The girls raised the money and had fun doing it.

Your Kingdom Come!

Miracles happen…right here in Providence, Rhode Island. This past Friday, 62 Rhode Island and Massachusetts teens met with youngsters from inner city Providence for a day of adventure, friendship, and pizza at the Providence Children’s Museum. The Rhode Island Challenge Club, part of Catholic Youth World Network, an international association of young people on fire for their Catholic faith who desire to imbue society with Christian values, hosted an activity called “Make Dreams Come True”. At around 4:55 on April 19, teenagers with bright orange T-shirts and blue jeans began to trickle into the museum, and by 5:10 the place was teeming with girls anxiously awaiting the arrival of the younger children from Providence. The Challenge Club had been planning this activity since the beginning of March. A lot of behind-the-scenes preparation went into making this day possible.

Guided by the consecrated women of Regnum Christi, the girls were responsible for raising the funds necessary for the activity. Teams from Rhode Island (Narragansett, North Kingston, Cranston, Smithfield, Uxbridge, Scituate, Webster) and Massachusetts (Worcester) competed to see who could raise the most money. When Catlyn, a sixth grader from North Kingston, first heard about the competition in her club meeting, she and her team jumped up immediately and went fundraising door to door in their neighborhood. Here is the catch: Catlyn was so excited that she forgot to put on her shoes! A myriad of other inventive ideas ensued from the remaining teams including raffles, bake sales, a dance, and even cleaning houses. Each team met their goal!

The teams

	There is more joy in giving than in receiving.

gathered Saturday, April 13, for a general session in Warwick, Rhode Island, to share fundraising tips, cheers, and receive all the practical information they would need to know for the big day of April 19. When the clock struck 5:15 on the anticipated day, Challenge Club Rhode Island was ready to give a group of underprivileged kids from Providence a day they would never forget. The bus from Providence rolled in, each girl took one child by the hand, and together they went off to explore the museum and get to know one another.

Sarah, a 12-year-old club member from Narragansett, had a great experience. After the day was over she said, “It was fun playing with them at the museum. [It] Made me feel good because they were so happy when we were playing with them. I was there to make them happy.” Rachel, a 15-year-old club member from Scituate had a similar experience and said, “We had fun, too, because you’re never too old to play.”

This July the girls and children will reunite for a summer day camp. In the meantime, however, Challenge members like Alicia has exchanged addresses with new friends like Roxanne so they can keep in contact. This activity was a huge success. The girls experienced the joy of giving while helping make other’s dreams come true.