Community Connection: The Rop Shop and OCI Lend a Hand to Family and Adoption Center Gateway Woods
WRITTEN BY: KATE HUFFMAN
On Thursday, November 19th, The ROP Shop and Outdoor Concepts got together for our annual clean-up day at Gateway Woods. With the challenge of keeping things safely socially distanced due to COVID, fewer associates were able to attend. Even so, we were able to provide some fall maintenance for the main campus of Gateway Woods, such as blowing leaves, cleaning gutters, and clearing away fallen trees. To help with some of the work, we brought along a couple of our Grasshopper zero-turn mowers, one with a leaf bagger attachment and one with a leaf blower attachment. They really made a difference since we were working with a smaller crew and made the work more manageable.
Gateway Woods is an organization located in Leo, Indiana. Their mission is to honor and obey God by providing help and healing to troubled children and families.
In 1976 the Apostolic Christian Children's Home opened with two locations and four staff. In 1989, they started offering other services outside of the children’s home and changed their name to Gateway Woods. Their Christ-centered social services now include adoption, foster care, Gateway Farms, LARC mentorship, residential, and school programs.
Saturday, November 21st was adoption day at Gateway Woods! Because older children and teens are generally avoided by potential adoptive parents, these kids tend to age out of the foster care system. But Gateway Woods specializes in placing kids of this age range in loving homes, helping them find hope for their futures.
We’re so thankful to have a program like this in our area which enriches our community, and it’s an honor to show them our appreciation.
If you’d like to learn more about Gateway Woods, please visit their website at https://gatewaywoods.org/
There’s no denying that the past two years have been agonizing. The COVID pandemic has adversely affected many people in many places, but it has impacted impoverished countries even harder than most. Without access to medical care or the resources to stay safe, the poverty level in these countries has risen even further, causing issues like child labor, human trafficking, and lack of access to education to skyrocket. That’s why organizations such as Forgotten Children Worldwide are working even harder than ever to meet needs in India and Malawi. See how The ROP Shop is doing its part.
If you aren’t familiar with Samaritan’s Purse, it’s an organization based on a similar principle: to provide spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. One of their most widely known ministries, Operation Christmas Child, distributes shoeboxes packed with gifts and toys to children in need across the globe. According to Samaritan Purse’s website, “Since 1993, more than 188 million children in more than 170 countries and territories have received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. The project delivers not only the joy of what, for many kids, is their first gift ever, but also gives them a tangible expression of God’s love.”
The ROP Shop would like to thank the Better Business Bureau of Northern Indiana for honoring us with the BBB Torch Award for 2021. We’re humbled not only to receive this award but also to be part of this wonderful community. As stated on the BBB’s website, “The Torch Awards is the most prestigious honor the BBB can present to a business or individual. Recipients not only believe in the high standards promoted by the BBB but live it out. The awarded company encourages and supports ethical business practices and leadership while acting on them and continuously integrating them into daily practices.”
There’s no denying that this year has been a difficult one for many, and the world desperately needs the love of Christ. With the holiday season rapidly approaching, charity organizations across the world are ramping up for what promises to be one of the most challenging Christmases ever. One such organization that The ROP Shop is seeking to help is Operation Christmas Child...