kidz2leaders, inc. (k2l) is participating in The Cobb Galleria’s 2nd Annual Festival of Trees!  There will be a k2l Christmas tree on display at the Embassy Suites Hotel Atlanta-Galleria hotel lobby from November 21, 2011 through January 5, 2012.

You are invited to visit the hotel and vote for the k2l tree during this time by making a financial donation.  The charitable organization who has the most “votes” by December 15 wins an additional $1,000!

Dan Kauffman, President of of J.E. Dunn, presents k2l Board Chair Mark Droege and Board Member Wayne Durham with $10,000 from the first annual J.E. Dunn Hammer Down 5K & 1K Fun Run.

Intern and Camp Hope Counselor Swan Volunteers at the J.E. Dunn Hammer Down 5K

A BIG thank you to J.E. Dunn for their generosity to kidz2leaders and Camp Hope – we look forward to next fall’s 5K!  Thank you also to those who sponsored, ran, volunteered or donated towards the event.

1. Please stop by the Christmas Tree (located at the top of the stairs across from the welcome and greeter station) at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church on Sundays October 30th and November 6th to choose a family for whom you will sponsor a Christmas dinner.
2. Purchase a Christmas Meal at our online store.
3. Send a check to the Camp Hope officeat 4385 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta, GA 30068.  Please make your check out to “kidz2leaders” or “Camp Hope” and write “Christmas Dinner” in the “for” line of the check.

Thank you for sharing and making a Christmas meal possible for our Camp Hope “kidz” and their families.  Please call the Camp Hope office with questions at 770-977-7751.

• Christmas Dinner Sponsorship:Your generous donation of $50 will purchase a Christmas dinner for a Camp Hope family which will be given at the hope4christmas party.  You can purchase a Christmas meal on our online store or send a check payable to kidz2leaders to 4385 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta, GA 30068 (please designate “Christmas Dinner” in the “for” line of the check.)
• Family Sponsorship: We have Camp Hope families who need assistance with Christmas gifts for their children.  Donate gift cards or purchase gifts for a family in need.  Contact Cris Hunt if you would like to sponsor one of our families in need.  This is a great project for a Sunday School class or small group!

Your help will provide a very special Christmas for our Camp Hope “kidz” and their families.  Please call the Camp Hope office with questions at 770-977-7751.  Thank you!

Put on your running or walking shoes and join us for J.E. Dunn’s Hammer Down 5K and 1K Fun Run on Saturday, October 15 at 8 AM in Sandy Springs.  Race proceeds benefit kidz2leaders, inc.   Sign-up Today!

The race will start and finish at the Perimeter Place Office Building at the corner of Mt. Vernon Hwy and Barfield Road in Sandy Springs.

Registration Details:  $25 for Adults and $15 for Children (18 and under)

• Register online at active.com.
• Download Registration Form to sign-up or donate.
• Register at site on Race Day.

We’ll see you there!

The Camp Hope Concert was amazing and it turned out just how I expected it to be. Never thought I would get the chance to sing with the wonderful Mrs. Diane Parrish. It made me cry on the inside, and the opportunity to do it to help raise money for camp just sent  shivers down my spine. Just being able to be there and worship God in the church with my brothers and sisters in Christ was breath taking.

Thank you to everyone who supported the event by attending, bidding on an item or donating financially.  The event raised over $30,000 which will help support the year-round programs of kidz2leaders including: Camp Hope, interns4tomorrow, the mentoring program, hope4christmas as well as field trips and retreats with the students.  For more information about kidz2leaders, inc., please visit www.kidz2leaders.org.

Rev. Diane Parrish commented on the success of the benefit concert:
Often people ask me, “How will I know when kidz2leaders d/b/a Camp Hope is successful?”  Well, anyone who came to our event and saw those 9 students performing with me could not help but see the success.  Do you know how proud I was to see how far those students have come?  To sing on stage?  I remember the day they first stepped off of the bus on their first day of Camp Hope.  What a blessing!  See how far they have come and yet I know in my heart that “Greater Things are Yet to Come!”

Check out pictures from kidz2leaders’ Annual Benefit Concert and Silent Auction held on Sunday, August 28 at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church.

-  Rev. Diane Parrish

Silent Auction Sneak Preview

Cooking with Chef Alex  – Dinner Party Presentation at your home

($1,500 value)

Alex Reethof has worked in and around the Hotel, Restaurant industry since 1974. He currently is a Chef Presenter at the Viking Cooking School and the Buford Highway Farmers Market. He is working with ZEELTv to film his Cooking Show series named “Back to the Table”. It currently airs frequently on Comcast Channel 25, PBS or www.food2day.com.  Food and beverage are supplied by the recipient.    

Two Couple Signature Series Marriage Retreat

($499 value each)

 Whether you are preparing for marriage or have been married for 50 years, WinShape Retreat near Rome, Georgia, has a Signature Series retreat for you. Couples today face unique demands and pressures from the hectic pace of life that inevitably impact their marriage. The program and activities offered at WinShape Retreat are specifically designated to provide you with tools that can improve communication and encourage you toward healthy and fulfilling marriages.  Find out more at www.WinShapeRetreat.org.

1. “Fruits of the Spirit” – 310 Thread Count All Egyptian Cotton – white

2. “Living Water” – 310 Thread Count All Egyptian Cotton – white

Having Guests for the Holidays?

Maybe you are having guests for Thanksgiving or Christmas and don’t have a place for all of them to sleep. House them at the Embassy Suites Hotel Atlanta-Galleria. Provide dinner with a  a $150 Shane’s Rib Shack catering order. Entertain them with tickets to Fernbank, the Tellus Science Museum, the High Museum, and the Atlanta Symphony.  Dine with them at Houston’s, Ritter’s, Paper MIll Grill, or Marlow’s Tavern.  Gift Certificiates to all of these locations are available at the auction.   

Hagstrom Viking II Guitar 

($300 value)

The Hagstrom Viking II electric guitar features a double-cutaway semi-hollow basswood body, 24-3/4″ scale UltraLux bolt-on maple neck, 6-inline headstock, and 22-fret Resinator composite fingerboard. Hagstrom’s Custom 58 uncovered humbuckers are optimized for a fat, warm vintage tone. The original Hagstrom Viking guitar was made famous in 1968 by the king himself: Elvis Presley! 

Radio Lunch with 92.9 Dave FM’s Mara Davis

($48 lunch value; broadcast–priceless)

Handmade Quilt

($75 Value) 

4′x4′ Quilt Sewn by the Mt. Bethel UMC Quilters for Christ  

Canvas Painting from Camp Hope 2011

($25 value)

Remember your Camp Hope 2011 experience with this beautiful cross. 

kidz2leaders’ annual Benefit Concert will be held on Sunday, August 28, in the Sanctuary at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church.  The concert will feature performances by Rev. Diane Parrish and testimonies from our Camp Hope campers.

New this year will be a Silent Auction which will begin at 5:30 followed by the concert at 6:30.   We hope you’ll join us for this special event that allows kidz2leaders to make a change in the lives of inmates’ children.

Camp Hope is celebrating Christmas early this year and collecting items for Camp Hope 2011!!! You can help Camp Hope by donating snacks, packs of water, $15 or $20 Wal-Mart gift cards or scholarships for campers to attend Camp Hope. Drop-off your donations in the collection boxes placed in the Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church Main Office.  Mt. Bethel UMC is located at 4385 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta, GA 30068.

Be sure to visit our table in the Narthex on Sundays June 26 and July 10 to take a tag off our Christmas tree. You’ll also have the opportunity to purchase exclusive Camp Hope sunglasses for a donation of $5!

Call the Camp Hope office at 770-977-7751 for more information or questions.

Help us reach our matching goal of $50,000 for Camp Hope 2011!  Contributions should be received by Camp Hope, July 16-22, 2011.  Click here to make a donation online or contact Nancy Jakaitis (nancy.jakaitis@kidz2leaders.org) for more information.  Donations may also be sent to the kidz2leaders office:

kidz2leaders, inc., 4385 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta, GA 30068

*If you are sending a check, please write “Matching Grant” in the “for” line of the check.

Thank you!