One of the great volunteer opportunities that has drawn my wife and me to GFC is the partnership with Mountain View Elementary School in Johnson City. Mountain View is a ‘Title I’ school with many of the students coming from a challenging home environment.

I decided to join the Arts Club at Mountain View this year. The Arts Club is a partnership between Mountain View and GFC, where we get to participate with Mountain View children, their parents, and school officials. in various Arts programs.

This year we had the opportunity to organize and put on the play called ‘Stone Soup’. As part of the program, we worked for about six weeks, every Thursday at 5:00, helping the kids learn their lines, make the sets, and get ready for the presentation. It was eye-opening and so much fun to watch the students rehearse and say their lines, interact with each other (and their parents!) positively, and grow through the process.

I really enjoyed the experience! Bottom line – we had so much fun, grew a lot ourselves, made new friends, and enjoyed a dinner and fellowship with our participants and parents after each rehearsal.

Rod Barnett

GFCer & Mountain View Volunteer