R.A.D. Outreach
What is RAD?
R.A.D. (Reaching out in Active Discipleship) is a community outreach team from Radiant Church, under whose 501(c)3 we operate. Our team members are comprised of members of Radiant Church and individuals that reside in Clark County. We do not require that our team members or those we help attend Radiant or any other church.
R.A.D. CHRISTMAS OPPORTUNITIES
2020 looks a little different this year but there are ways you can still help disadvantaged families in our community to celebrate with food and gifts they otherwise would be unable to experience. Click here for a list of Food Donations needed to help fill boxes for 35 adopted families (these families are adopted by local nominations and a partnership with the Camas/Washougal school districts who identify families in need.). Click here to Contact our Team if you’d like to Volunteer to help pack food boxes, wrap gifts or hand out either.
It all started when…
We began our outreach team in March 2015. Jeremy Carmichael (Pastor at Radiant Church) approached Mike and Michele Gregson to gather a team together in to start providing meals at the Refuel Friday meals. We served our first meal in March 2015. We quickly started serving these meals one Friday a month. As our team grew and we involved ourselves in the community we quickly realized that there is a greater need to help our low- income and homeless community members and we held a back pack and school supply drive. We filled 26 backpacks and delivered to children in need. We also donated boxes of school supplies to the schools. We then began planning a Christmas day dinner and event. We served our first Christmas dinner in co-op with the Refuel Friday meal (since Christmas was a Friday). We served 85 meals the first year for Christmas Day, with Santa and family pictures with him that we printed on site. Everyone attending received gifts and much much more.
School Supplies and Christmas remain our two largest events of the year. We also provide financial assistance (when funds allow) to those in need of rent, utility, and gas help. We provide food boxes and try to plug in to fill a need when we see a need, including seasonal emergencies within and surrounding our community.
Our numbers over the years
2016 we handed out 50 filled backpacks and served 162 at our dinner with Santa and gifts.
2017 we handed out 116 filled backpacks and held our first dinner and auction fundraiser We raised $2,300 to help with our efforts. Our team adopted 24 families and provided a free community Christmas day dinner again with Santa and gifts for about 87 (the weather was a factor to people getting the school). Having outgrown the community center, we began serving from Hathaway Elementary School.
2018 brought a lot of new and growing needs we offered financial assistance for rent, hotel nights, gas, utility bills, food, hygiene, daycare, and household items. Our team held a backpack event in the park and supplied 230 children with full backpacks. They were invited to come to the park, have lunch and “shop” for their school supplies after getting to pick out a new backpack. We held our 2nd annual dinner and auction on October 13 and raised about $4,200. We adopted 33 families this year and served 116 meal at our Christmas day event (which continues to have Santa, gifts, and sharing tables).
2019 we provided rent, utility, food, daycare, gas, and hotel assistance to our community members in need. We continue to be able to do this from the donations that we receive and through our fundraising efforts. We provided 326 children with back to school back packs and supplies. We continued this event as a fun family day and provided lunch. We have volunteers on site to assist our families in selecting the backpack and then picking the items from the supply list specific to their grade and school. We were able to provide Thanksgiving dinner to 28 families! Our team adopted 35 families at Christmas and served over 100 meals on Christmas day. When a family is adopted for Christmas, they receive food for a wonderful Christmas dinner and gifts for all family members. We also have a Christmas day event for those who need a hot meal inside from the cold. We typically have Santa with free photos, gifts and wonderful sharing tables where guests can get a jacket, blankets, shoes, hygiene items, and food.
So far 2020 has brought great challenges both to how we raise funds and how we serve our community. We have continued to provide financial assistance to families in need for rent, utilities, gas, motel stays, and even an Amtrak ticket to get someone to his family! We were not able to host the back to school event this year due to COVID restrictions. However, we have been able to stay in contact with the schools and have been able to assist when needed. We also have not been able to coordinate our main fundraising event, our dinner and silent auction. We are not sure what the holidays will look like and if we will be able to host the Christmas day event. However, we anticipate families in need of assistance reaching out for adoption. We have a heart for our community and we are excited to partner with all who want to partner with us to help those in need.
100% of the funds that we raise goes to helping our community members in need. Your donations and your time donated for volunteering greatly impact our community! For more information on how to donate funds or time please contact Mike Gregson 360- 721-9902 or Michele Gregson at 360-281-1125.