community.”

P. O. Box 160294 • Atlanta, Georgia 30316 • 404-964-4604 • justinascm@juno.com • http:\\www.summerhil lcm.com

November 2008 ~ Page 3

Congratulations Jennifer and Joe on

your recent marriage. Many

people still ask Justina about our

long time faithful Summerhill friend

Jennifer (Ms. Wilkins mentions her

in the first article of this

newsletter.) Justina and part of the

family traveled to North Carolina to

see this very dear friend and

ministry partner - then, Jennifer

Brumfield, and now Jennifer

Caraway - get married. It was a

very special, sweet, and spiritual

ceremony filled with promise and

much prayer as these two joined

themselves in holy matrimony.

Congratulations!

Our Jennifer Marries!

Interview by Brett Bentley-Desire Street Ministries

When Ms. Pamela first opened the

door of her apartment on Fern

Avenue located just a few blocks

from Grant Park, she looked at me

warily. But the moment I introduced

myself and (more importantly)

mentioned my association with

Summerhill Community Ministries,

the wary look was gone in a flash

and replaced by a warm smile and

a pleasant welcome.

Ms. Pamela was quiet at the

beginning of our conversation, but

once we started talking about SCM,

she was certainly not at a loss for

words. Her nine

year old twins,

Jaylen and

Jayden, have

been in both the

after school and

summer

programs for

three years now,

and her five year

old, Niqua, just

recently joined.

Ms. Pamela went

on and on with her praise for SCM -

she appreciates the staff assisting

her kids with their daily homework,

loves how they have Bible study

lessons every day, and the

emphasis the program places on

the power of prayer. Ms. Pamela

told me, “My boy Niqua came

home last week telling me how Ms.

Justina said that ‘I am the light of

the world!’ … I love that my

children are in that environment.”

I asked Ms. Pamela if she had any

specific memorable moments that

have come with being a part of this

ministry.

Testimonial - Ms. Pamela Burke “Everyday is a memorable

moment. To know that my kids are

with Justina and the people there at

SCM – that they’re safe and warm,

getting better with their

schoolwork, and having fun… that

means everything to me. To see the

smiles on their faces as they come

through the door at the end of the

day and to hear the stories from

their afternoon – that’s my

memorable moment”

Jaylen showing off a school project.

Jayden with volunteer Tracy Bunch

Niqua with airplane.

Jeremy, Justina, Joe & Jennifer Caraway, Ashley & Justin

November 2008 ~ Page 4 Summerhill Community Ministries, Inc.

P. O. Box 160294 • Atlanta, Georgia 30316 • 404-964-4604 • justinascm@juno.com • http:\\www.summerhil lcm.com

If you would like to help make one

of our “Christmas Stars” shine a

little brighter this Christmas,

please sponsor a child, teen or

college student. You may request a

“star” by calling, emailing, or by

first class mail.

As we approach the “wrapping

party” on December 18th, the kids

will be doing extra chores around

the house, at school, and

throughout the community in order

to earn “Christmas Bucks.” An

adult will sign a form to show that

the child has completed a task, and

then those Christmas bucks will be

exchanged for the gift they want to

give to a loved one, and they will

receive 2 for themselves.

It is encouraging to see a group of

young people excited about

serving and giving to others during

a season in which they are

generally focused on just

themselves.

Sponsor a “Star” for Christmas!

Sponsor a Summerhill “Star” for Christmas!

Name __________________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________

City: _________________________ State: _______ Zip: ______________

Phone: _______________________________________________________

Email: ________________________________________________________

Yes, I would like to sponsor a child for Christmas. Please send me a child’s Christmas list via: ____ via email

____ via telephone

____ via first class mail

____ I choose not to purchase gifts, but am sending a

donation to cover the cost of gifts for a child.

We will forward to you an index card written by one of the children with the 3 gift wishes. After purchasing the gifts, please return them to a SCM’s representative by Sunday December 14th. Please put the gifts in a bag with the child’s name on it. If finding time to shop is an issue, feel free to send a donation to cover the cost of the gifts for a child. All donations are tax deductible.

We would love to have your help!

If you choose to sponsor a child,

you will receive a card written by

one of the children with three gift

wishes. We ask that you purchase

the gifts and turn them in to a SCM

representative by Sunday,

December 14th. Please put the

gifts in a bag with the child’s name

on it. If you don’t have time to

shop, feel free to send a donation to

cover the cost of the gifts for a

child. Remember that all donations

are tax deductible.