After the year 2020 gave us, the Barnes family of Savannah, Missouri, is looking forward to the new year by paying it forward.
Katie & RaChelle Barnes who own Barnes Acres, a campground and event venue, are offering up their time and space for “Service Sundays.” The couple sees it as a way to show their five adopted children and current foster child the importance of giving back.
“We have always wanted to instill the importance of giving back in our children,” RaChelle said. “We believe the more we are able to give back to the community and get others to help, the better the community will be.”
With friends and family asking about using Barnes Acres for various fundraisers, the idea to make Sundays a dedicated day to do just that was born.
Right now, the couple is in the planning stages.
“The pandemic has made it more difficult to be able to just go volunteer anytime and anywhere,” Katie said.
The couple plans to contact local nonprofit organizations to offer their help. Some of their current fundraising ideas include a karaoke event (the couple has DJ equipment), a bingo benefit (where attendees pay a certain amount for each bingo card and earn prizes), adult flag football, sand volleyball and cornhole tournaments.
The couple also owns and operate Best Youth Sports and Summer Camps and is interested in helping local sports teams raise funds.
“We’re pretty open to trying all different kinds of things,” Katie said.
Already, the couple’s children — Laynee, 6; Dak, 6; Finn, 6; Raya, 3; KyLynn, 1; and their 6-month-old foster son — have been involved with cleaning up parks and painting a local church building. During the 2019 Christmas season, the children bought gifts and presented them to assisted living facility residents.
“Our big thing is teaching them to be leaders in their community,” Katie said. “You don’t always have to do it with money, you can do it by giving your time.”
If you or someone you know can benefit from the Barnes family’s Service Sundays, call or text Katie at 816-288-7261 or email barnesacres@yahoo.com.
This article originally ran on newspressnow.com.
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