“Bread & Books” will have a table the next 2 Sundays (September 12 & 19) offering the opportunity for New Hope to help underwrite the cost of books and a Christmas project for the Mid-Michigan Leadership Academy’s partnership with Stepping Stone and New Hope. – Hard to believe but school bells rang in Lansing for schools and of course including the Mid-Michigan Leadership Academy a charter school that New Hope, in partnership with the Stepping Stones Foundation, has supported through its “Bread & Books” program for going on 3 years now.

Each month, beginning in October, volunteers from Stepping Stones and New Hope are welcomed to the school. During these visits, age appropriate and often award winning children’s books are read (this year to 55 3^rd graders) to the students.  Reading times are followed up by an in depth discussion in which moral truths and right behavior ideas are developed from the story.  The children are eager to participate and always take home and back to the classroom new thoughts and ideas.  Each student receives a copy of the book to take home.  We are often reminded by the MMLA staff that these students have few, if any, quality reading materials in their homes, other than, of course, the books that the New Hope family has generally made available through their generous support of this program over the years.

On September 12 & 19 at the “Bread & Books” table there will be reading materials for the upcoming school year on display. Additionally, a beautiful ceramic Christmas star will displayed that each child will decorate and have fired by a pottery shop in Okemos and delivered back for each child to take home for their family’s Christmas or other holiday celebration. Over 50 countries are represented by students at MMLA.

How to Participate

If you would like to participate in this worthwhile endeavor in which children are not only encouraged to read but encounter Believers who love on them monthly, you can purchase a book for $7 or 2 books AND the Christmas ornament for $20.  Checks can be made out to Stepping Stones Foundation or cash is accepted.  Thank you, in advance, for your generosity.  The leadership of MMLA continues to marvel at the outpouring of not only books and reading volunteers, but donated food and bicycles and scooters that have enhanced the lives of so many of their families!