Core Values…We talk about them around our office. Phrases like “What’s at your core?” can be heard and repeated until they blend into the background noise. Sadly, sometimes we simply dismiss these phrases because we assume what they voice are present. In this case, association does not result in manifestation. In order to embody our Core Values it requires taking the words off the page and living them out. It involves getting hands dirty and tough conversations. This is how you differentiate an idea from a lifestyle.
Among the values we hold at CK, the one that’s more central, pivotal, and resonates the deepest and loudest within me is Service. The act of serving, loving, supporting and just being there for those around you, both inside and outside your immediate circle of influence, is a way to demonstrate and live out Service. At CK we put action to our beliefs through projects and initiatives designed to express this. Projects like the one we recently completed with Street Grace.
Street Grace is an organization that fights the commercial sexual exploitation of children. They mobilize resources, advocacy, prevention, and restoration. Prevention is always better than a cure. That’s why Street Grace maintains a network of resources, mainly in the form of facilities which provide environments and situations designed to mitigate the chances children will end up on the streets and in the sex trade. In part, the organization does this through homes that provide safety, security, guidance, and most importantly stability. At risk girls are placed in homes with house parents who teach them life skills and love them in a way that instills both confidence and sustained sufficiency. Ultimately, Street Grace creates an atmosphere that nurtures the girls for success.
We had the privilege of partnering with 12Stone Church by helping with some minor repairs, painting, and providing games and recreation for one of the Street Grace homes. CK volunteers, alongside several others, painted nearly the entire inside of the home, assisted with roof and eave repairs, painted shutters, built a garden, installed a volleyball court, tore down and replaced shelving downstairs. Through the whole experience we worked alongside these amazing girls; their eyes glowed bright with determination, hope, and joy.
Take time to invest in people. Serve them. You never know the fruit of the seeds you plant in the lives of others.
Below is a video from our project. (Please excuse the sound in some spots…it was very windy.)