In a few short weeks, nearly 300 members of the extended Trinitas family including students, parents, grandparents, faculty, and alumni will take a break from normal educational routines at Trinitas and complete a full day of sponsored community service at over ten local non-profit organizations. In preparation for the 3rd Annual LoveThyNeighbor - Great Day of Giving event, a little background into how the event came to be is in order.
Like most small private schools, Trinitas has engaged in several different forms of fundraising over the past twenty years. Most recently, the Trinitas Classic Golf Tournament (one of Pensacola’s longest-running charity golfing events) and the Trinitas Benefit Gala and Auction. Those who attended the Trinitas Gala and Auction will remember beautiful evenings of elegant dining, competitive bidding, over-the-top decorations, and rip-roaring good fun, but something was missing. Even though these events raised much-needed monies for the Trinitas Annual Fund, they didn’t involve the children of the school and were ultimately inward-facing.
We could do better.
For over twenty years, Trinitas had been training young people toward lives of personal and social responsibility so it made sense to take this training the next level by replacing the Gala and Auction with an event that would include all students and parents and at the same time make a difference for our neighbors in the broader Pensacola community.
The goal then and now is that we would be able to make an impact through service that will bear fruit for years to come both in our neighborhoods and the lives of our students.
In addition to serving the community, this event also generates funds through corporate sponsorships and individual donations which all benefit the Trinitas Annual Fund which primarily provides need-based tuition assistance for like-minded families seeking a classical Christ-centered education for their children.
The results spoke for themselves.
The big change as we gear up for the 3rd LTN event on November 5th has been the addition of two incredible parent volunteers to co-chair the event. Stephanie Striepeck has invested her impressive array of administrative and communication skills alongside the experience and passion Katie Ramsey has in the non-profit sector to position the event for its best year to date! We could not be more thankful for the dynamic leadership of these two Trinitas moms.
So what’s next?
Well, first we need to finish this year well both in the service projects and our fundraising goal – we have a ways to go yet. After that, we plan to organize an additional day of service in the spring for our upper school students apart from any fundraising. Long term, we want to establish lasting relationships with our community partners where we can return year after year representing the Lord Jesus Christ and Trinitas Christian School through service to our neighbors.
