News & Notes: January 2018

CAC Friends, THANK YOU! The impact of your support and giving in 2017 was astounding. As staff we get to see it, live it - in the richness of experience that surrounds our children each and every day. The light, laughter, and learning; their immersion in faith, hope, and love is your gift to them through all the ways you give. Thank you! God has done big things, and we believe there is more God wants to accomplish here through our collective prayers and effort. The best days are still in front of us! Kingdom Rising! Chet

Stay connected with our News & Notes blog! Recently we launched a new blog, "News and Notes", where you can stay connected throughout the year with what is happening at CAC! Not only will you find previous versions of our monthly newsletter, but we will also share special stories about our kids and reports on major events around the center! Click here to read more!

Thanks to your generosity, our kids had an amazing Christmas! Each year many of you support our efforts to bring Christmas to our CAC kids, and this year was no exception. Thanks to your generosity, we helped more than 550 children wake up to an exciting Christmas morning! Even though CAC experienced a small fire while children's gifts were being held in the building, God had a plan for all of those gifts to remain untouched by the fire and water damage. As 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

We're looking for volunteers! As the saying goes, "it takes a village." That couldn't be more true in the work that we do to transform the lives of children in East St. Louis! We are in need of volunteers to help us in the areas of male mentoring and academic support.   If you are interested in volunteering at CAC, please contact Matt Cowman at 618-874-5615 or matt.cowman@cacesl.org

Make 2018 a banner year for our kids! Our child sponsorship program is one of the best ways to become part of a child's life and directly impact the programming that they receive. Hear from three of our children who are in need of sponsors in this month's edition of "What's up with our kids!"   If you're interested in becoming a child sponsor, contact Sally Horstmann at 618-875-5615 or sally.horstmann@cacesl.org

CAC in the News! Last month, the Belleville News-Democrat highlighted our "A Place to Grow" park expansion project and the impact it will have on our community. We are grateful to all of the friends who have supported this project thus far, and look forward to moving closer to completion in 2018! Read the article

Hitting the slopes! Although these pictures don't quite encapsulate the whole extent of the trip, it shows a couple of things we were able to do. A group from Ahoskie, NC visited CAC for a week long trip in August of last year. In talking, we started to brainstorm a time to host a retreat with their youth group. At that point the Ski Trip was born and took place January 11th-15th. We met in Blowing Rock, NC to hit the mountains of the Appalachian Ski Resort. This was the first time that any of our kids had been skiing..... Story continues on our blog!

Celebrating their commitment Recently our Ignited for Christ program held an awards dinner for the children involved with the program. The dinner celebrated all of the youth who have committed their time and energy to community service, ministering through dance and other art forms as well as learning skills such as kindness, responsibility, accountability, grit, and healthy communication. Kids in the Ignited for Christ program are "dedicated to using their gifts and talents to serve in the community and abroad to show the love of Jesus Christ."

Christian Activity Center Caring for kids in East St. Louis 540 N. 6th Street | P.O. Box 2525 | East St. Louis, IL 62201 618-874-5615 | www.cacesl.org