More than 200 people from Clovis Hills and El Encino spent the weekend serving the neighborhood surrounding Sequoia Middle School.
Saturday started out a little wet but God stopped the rain just long enough for the work to be done! Some people dressed for the weather, others got very creative! (Who know you could do so much with garbage bags?) 
Calwa Elementary was "beautified" with 300 new plants and students from the school were able to help with the project. The doors at El Encino were sanded, painted and primed, and 10 community outreach teams served in the neighborhood.
The weather was beautiful on Sunday for the Block Party! Concessions, bounce houses, raffles and a cake walk kept everyone entertained. There were also thirteen social service agencies available to share information and answer questions. Volunteers from the churches made the day a huge success.
Weekends like this are meaningful, not because a large group of people is able to come into a neighborhood and fix something. clean-up something, give out free popcorn or paint kids faces. The real purpose is to connect people, and not just for a day or two. It's a partnership, a relationship, an investment in a neighborhood and the people who live there.
At the end of the day you could hear volunteers talking about "next time", and you know the kids will be back, because they met a lot of people who made their weekend memorable.