Newsletter ~ December 2009SERVING INNER-CITY YOUTH & FAMILIES IN

THE DOWNTOWN ATLANTA AREA

SummerhillSummerhillSummerhillCommunity MinistriesCommunity MinistriesCommunity Ministries

When Robbie Burlas asked me if I thought a cooking program would be beneficial for the kids, I had no idea how much this cooking class would impact our kids. Robbie is the president of The Georgia Coalition for Physical Activity and Nutrition (GPAN) which is associated with Operation Frontline, an organization which teaches kids and families to cook healthy meals at a low cost.

Robbie introduced me to several other key people from Operation Frontline and we began to make preparations to bring this 6 week program to Summerhill.

Our kids were so excited to meet Chef Lynn and Chef DaDa. They grew very fond of the nutritionist, Marcia Rafig, who taught them healthy eating and safe food practices. It was amazing to see the

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Healthy Cooking at Summerhill

Merry Christmas from Summerhill

Summerhill Community Ministries, Inc.December 2009 ~ Page 2

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

kids eager to cut up carrots, bell peppers, onions and fresh garlic as they prepared these delicious, healthy and tasty meals. They learned how to safely handle and cut with knives. They were introduced to new tastes in seasonings, vegetables and fruits. They used electric skillets and hot plates to prepare these meals. The kids prepared turkey vegetable chili, stovetop macaroni and cheese with broccoli, banana pancakes, yogurt parfaits, vegetable pizza, fruit kebabs, and much more!

One special moment for me involved Jordan, an 11 year old boy who has been with us since age 5. I looked into the kitchen during one class and watched Jordan sautéing vegetables for a stir fry recipe. He was very intense as he carefully tossed the veggies around in the pan, making sure all were covered with the olive oil. I knew that this was a child who would go home and cook this meal for his grandmother, who is suffering from cancer.

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Over the years, the cancer has at times been so painful that grandma could not cook anything herself for the two of them. There was often no food to cook, so we would buy groceries for them. It is very normal for Jordan to warm cans of soup and fix frozen meals for grandma and him. This cooking class soon became one of the highlights for Jordan in the after school program. He couldn’t wait to assist Chef Lynn with the prep work, so he would get straight to his homework when he arrived at the center.

A wonderful thing about this cooking and nutrition program is that the older kids get a bag of groceries at the end of the class so that they can prepare the same meal for their families at home. Jordan was able to cook these healthy meals at home. Grandma told me that they cooked some of them together and how tasty they were!

Operation Frontline brought more than I expected to Summerhill and we are thankful to Dr. Calloway and

“… the older kids get a bag of groceries at the end of the class, so

that they can prepare the same meal

for their families at home.”

Karen Kierath of GPAN for bringing this wonderful, informative cooking program to the kids of Summerhill!

Justina DixExecutive Director

December 2009 ~ Page 3

Dear Summerhill Friend,

When Jay first came to Summerhill at age 9, he was one of 4 siblings in a single-parent home, uncoordinated and awkward. He took advantage of Summerhill's encouragement to work hard in school, and he mastered the skills taught through Summerhill basketball teams, learning a lot about character along the way. He has been a part of our job training program for the last 4 years. Jay worked hard and overcame many temptations that ensnared his friends. He graduated with honors from high school and received a basketball scholarship to college. Jay is now a sophomore math major at Allen University in Columbia, SC and won A.I.I. Male Freshman Player of the Year honors in NAIA Men’s Division 1 basketball last year.

I tell you Jay's story because it is due to your generosity to Summerhill Community Ministries that we are able to help him and countless others like him. Our mission is to reach Atlanta's inner city youth and families for Christ and we seek to accomplish our mission by providing opportunities for personal, academic, spiritual, family and community improvement. Like Jay, the young boys and girls from the inner-city of Atlanta, GA are daring to dream about going to college and getting a good job.

I so wish I could tell you that every story has a happy ending like Jay's, but for every child we are able to reach there are many more that we can't. This is why your generous gifts are so important.

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, and 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 for the after school program and summer camp. We would love to welcome you for a day or a summer to get to know the people in our community.

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 DixExecutive Director

Summerhill Community MinistriesP.O. Box 160294Atlanta, Georgia 30316www.summerhillcm.com

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