Youth group hopes good deeds will help African orphans, inspire others

SLOCOMB — The classroom at Countyline Missionary Baptist Church was bathed in orange. Even a cake to celebrate the occasion was orange.

The students in the class ranged from 5 to 18 years old. All wore orange T-shirts — the fronts emblazoned with the word “Orphan” in white letters. A jar of money sat on a counter, holding the result of the youth group’s hard work to raise money for children in Africa who have lost one or both parents to AIDS.

The youth group raised $2,500 through donations, giving donors the orange T-shirts. Two kids brought in money from their piggy banks — $91 between the two. And Dr. John Strunk gave the group $1,000 in exchange for a T-shirt.

“A lot of people don’t realize how good they have it until they see things from another person’s perspective,” said Colby Smith, 14.

That was one of the points Countyline’s youth director Vivian Smith hoped students would take from the experience.

“We are challenging other kids to do something positive rather than negative,” Vivian Smith said. “I think we grumble and complain too much. We don’t know how blessed we are.”

This is the second time the youth group at Countyline Missionary Baptist Church has raised money for World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization that works in 100 different countries, serving victims of natural disasters or war, abandoned or exploited children, and children and families devastated by diseases such as AIDS. Its “Do You See Orange?” T-shirt campaign has appeared on school campuses around the country.

The Countyline youth group’s first effort targeted starving children in Africa and raised $1,200 for the cause. The latest fundraiser will help with a variety of needs of orphaned children and widows.

“We’re very fortunate we have parents with us,” said 13-year-old Antonio Davis. “I think more people need to start helping others and be good Samaritans.”

This isn’t the youth group’s only effort to help their Geneva County community and others in the area. The group does skits to raise awareness for different causes and does Christmas programs, the Rev. James Dawsey said.

The church’s congregation, he said, is proud of their youth.

“This youth department is definitely on the move,” Dawsey said.

Members of the youth group said they feel proud to be Christians and that they’re able to help others. They hope other people will follow their example and become more giving.

“They (people) complain with the little they have, but they have much more than others,” Gabby Cooper, 15, said.