Greetings, Dear Mission Of Hope Friends;

Every now and then there are just those amazing moments…When you know that what you did was indeed very special and much appreciated. That was the case at our recent Beckham Bates Elementary School closing party in Isom, KY.

I have shared in previous e-mail updates about the recent heart wrenching decision, to close down the school. We have seen it before. Student enrollment numbers drop, the buildings need expensive repairs, and then it happens – the school is closed. When we recently learned about Beckham\’s Bates closing we just felt like we ought to do something to make a year-end memory for these dear students and staff members. And that\’s exactly what we did! We had inflatables, clowns, balloon creations, snow cones, popcorn, ice cream, and LOTS & LOTS of laughter, smiles, and good times!  And we even had a Mission of Hope Friend go and do a version of \”In It To Win It\’ for the older students with AWESOME prizes. And to top things off, we gave every student a brand new book for them to read and keep.

I want to sincerely say thank you to the following MOH Volunteer Hero\’s for their amazing gesture of support in helping with this event: The Beckham Bates School Staff, Ultimate Megaparties, Bargain Books & Larry Austin, Arlene McCool, Elsie Duncan, Donna McClure, and David Burnette. I sincerely appreciate all of those who went with me on this trip and for making the commitment to go. The Principal and several other Beckham Bates staff members thanked us over and over again for making the end of the year special. Many of them told us that they were just so drained and discouraged from the decision to close the school; that they just didn\’t seem to be able to muster the energy to do something like we did. And that made it even more special for both the students and the staff. It has been an honor to serve this very special School and Community…And we will cherish forever the memories that were made there.

Thanks for your friendship and support and for all you do to help us extend True Hope.

Sincerest Regards,
Emmette Thompson, Executive Director – Mission of Hope

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