Thank you K300 from longtime volunteer

Hello, I am so impressed and very thankful. This was the first time in 41 years of volunteering for the K-300 that I attended the banquet. I never expected anything, I just wanted to check it out since I never have before.

I should have said something when Myron asked me but I was so nervous and ready to faint! Haha kidding. But I’ve never been comfortable with talking in front of a huge crowd. Thank you for the recognition, I am always willing to help!

I wanted to thank my son-in-law Dwayne Hoffman for all that he does for our family and community too. He’s such a huge addition to our family.

Thank you to my beautiful daughter Maybelle Steeves Hoffman, my backbone in everything. She helps so much with everything and always there for anything no matter what. Together all three of us can do anything and make it work. Thank you a million times. Love you!!

I have been volunteering almost the same amount of time that I have been working for Kuspuk School District and like I always tell them, “When I start putting sugar in your soup and salt in your desserts, that’s when I will retire!” So I think I still have some years left in my old bones! Thanks again to the K-300!

Loreen Steeves, Kalskag, AK

Samaritans Purse Thanks to Bethel

I am writing to thank Bethel residents for sharing the true meaning of Christmas with children in need this past holiday season.

Because of the generosity of donors in Bethel and across the United States, Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, collected more than 8.9 million shoebox gifts in 2019. Combined with those collected from partnering countries in 2019, the ministry is now sending 10,569,405 shoebox gifts to children worldwide.

Through shoeboxes—packed with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items—Bethel volunteers brought joy to children in need around the world. Each gift-filled shoebox is a tangible expression of God’s love, and it is often the first gift these children have ever received.

Thanks to the generosity of donors, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 178 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories since 1993.

It’s not too late for people to make a difference. Though drop-off locations serving Bethel are closed until November 16 – 23, 2020, information about year-round volunteer opportunities can also be found at samaritanspurse.org/occ or by calling (253) 572 – 1155.

Thank you again to everyone who participated in this global project—many who do so year after year. These simple gifts, packed with love, send a message to children worldwide that they are loved and not forgotten.

Dana Williams, Operation Christmas Child, Boone, NC

Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a holiday of inspiration. A time for each of us to recognize and celebrate the diverse communities across our state and our nation. On this day, in the past I have attended a local high school’s commemoration.

The West High School auditorium fills up with community members as we hear from speakers, listen to musicians, and see dancers celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. It has been in these moments, in this public high school that my mother attended, that I’m reminded of how far we’ve come and how much further we have to go.

A quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s that I’m carrying with me today, that I’d invite you too to reflect on is, “The time is always right to do what is right.”

Thank you for being on this journey with me. 

Alyse Galvin, Alyse for Alaska, Anchorage, AK

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