The Pink Wave

Each summer our youth group goes on a mission trip through ASP (Appalachia Service Project) to one of 4 states in the Appalachia region to work on houses. Their slogan is to make homes warmer, safer, and drier. It's an amazing program and it touches so many people each summer. Our youth group has been going since 2003 and we've been to Virginia and West Virginia many times and I believe Tennessee once, and we have yet to be assigned to Kentucky. This year we're heading to Keokee in Lee County, Virgina which is practically in Kentucky! This is actually my second year going on this trip, my first time was in 2003. This will be a very different experience for me though. 1) because I'm going as a leader and not a youth and 2) because there is a completely different group of people going. I'm really excited about the trip.

Anyway... each group has to raise funds to go on this trip. One of our major fundraisers is flamingo runs. We have two flocks that we put in people's yards without them knowing (usually at night) and then we remove them from the yard for a donation. Actually, the victim doesn't have to make a donation, we will remove them for free if someone is offended or what not, but if they do make a donation they get to choose who the flock goes to next. This is such a fun way to raise money. Both the congregation and the youth love it! The youth love being sneaky and decorating people's lawns and the congregation loves waking up and finding flamingos in their yard! It's really a win-win situation. I've been out on a few flamingo runs so far this year and they've been great! We actually got caught once because the lady whose house we were at walked by the front window and saw shadows. She was expecting her grandchildren to arrive at any moment so she thought they were home and came to the door to let them in. Well, she didn't find her grandchildren but rather a bunch of us putting flamingos in the yard. =) She loved it though and actually invited us in!

The pictures I'm posting are actually from our wedding day. The group leader thought it would be fun to put the flamingos in my parent's yard the week of our wedding so all our out of town relatives could see them and they would get a kick out of it. Oh boy it was great! And it made for some fun photos.  These photos are courtesy of our photographer, Norine Rowe.

Does your youth group/church have any fun fundraisers that you guys do? Have you ever heard of flamingoing before? I love it!

Cindy