Dozens of Anson County children were treated to a trip to a water park and the Speedpark in Concord after earning the awards through their church.
Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Wadesboro sent 21 children to the Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park, which donated the passes, on Dec. 26.
Before going, they were treated to breakfast in Concord at Bojangles’, which donated the meal. The children then went to the water park and the church paid for them to have pizza at Cici’s afterward.
The children were rewarded for their good grades in school and regular attendance in Sunday school, according to Weaver Thomas. He and former Anson County resident Gloria Howard chaperoned the trip.
The event “was designed to expand their outlook on life and to show there are great rewards for excellent performance in school,” according to Thomas.
“It’s always good to see a smile on a child’s face,” Howard said.
On Sunday, children who met the same grade and Sunday school requirements were taken to the Speedpark at Concord Mills (formerly NASCAR Speedpark).
“The children participated in go cart races, bungee jumps, and ice skating, and afterwards we treated to CiCi’s pizza by members of our church, where Tony Barr Sr. is our pastor,” Thomas said.
Thomas hinted at more fun on the horizon.
“We have other surprises planned for the children throughout the year,” he said.
HOWARD
Howard said that even though she doesn’t live in Wadesboro anymore, it didn’t stop her from getting involved with Ebenezer.
She now lives in Charlotte, but grew up in Wadesboro.
As a child, Howard said she was raised by her grandmother after her mother abandoned her. At the age of 12, she became homeless.
“As a little bitty girl, I remember when I was little, all we had to play with was sticks, dirt and water to make mud pies, and the only excitement we ever had was May Pole Day, when we wrapped the May pole at the school,” she said.
More recently, Howard suffered a busted brain aneurysm and is still dealing with the death of her oldest son.
“The joy that I get is giving me the strength that I need,” she said. “Seeing them happy. A lot of kids down there don’t ever get the chance to get out of Anson County.”
Although she had a rough childhood, Howard said she remembers the love she received from elderly people around her.
“So many bad things are going on down there, the children are being affected as much as the adults,” she said. “God just laid it on my spirit to give back what I had, which was joy. I love Wadesboro. That’s where I’m from.”
Eventually, Howard hopes to arrange to take 100 children to Six Flags Over Georgia. She has not yet begun raising funds, but said she plans to work with churches in Anson County, plans to approach the county commissioners to ask for help and has already received support from people in the county.
Howard said she is continuing the good deeds she has done for decades, and that it helps her accept her son’s death. He used to help her get children off the street to form a basketball team, she said.
“It’s my calling, I get strength from doing it and glory for doing it,” she said. “God kept me alive for a reason. I’m not going to stop doing his will.”
Reach reporter Imari Scarbrough at 704-994-5471 and follow her on Twitter @ImariScarbrough.
