I love being involved in my community. Last night was one of those great nights. As president this year of a service organization (Kiwanis) I got to present scholarship awards to two graduating seniors from our city’s high school. This is a huge night to give out scholarships. In a town with a population around 20,000, an inner ring suburb, and a very diverse student population, the school gave away $169,000 in scholarship money!

The scholarship came from service organizations (like Kiwanis and Lions), businesses (like Medtronic), and memorial gifts. The memorial gifts were incredibly special. They were given in behalf of people who had gone to Columbia Heights High School, worked in the school district, volunteered, or just someone who wanted to give back after they had passed on. The stories of some of these were so incredible. At least two were given in honor of law enforcement officers who had fallen in the line of duty. Another given in honor of a sister who was killed by a drunk driver while she was a student at the high school. The stories were incredible. The giving was even more incredible.

I am so thankful to pastor in such a generous community.