A Place for Family Fun
Just follow the sound of laughter on a Tuesday night at the Fountain Square Corps Community Center and you’ll find the Kyle siblings. For these children, Tuesdays at The Salvation Army mean Club 3:16, a time to learn the lessons of the Bible and apply them to their young lives in fun and engaging ways. Alongside other local neighborhood children, the Kyle children find fellowship and joy in the weekly character building program.
For Lisa Kyle, their grandmother, The Salvation Army has been a tremendous blessing in her family’s life. She was first introduced to The Salvation Army through the Angel Tree program, which provided Christmas gifts for her grandchildren at a time when the family was struggling to make ends meet. While visiting the corps in Fountain Square, she learned of year-round and summer programs that could provide the children with safe, fun, and affordable ways to learn and grow.
“It is amazing,” Lisa shared. “I’m just so thankful that they have a place that they can go and feel comfortable. And they ask to go. It’s not like, ‘You have to go do this.’ They ask to go. The people there are awesome. I just love it. It’s hard to put into words. Knowing that your kids are safe, knowing that they’re taken care of, and that they’re having fun, and that they want to be there. It’s great.”
Since they started spending more time at The Salvation Army, the Kyle siblings have attended summer day camp, picked out new school supplies at a back-to-school community fair, and joined other kids from across the state for the big annual Youth Rally. All of the kids have made friends at the corps, one of the few places where they could socialize with children their own ages during the long months of the pandemic.
Seven-year-old Hazel often asks if she can miss her dance practice so that she can attend Club 3:16 with her big sister, Ava. Nine-year-old Levi especially loves that his Indy RBI baseball coach, Captain Vinal Lee, is also a pastor at The Salvation Army. Meanwhile, little five-year-old Eden is just excited to finally be old enough to attend programs without an adult.
“I love that they do the Bible study,” added Lisa. “It’s safe. It’s not out in the streets. They watch the kids and have safe activities planned. They keep them active. They are well supervised.”
Because of your generosity, families like the Kyles have been able to count on The Salvation Army for much deeper support that will make a difference for generations to come. Thank you.