Veritas Shines

Veritas Shines 

Shines Mission Statement

As Christians, we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which He has prepared in advance for us to do. Veritas SHINES’ goal is to provide opportunities for Veritas students, parents, faculty, and administration to impact our community for the glory of God as we train our children to become selfless, servant leaders who are prepared, assured, and poised.

Veritas Shines Spring Break Opportunities

Mission Possible Austin-Spring Nikos Kits

Mission Possible strives to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty one life at a time. We enrich the lives of children, teens, and Austin’s most vulnerable people with Christ-centered relationships and resources.  Volunteers aged 11+ are needed from March 15-19, to assemble and deliver Kits to children in nearby apartment communities from 9:30am-2:30pm.  Click the button below for more information and to sign-up!.  If you have questions, please email Jessica at jessica@mpaustin.org

Signup Link

Meals on Wheels Central Texas and More-Care Calls

To protect the health of those MOW serves, they have pivoted from daily meal deliveries to deliveries of two weeks’ worth of lunches every other Friday. This reduces their clients’ odds of being exposed to the virus, but it also means they miss those eagerly anticipated daily visits from volunteers. Seeing a smiling face at the door each day helps fight feelings of isolation or depression, “viruses” that also pose a serious threat to those we serve.

Care Calls fills that void with friendly phone calls from caring volunteers and staff.  Volunteers commit to call 1-2 times a week and talk with their client.   If you are interested in this opportunity, please see the information on the MOW website via the button below.

Signup Link

Operation Gratitude 5/1 Call to Action

Urgent Need: Red, white, or blue homemade items and letter of encouragement. 

I received this call to action from Kelly South with OG on March 1:

Today, I am issuing you a 5/1 Red, White, and Blue Call to Action! Why 5/1? Because Military Appreciation Month begins on May 1st, and we will be celebrating it by sending more than 3,000 individually addressed care packages to our troops deployed around the world.

Here’s my ask: I need you to pick up your knitting needles or your crochet hook, plug in your sewing machine or thread your needle, and start crafting red, white, and blue handmade items! Whether it be a knitted or crocheted hat or scarf, fleece hats, scarves, or gaiters, we need your help to fill those boxes as we race towards 5/1.

Now for the even bigger ask: For every red, white, and blue handmade with love item you craft, I am asking you to write 5 letters of gratitude to our deployed troops. We are dangerously low on handwritten letters, so we are issuing this Call to Action to our dedicated volunteers who can help us thank those who serve. Whether you write 5 different letters or write one letter and make 5 copies, we need them all! 

You will not be doing this alone! I have pulled every bolt of red, white, and blue fleece I have (you know I have a lot), and my promise is that I WILL make 100 hats, and I WILL write 500 letters! Yes, 500 letters, and I challenge you to join me in setting your own goal! Your goal could be one hat and 5 letters, and that is an amazing goal! Or you could set your sights even higher like I did :)

I have bought more ink and more paper and my printer will be VERY busy. But it will be worth it when I think about the 500 Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Coasties reading all of those letters and maybe writing back!

Here is a letter we received from one of those so far from home:

 “Good morning! My name is SGT B. and I am currently overseas in South Korea and serving on Active Duty! I received a care package from y’all today and it couldn’t have come at a better time! I was supposed to leave to go home to my husband (also active duty Army and about to retire after 21 years) and 2-year-old son but due to Covid-19 I was extended here. It has been 13 months since I’ve seen my husband and son and I won’t see them until the end of July which makes 15 months away from them for this tour and receiving your package helped make my day so much better! I truly miss my family and seeing all of this stuff just helps us overseas know that someone is thinking about us and supports our US Armed forces so thank you! 

SGT M.B., US Army, South Korea”

I know this is a big ask, but I also know that you and I can do it. Imagine the huge pile of smiles we’ll be making that will be sent around the world, and you’ll know that every moment you spend crafting and writing will be well worth it.

We need your Red, White, and Blue handmade items and letters to arrive no later than April 30th so we have time to get them ready for the care packages.

SIncerely,

Kelly

Verita Shines will ship all handmade items and letters written that are turned-in by Thursday, April 1.  Items can be turned-in to your GS core teacher or dropped-off at the second floor desk of the Academic Building starting on Monday, March 22.  Links for craft patterns and letter instructions are in blue above.

#VirtualVolunteering

Our Veritas Academy community is full of generous, giving people who love others well and want to be a blessing.  Here are some ideas ways to volunteer virtually.  In addition, due to the opening-up of COVID restrictions, this list now includes several in-person service opportunities as well.  If you know of a need or a way to serve, please email shines@veritasacademy.net, and we will add your information to this list.

May your heart and home be filled with peace!