Reach Out RVA – the BEST thing Trinity has EVER done!

Many thanks to all of those who served this weekend at Reach Out RVA!!! Special appreciation to those who served as team leaders – Karen Adams, Rob Spotts, Anne Burch, Bill Burch, Linda Latimer, Bob Argabright, Louise Girvin, Tom and Pam Rockhold, Wendy Floyd and Katie Swartz! We were blessed with incredible weather as we went out to serve. We had 17 shifts available for people to sign up to serve – and we had 182 volunteers reach out! The team at Sherbourne emptied 280 bags of food that another team helped deliver on Friday morning. Their shelves aren’t empty anymore! The Saturday team at The Doorways made lunches for those currently residing there while their loved ones are hospitalized. The Sunday team at The Doorways did a lot of cleaning – especially washing windows! The team at OakGrove School did much needed weeding – as well as planting. At CrossOver Clinic both teams worked together to paint a hallway and a bathroom. The teams at the City of Richmond and the East End Cemetery cleared a lot of debris and picked up trash. The two teams at Habitat ReStore cleaned, sorted and organized items for sale. The team at James River cleanup did just that – and the team at Habitat for Humanity landscaped the yards of two new homes which included planting and mulching. The team at Shalom Farms harvested sweet potatoes. The team at the Gallagher 5K helped to organize and cheer on the runners and walkers. We also had a team who worked at the PACE Center at VCU.

All we can say is WOW !!!!

Well done, good and faithful servants!! To God be the Glory!


In Their Own Words:

Chris Smith participated in Reach Out RVA at the East End Cemetary. Here’s what he had to say about the experience:

Sorry for a long commentary, but sometimes life’s ironies are too well placed to ignore.   So today, Nell and I, along with several other Trinity members, worked cleaning overgrowth at East End Cemetery in RVA.   I wanted to take a “before” and “after” picture in a section , so I zoomed in on one headstone and took the “before” picture (picture 1).   Then we got to work clearing land.   As we cleared land, I thought about how these people were loved.   At one time had a life of service.   At one time lived in Richmond.   And it had come to this.   Some random Richmonders cleaning brush that had enveloped their final resting spot.   But that made them no less real, and no less loved.   So as we cleared the tombstone that I took a picture of, imagine my thoughts as I read the name on it! (Picture 2).   Now we know this is not the Robert E Lee that was the Confederate General.   But this Robert E Lee served in WW1.    He was a man of service to our country.  He was absolutely a “real” Robert E Lee.   And I was honored to have cleared his grave today.   And oh yeah — the irony?   There is one other thing we know about this real Robert E Lee.   He was African American.   You see, East End Cemetery was reserved for African Americans.   The honor was mine today Mr. Lee.   Thank you for your service.   May God continue to bless your soul, and may you forever Rest In Peace.

From Nancy Coddington:

 Many thanks to the organizers! This was a great event. Met some new people, reconnected with others I already knew and hopefully made a difference at Oakgrove Bellemeade. God smiled on us by providing a beautiful day for those of us involved in outdoor projects. Thanks for the opportunity, dear Trinity!


Photo Gallery:

[ngg_images source=”galleries” container_ids=”61″ exclusions=”1489,1490,1521,1531,1609,1620,1634,1646″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_basic_thumbnails” override_thumbnail_settings=”0″ thumbnail_width=”240″ thumbnail_height=”160″ thumbnail_crop=”1″ images_per_page=”55″ number_of_columns=”3″ ajax_pagination=”0″ show_all_in_lightbox=”0″ use_imagebrowser_effect=”0″ show_slideshow_link=”1″ slideshow_link_text=”[Show slideshow]” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]