Every
week almost 60 volunteers from across the county give their time to share the
love of Jesus with more than 250 children who attend LifeWise.
“It’s
incredible to watch week after week the number of people who come together and
work side by side,” said Nicole Hostetler, LifeWise program director for
Coshocton County Schools.
LifeWise,
which provides Bible-based character education during school hours, is offered
in all three county school districts once a week for different age groups. The
program started with River View students and is now at the elementary and
intermediate school for kindergarten through sixth grade and expanded to
Coshocton Elementary School for second grade and fourth grade. Recently, it started for Ridgewood second grade students.
One
of the many volunteers who helps with the Coshocton City Schools program is
Pastor Chris Miletti from Coshocton Alliance Church.
"I
first learned about LifeWise through a friend in Zanesville about two years
ago,” Miletti said. “He told me if I get a chance to help with LifeWise to do
it. So as a church we began praying for God to open the door for the LifeWise
program to launch in Coshocton Public Schools.”
When
the opportunity came to serve as a volunteer teacher with LifeWise, Miletti knew
he had to serve.
“It
has been very rewarding,” Miletti said. “These kids are so excited to be there,
and even though we only have them for their lunch time, they are already
learning so much about character traits such as forgiveness, gratitude, mercy,
kindness, respect and more. It's really exciting to see these kids enjoy
learning and being excited to come to LifeWise each week."
Hostetler
likes watching the students learn and grow from the character trait lessons.
“We
give them action steps they can focus on and show them what the traits look
like in real life,” she said. “It leads to great opportunities for discussions
with the kids.”
Students
do not miss academic time to attend LifeWise and are escorted off school
property by volunteers to take part in the program.
“At
Coshocton we meet during lunch, at River View we pick them up after lunch, and
at Ridgewood we have them during lunch and recess,” Hostetler said.
Coshocton
students are walked by volunteers to Coshocton Baptist Church. Volunteers walk
Ridgewood students to West Lafayette United Methodist Church. River View Elementary
students take a short bus ride to New Beginnings Ministries, and the
intermediate students are taken to a renovated garage space just down the road
from the school.
Jeff
and Sharon Poland have been involved with River View LifeWise for a year and a
half.
“We had retired from our veterinary practice and had prayed that
God had a plan for us," the couple said. "Our granddaughter had been saying she was sad to move to
RVIS because there wasn't any LifeWise at RVIS. It touched our hearts that it
meant that much to her, so we got involved. Last year we were able to
secure and revitalize a facility off the school property to hold a third grade
class. It was so rewarding.
"Now this year, we have been able to expand to the
fourth, fifth and sixth grade. We recruited teachers and volunteers to support
the new students, and we secured a bus, which is used four days a week to haul
students to learn about the love Jesus has for them. Our favorite parts of
volunteering are the children's sincere prayer requests and the smiles they
share with us."
Another
River View volunteer is Christine Sycks.
“I
have been volunteering since the first year at Conesville,” she said. “The best
part of volunteering is teaching kids about Jesus. One of my favorite memories
from volunteering is one day last summer while sitting at a local restaurant by
the windows when one of the students walked by and saw me. They soon came back inside, just to give me a hug.”
Forty-nine
Coshocton students and 205 River View students attend LifeWise. Ridgewood just
started and is working on growing enrollment.
Volunteer
Kaycee Newell is excited to be a part of LifeWise at Ridgewood.
“I
truly believe this is a wonderful opportunity to show kids the love of Jesus
and remind them that no matter what is happening at home or at school, Jesus
loves them deeply,” she said. “Sharing this message with children at a young
age is so important, and I’m grateful to be part of it. I look forward to
watching this group grow.”
Volunteers
teach, help in the classrooms, transport the children and more. They also can
be board members.
“We
only have one bus driver for River View,” Hostetler said. “It would be nice to
have a substitute. They need to have a CDL and a passenger endorsement.”
One
of the newest board members at LifeWise Coshocton is Brooke Bigrigg.
"I
have helped LifeWise for three months,” she said. “I look forward to helping
with LifeWise to teach and encourage children to be more like Jesus. With
Bible-based character education, children will learn what Jesus and his
disciples did and how they can portray the same traits in their
lives. LifeWise is instrumental in helping children understand that God
loves them no matter their circumstance and he will always take care of them.
If your child has the opportunity to join LifeWise, you and your child will not
be disappointed."
All
volunteers are background checked and receive training. They also must fill out
an application and go through an interview process.
“We
don’t even let them attend a class until their background check clears and
they’ve been trained,” Hostetler said.
She
is grateful for her volunteers.
“They
motivate and encourage me each day through their dedication to both the Lord
and to the children,” Hostetler said. “Working alongside them to teach the
students is truly a blessing. As the program director, one aspect I especially
enjoy is watching everyone using their time and different talents to benefit
the students of Coshocton County, building meaningful and caring connections
with the children."
For more information on each of the school’s programs, visit www.lifewise.org/riverviewoh,
www.lifewise.org/coshoctoncityoh
or www.lifewise.org/ridgewoodoh.
