Church Seeks to Make Positive Impact on Northern County Schools

Show God's love to the community in practical ways.

That's the mission of (ALC) and members of the church's education team work hard and volunteer their time at local schools.

Volunteers from ALC served parents, students and school faculty a spaghetti dinner Thursday evening at both and high schools.

The dinner was part of the schools' back-to-school night programs, and was one of many results of the partnership ALC has established with northern Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS).

According to Tammy Spano, education team leader at ALC, the church has established education teams that work in local schools performing tasks such as mentoring, reading and volunteering.

“This summer, we traveled to all 24 northern Anne Arundel County Schools to see how they need help. This program is all about connection to the schools and filling in where there is a need,” Spano said.

Spano said that the ALC teams plan to participate in many activities throughout the upcoming school year. ALC volunteers will serve as guest readers in classrooms, chaperone school dances and hold beautification work days—planting flowers, mulching and helping the schools with other landscaping needs.

“We have even done 'Extreme Makeover' projects in teacher's lounges in a few schools around the county,” said Spano. “We go in and renovate the lounges and show the teachers how appreciated they are by giving them a nicer space for planning, eating lunch, or taking a break.”

The event that Spano said she is most looking forward to in the upcoming school year is the prom dress drive she will help organize for North County, for which the church will collect prom dresses for students who cannot afford to buy a dress of their own.

“We're even trying to have a fashion show with the students. It's sad to me when I hear of a girl who can't attend her senior prom because she can't afford a dress. I want those girls to be able to enjoy their prom,” she said.

Glen Burnie principal Vickie Plitt said she was very pleased with ALC's involvement in their back to school night.

“This is wonderful. It's a win-win situation for both groups. It gets the community and the school to get involved with each other, and that's something we're trying to do at all times,” said Plitt.

Liz Wagner serves as a consultant to the education teams at ALC and said the program is about getting the school, students and community together.

“It allows casual conversation and gives ALC the chance to say to the community, 'We care about you. We care about your kids,'” she said.

In addition to the outreach programs in northern AACPS, ALC serves the local community in many other ways. Examples of ALC's recent service to the community include collecting food for local food banks, providing Christmas for needy families in the area and housing homeless men and women in the winter months through the Winter Relief program.

Learn more about the church by visiting their website.