He was invited to the church by its youth director Don Bennett, who is in his third year of running a 10-week summer program that offers free hot lunch and activities to kids on Wednesdays.
“The church members pay for the lunches, and sometimes people sponsor a week,” said Bennett, a Kettering resident. “We have kind of a working relationship with Oakview School, which is catty-corner from us.”
Bennett said about 33 percent of the students at Oakview qualify for free or reduced lunches during the school year, and this program was created to help those kids and any others in need during the summer.
He said he has had about 60 or 70 kids show up at the church, 901 E. Stroop Road, over the course of this summer.
After the lunches, there are activities for everyone to take part in, like the visit from Rushton.
“We eat, we have lunch with the kids, and usually play some kinds of games with them,” he said. “We want to let them know that there are adults besides their parents who enjoy spending time with them.”
During the school year, the church also has an Achievement Club two days a week for kids who need help with homework and serves as an emergency site.
For more information about these programs or how to help, call Bennett at (937) 475-9445.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7325 or jikelley@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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