It is the most wonderful time of the year. Each holiday season, Kiwanis Club of Manchester invites children from local afterschool programs for an evening of shopping for warm winter clothing. In light of the holiday season, Monday night RENEW group leaders Kristina Andrewski ’19 and peer minister Braelyn Croteau ’19 along with 12 other students collaborated with Kiwanis Manchester to “Walk with a Child” instead of having their usual meeting.

The students drove to the Bedford Walmart to meet the children, divide into groups, and help them pick out clothing. The children and the RENEW participants kept the clothing under a $100 budget. The clothing the children picked out would then be put into Christmas bags and given to them as gifts.

Kiwanis Club of Manchester is a group of community-oriented people dedicated to making this city a better place to live, work, and play. Their specific mission is to enhance, enrich, and improve the lives of Manchester’s children and youth, especially those whose opportunities are limited by poverty. Kiwanis does this through community service projects, fundraising efforts and by partnering with area schools and organizations.

Kiwanis Club of Manchester was commissioned in 1921 and was the first Kiwanis Club in the state of New Hampshire. They are a completely volunteer-run nonprofit organization open to men and women interested in sharing their time, talent and treasure to improve the quality of life in Manchester.

Why did Braelyn and Kristina decide to do this? According to Kristina, “Well one of the most important aspects for RENEW is putting our faith that we discuss in our meetings, into action which is why we try to do service projects as a group such as Walk with a Child or Thanksgiving baskets. Long story short, Braelyn and I thought Walk with a Child would be a great idea, not only because of the positive goal of helping a child, but to give out faith meaning by showing love to those I, especially those who may need it a little more.” Braelyn and Kristina’s RENEW group also contributed to one of the whopping 142 Thanksgiving baskets, as well.

Campus RENEW offers students the opportunity to join small peer-led faith-sharing groups. Groups meet for about an hour on a weekly basis for Scripture reflection, discussion, prayer, and applying lessons learned to everyday life. Groups meet almost every night of the week, so there should definitely be a group that fits your schedule! All students are welcome to join in.  Enjoy a quiet time of reflection, sharing, and prayer.

This group is aptly named, because many participants found that following their weekly meeting; they seem to feel “lighter,” i.e. RENEWed.  It’s never too late to join a RENEW group, or to volunteer through the Meelia Center in children’s afterschool programs. If you don’t get the chance to do either one, be sure to give back to your community in some way before or during the holiday season!