Cornerstone Seniors Leave A Legacy

Last night, the culmination of our senior's time at Cornerstone came to a close as they presented their capstone project. During The Senior Legacy Project, students consider their God-given gifts, talents, interests, and passions as they explore a final in-depth service project. It is not just about filling a community service hours requirement but thinking deeply about making an ongoing difference in the lives of others with a biblical worldview perspective. Today we’re sharing just a few of this year’s projects. You’ll be amazed at what these young adults accomplished and how their efforts will continue to impact generations.

IMPACT Leads to Serving Beyond Our Local Community

Lily Buck chose to fundraise money to purchase new windows for the Independence Church located in Independence, Belize. “Installing these windows gives people hope that someone does care about them and that God is working. No amount of money is too small to make an impact in these poverty-stricken communities,” said Lily. She served this church during her junior year on IMPACT week. “I am so grateful God placed me on the IMPACT trip to Belize my junior year because He knew the impact the people would have on my heart and the plans for my Legacy Project. Helping these people in poverty-stricken situations is important to me because I have seen it first-hand. I have witnessed the situations they live in and I believe it to be unacceptable. By completing this project, I hope to encourage anyone who may think this social cause is unfixable,” added Lily.  

 

University Model® Allows for Flexibility to Share a Passion

Brooks Beber, partnered with Calvary Children's Home and built a parkour park, presented it to the kids, and donated it to them to have on their campus. “Since I was 13 years old, I have been coaching parkour classes to people of all ages,” said Brooks. “There is nothing more exciting than to see kids passionate and excited to learn new movements and skills. That is the sort of environment that parkour invites. Consistent exercise is hugely beneficial for their well-being but is often unappealing. The playground gets old fast and not everyone aspires to be an athlete so exercise can quickly be neglected. Parkour, however, is an effective bridge for this gap. It meets and challenges those of all ages allowing them fun and creative forms of movement that exercise their mind and their body. For this reason, I wanted to construct a movable parkour park that Calvary can have on-site for the kids to use whenever they have that itch to be active. Altogether, this project helped me to see that the kingdom of God is built through us bearing witness to God’s work in our lives and through providing spaces for needs to be met as a means of loving our neighbor. God is at work through our speech, as well as, through our hands and our feet, and He invites us to serve others through all of it.” 

Fine Arts Involvement Leads to Investing in the Next Generation 

Kate Burton partnered with the Center for the Arts at Due West Church to host an enchanted evening character meet and greet to raise money for the Shine Bright Scholarship Fund she created for kids to be able to do musical theater. “At seven years old, I became involved with theater, and it changed my life,” said Kate. “Theater taught me to be confident in who I am and who I am becoming.”  A total of 57 kids attended the enchanted evening! “They felt special, seen, and loved,” added Kate. “They will be able to continue to shine as they are given the opportunity to be a part of the Fine Arts at Due West because of this scholarship fund. For when we join together, we can all shine bright.”

 

 

Family Connection Builds Engagement for Those with Disabilities

Philip Chase partnered with Next Step Ministries to build a sensory garden on their property for the use of their clients to have an engaging space and experience nature. “My sister, Caroline, was born with Down Syndrome, and I now can say that she has been one of the most influential people in my life. As I have grown older, I see more and more what it means not only for the person growing up with a disability but for the family. A disability can have major effects on a family, and especially when the disabled person has grown out of the education system, life can get very hard having to take care of them all day every day, with little outlet for engagement outside of the occasional day program. For my project, that is something I wanted to accomplish; create an environment where a person with different needs could go, and at the same time be engaged in constructive activities and be in creation.”  

Fostering Community and Combatting Caregiver Burnout

Jake Kotula partnered with Thrive Ministries to organize social events for teens and adults with special needs and their families to combat the issue of caregiver burnout and foster a sense of community. This was a new aspect of the special needs ministry at his church. They provide activities/help for special needs individuals, but Jake saw the need to include families. He fostered the opportunity for them to socialize with each other while their children were able to enjoy activities as well. “I have more events on the calendar and have trained a couple of other teens to pick up the torch when I graduate,” said Jake. “I’m also maintaining a relationship with several of the special needs individuals as well, with one being my buddy to play video games and hang out often. I need to remember that I have been blessed beyond measure and put in a place where I can help others around me, and, with just a little bit of planning and care for those around me, I can make a huge difference.”

The graduating class of 2024 features 40 students who each leave their own legacy at Cornerstone. Today we highlighted just a few of their legacy projects, but click here to read more about each of our incredible seniors and the legacy they’re leaving behind.

Interested in learning more about Cornerstone and all the wonderful programs we offer? Join us for our next monthly Information Meeting on Tuesday, May 7 at 9 a.m. to learn about our University-Model of schooling and take a tour of our beautiful campus.