News & Notes: April 2018
Tomorrow is
Give STL Day!
Tomorrow is the 5th annual Give STL Day! This day is meant to elevate the stories of nonprofits and charitable organizations around the greater St. Louis area to raise funds that support their programming.

The Christian Activity Center will be participating again this year, however, we’re not asking you to give-- we’re simply asking you to spread the word about this day to your family and friends! Prior to May 2nd, you can visit www.givestlday.org and set up a campaign for CAC.
We hope that you will also consider sharing the message (and graphic) below on May 2nd for Give STL Day, and know that we are deeply grateful for helping to introduce new people to the work that we do....

Here's a message you can share on your social media channels:

"It's on! The Christian Activity Center is participating in Give STL Day, which will be held on May 2. Celebrating 5 years, Give STL Day is a 24-hour, online day of giving designed to ignite the spirit of giving across the region to support causes in the St. Louis area. Mark your calendars and bookmark this giving link: https://www.givestlday.org/CACESL "
A huge thank you to our NC family!
We are grateful to everyone in North Carolina who attended the Champions for Children banquet this month! Our NC family means so much to us and we are appreciative to everyone who came to hear what God is doing in East St. Louis! It is because of God's blessing and your support that we are able to change lives.
How do you win a game of chess?
Practice, practice, practice! 5 teams from 4 after school programs met at the Christian Activity Center to compete in an End of the Year Chess Tournament with Chess for Success last week. It was a time enjoyed by all and we look forward to growing our constituency. At the end of the day, when the smoke cleared - CAC's Kings Servant's were on top! It was a great experience for the youth from our team to compete against peers from other programs. They have been working hard over the past few months!
You win some,
you run some!
Over the last couple of weeks, our CAC kids have been training to run a 5K at McKendree University, which took place this past weekend! We are so thankful for the students who helped us train and made the day special for us. JaQwon got 4th place among the men (running a 23:34) and the rest of us did a regiment of "running 2 minutes/walking 2 minutes". We were so proud to see the kids beam with joy about how they learned to push themselves and how this run was a confidence booster... friends, you are looking at the Jackie Joyner Kersee’s of East St Louis!
...and run some more!
For the third year CAC participated in the Read, Right and Run Marathon, sponsored by Go! St. Louis. Over the last few months we've read 26 books, completed 26 good deeds and ran 25 individual miles with Mr. Archie. Recently 26 kids joined thousands of others from the St. Louis area to run the final 1.2 mile together in Forest Park. Thank you to all of our parents who came to cheer them on!
"And now a word from us kids"
In this month's edition, we asked some CAC kids about their favorite food, what they would do as President, their favorite part of the Easter story, and much more! Check it out!
#SLUServiceDay 2018
Students and staff from Saint Louis University visited CAC this month to work around our property! We are deeply appreciative to their entire group for organizing the workday and to all of the groups who volunteer at CAC on a regular basis. You are the hands and feet of Christ and for that we are grateful!
Join us for CAC's 12th Annual Golf for a Brighter Future Tournament, presented by Northwestern Mutual. Meet us at the course on Friday, June 1st, 2018 to help us in our work to support families in East St. Louis!

Tournament is limited to the first 36 teams to register!

Lunch & Check in begins at 11:00am, with a shotgun start at 1:00pm. Sponsorship packages are also available! Details on registration and sponsorship options can be found at www.cacesl.org/golf
Health Moments w/ Ms. Margie
Throughout the month of April our Health and Wellness Advocate Ms. Margie has been hard at work with lots of health initiatives around CAC!

CAC's social work intern presented to several ladies at our last Health Matters class.The topic was Trauma, and it's impact on psychological development. A wonderful discussion followed, and our parents with experience in foster care shared their experiences.

CAC assesses BMI, blood pressure and vision screening on our of our children. All kids learn about healthy nutrition and the value of exercise at CAC and we arrange for the kids in need to get glasses.

Additionally, the children are learning how to measure the pH of the hydroponic system so our plants continue to grow well. Our seedlings have done terrific! They are learning about "hardening off" plants grown indoors by placing them outdoors for a few hours each day to prepare them for transfer in the garden beds.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Pathways middle and high school students have begun going on Career Exploration Trips to local businesses and organizations to learn about different career options and ways to become educated in those fields.

At the beginning of March, we took a trip to Saint Louis Crisis Nursery and learned about the services and child care they provide to the community as well as different careers, internships, and volunteer opportunities available. Several of the students enjoy kids and were interested in learning more! After we took the students to Forest Park in St. Louis to enjoy the outside. It was many of the students first time visiting the park!
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