JAWS Debut

This week was the first official session of the Jewell Athletic Workshop (JAWS). I spent the week painting these t-shirts for our family so folks would know how to identify us. A couple of masterminds from the GEM graciously created the logo for us. I was more than happy to do my part in getting it in print, but if any of my readers have a less time-consuming option for this, I would like to hear it.

John bought equipment for sports like frisbee golf, archery, basketball, soccer and flag football. We had twenty kids show up and participate in rotating stations. We were thrilled with the turnout. As we get more kids, we plan to break the groups down by age. 

A few of the men from the church that meets at the Gem volunteered to coach and assemble equipment.

We ran and played for three hours and pretty much wore everyone out. We saw lots of smiles and made some new friends. Goal accomplished.

Future goals include getting the word out that this is not a highly competitive program, but a place where every kid can play and be encouraged for the wonderful creation he or she is. We hope to provide a place for those individuals who don't fit into league sports and need a community of friends who accept them for who they are not what they can do.

We'll be back for our second session next week and plan to start registration. This is a non-profit organization and, if you're of the mind, you can contribute in many ways to keeping these kids off the couch, away from video games, and off drugs. We need your gently used sports equipment, prizes for games and raffles, cups and healthy snacks for breaks, and most importantly scholarships for low-income families. We've shaved this down to the penny and just $300 can send one kid through for an entire semester. $60 allows one kid to participate for a month. Thanks for tuning in and I hope you're encouraged by our future reports on JAWS.