SOME OF THE NEW VISION YOUTH, AT A RECENT FISH FRY FUNDRAISER AT THE CARVER LIBRARY IN KINGSPORT
THIS STORY ABOUT THE NEW VISION YOUTH COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS
By KEVIN CASTLE kcastle@timesnews.net
KINGSPORT — They travel to nursing homes, delivering smiles and songs. They’ve taken to the streets of their community with dustpans, trash bags and brooms to clean things up.
Now, this youth group is getting some tropial rewards for giving back to their community.
Elementary-age children in the New Vision Youth choir group are planning to board a ship in Florida and take a cruise later this summer that group adviser Johnnie Mae Swagerty says will be part vacation and part education.
“I’ve been trying to tell them that it is just not going to be a time to swim and get some sun. They will be there to learn also,” said Swagerty of the church group.
“We are going to instruct them on the various cultures that they will see in the Bahamas and how experiencing that will help them become more rounded and grow in their personal life.
“We’re even going to bring a former etiquette teacher from Dobyns-Bennett in to instruct the kids on some table manners and such. It will be a first-time thing for most of these kids.”
Before the trip, the group will launch a series of fund-raisers to help with supplemental money. That will include a benefit fish fry, lots of bake sales, and support of those willing to donate.
Swagerty says the trip is a reward of sorts. The group has an extensive schedule of singing engagements throughout the year, but that is only half of the duty of being in New Vision Youth.
“The kids make dinner for the senior citizens who live around the church, and they also make visits to area nursing homes. We get them involved with those folks to help them realize that the older ones were there before they were,” said Swagerty.
“Some of these have never been out of Kingsport before, let alone on a bus or across an ocean. I can’t wait to see them when they see that water. It’s going to be special.”
Swagerty said a fund is set up at SunTrust Bank at 4233 W. Stone Drive in the Allandale community where citizens can donate funds to help finance transportation and other costs associated with the trip. The fund is listed as “New Vision Youth Kids.”
For more information about the group and the trip contact Swagerty at 246-6623.
