Connecting Communities
“Connecting Communities for Coach”
The proceeds from Dave’s Day have been used to make a difference in our local community, as well as communities halfway around the globe. The projects listed below were chosen in past years to carry on the legacy of Coach Dave Lewis.
- Watoto Childcare Ministries
The Lewis Family and the Missions Team of Central United Methodist Church of Linwood began raising money in 2009 to build the Dave Lewis House, a home in the Watoto Village in Uganda.
Through generous donations and community participation in fund-raising events, the Missions Team returned to Uganda in February 2010 to build a teacher’s house and a classroom in the Watoto Village both named for Dave Lewis. Such endeavors make it possible for Ugandan children left parentless by the AIDS epidemic and civil war to obtain an education, family structure and a brighter future.
The church built their first home for Watoto Childcare Ministries in February 2008. This was a cause close to Dave Lewis’s heart, and he had a strong desire to go to Uganda to help the church when they returned to build the second home.
Watoto Child Care Ministries is a non-profit organization that provides holistic, residential care for Ugandan children left parentless by AIDS and civil war. Through the generosity of people from around the world, Watoto builds villages consisting of homes, schools and medical clinics with the core vision to rescue a Child, raise a Leader and rebuild a Nation. Please visit www.watoto.com for more information.
- Northfield Education Foundation
As a teacher, coach, mentor, and father, Dave Lewis always stressed the importance of education. Northfield Education Foundation (NEF) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to contribute to the educational experience of the students in the Northfield District through the application of funding, supplies, and human resources.
Using funds from Dave’s Day 2009 and 2010, NEF implemented a mentoring program for at-risk students, as well as an anonymous anti-violence messaging platform called Talk About It. Both programs have shown to be very beneficial to the children in the school district. Funds from Dave’s Day 2011 were used to purchase hard copy books and eReaders for the school library at the Northfield Community School. The NEF intends to use funds from Dave’s Day 2012 to support after-school clubs including Future Engineers Club, Book Club, Media Club, and Chess Club.
- Covenant House
The Covenant House of Atlantic City provides basic services to the homeless youth of South Jersey and gives them a chance to make a life for themselves away from the streets. Their impact on the community is astounding; these “at risk” kids go on to find and maintain employment, move into their own apartments, go to college and reunite with their families.
Though homeless, many kids staying at Covenant House attend community college. Funds raised at Dave’s Day 2010 were designated to purchase laptop computers to be used by students during their stay at the Covenant House.
To learn more about the Covenant House, please visit their website: www.covenanthousenj.org
- Haiti Relief Effort
Dave’s Day 2011 provided funding for relief efforts after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
The Missions Team from Central United Methodist Church traveled to Haiti in 2011 and began rebuilding a library and a home.
