As 4th July struck us, TLT Level 2s grew with excitement as it was finally the day our ‘“Best Brunch Ever” fundraiser for ADRA would be executed. I was a part of the team organising our outreach programme which meant I had to arrive at church earlier, around 9:30. Upon arrival I sensed the excitement in the air as my fellow Guide Class members Regina and Kyon decorated the hall. Coming up to 10 o’clock we assisted in collecting the delicious meals and carrying them to the Kitchen ready for our Kitchen staff to put in place, ready for serving. As I was in charge of the order forms, I had the pleasure of seeing the numerous orders rushing in from our church community; it was very heartwarming to see how many people wanted to help us support ADRA. The order forms were printed and sent to our kitchen staff, ready for them to get packaged and sent off to delivery  and those who wanted to collect from church. When the orders eased down towards the end of our event, as I gave the kitchen staff the last orders, I had the chance to  watch them prepare in an organised fashion, still taking their work seriously but enjoying each other’s company. At that moment I felt proud and amazed to be a part of a community who does what they can to give back to others in need. I can conclude that our Brunch was a success and we raised £580.38 for ADRA.

Everyone seemed to have arrived at church all at once. We prayed and shifted our focus on to the fundraiser for the next 4-5 hours. Regina (Guides), Miracle (TLT L2) and the Burnett sisters got down to decorating the hall with the American themes using American flag colours; red, white and blue balloons. Kyon (Guides), Aunty Tessa (counsellor and mentor) and myself began to sanitise the kitchen surfaces in preparation for getting the food together. Some of the food was already there as it was donated (made) by some of our TLT’s and Guides parents/careers. Counsellors Jennel Hoyte and Michelle Burnette was in charge of heating and preparing the rest of the food. Pathfinder Director Michelle Butts was in charge of the drinks on the menu. Caryl (TLT L2) and counsellor Celine (mentor and guide counsellor) were focused at the computer desk sorting out the orders previously purchased and of the ones that were just coming through. The orders were coming in swiftly. Denzyl (TLT L2) was in charge of handing the orders to the kitchen staff. The kitchen staff was in a routine of having the orders being given to them and then plating the food in containers ready to be collected or delivered by counsellor Celine (mentor and counsellor) The Jamaican food and American soul food seemed popular among the orders. We were able to turn out a number of orders with total sales of £580.38. Proceeds will be donated to ADRA for furthering their work. Thank you to all who supported this venture. The process was hard but yet fun and quite satisfying now that we can count the proceeds of such a large response.

Overall, the 4th of July Best Brunch Ever Event for ADRA was an overt success, raising a staggering £580.38! However, this success was not easy, it took a lot of preparation, dedication and resilience and, of course, God to help this event become a success. I arrived at about 9 am and was assigned to print out the orders. Seeing how many people had made orders and were still making orders was amazing and knowing that all the money will be going to help people in dire situations brought a smile to my face. After about 20 minutes of helping doing the orders, I was asked to help with decorations. Blowing up balloons, in all honesty, was the hardest part of this event. The amount of effort that had to put in the blow those balloons is immeasurable and many times that effort was in vain due to the fact that at least 5 balloons popped in a short space of 13 minutes. Next, I was asked to help make the pancakes. I went into the kitchen and washed my hands thoroughly, don’t worry, I used soap. Kyon had made the pancake mixture so all I had to do was cook the pancakes. Many pancakes did not fit in the realms of geometry but they came out pretty good, I must admit. Other pathfinders were working busily as well with a LOT of help from counsellor Michelle, counsellor Michelle B, counsellor Jennelle and counsellor Tessa and also putting orders together and packing them away and also printing out orders that counsellor Celine sent them to print out. People started to come and collect their orders and it was so nice to see so many familiar faces after such a long time and their smiles and conversations made my day.

Everyone had a part to play on the day. Miracle did the decorations with the help of Denzel and others, Caryl was sending out the orders, and Regina, Teairra and I helped prepare and serve the food. I was in the kitchen packing the food for orders to be collected and delivered. This day went really well, we managed to raise a total of £580, which we donated to ADRA.