A simple paper valentine can be a symbol of love, but it can also be a symbol of freedom. The Harpeth Hills Church of Christ Youth Group, part of our Nashville Find Your Mark chapter, took the initiative to create and sell handmade Valentine’s Day Cards to support the children at the Touch A Life Care Center in Ghana! The idea first came to high school freshman Audrey Janssen after she met Rachel Brown, Touch A Life’s Director of Project Development. “Rachel had a stack of books called Jantsen’s Gift, and told us to take one if you’ll read it. So I took one and read it! The story was so impacting and I just really wanted to get involved. I thought it would be amazing if our grade could just help raise money, so I went online and asked what we could do to help,” she said.
After brainstorming ideas with her mom and sister, Audrey decided to gather a group together to make class sets of valentines for students and parents to purchase, with all of the proceeds going directly to the Touch A Life Nashville Find Your Mark chapter. They created six different designs, and then reached out to families in their church in order to sell them. Altogether, 19 students and volunteers helped to create the cards – Audrey Janssen, Jackson Cho, Elizabeth Janssen, Micaela Janssen, Maggie Sparks, Brianna Ruck, Lacy Janssen, Dana Janssen, Virginia Woods, Hayley Jordan, Maddie Lillicrap, Grace Long, Robert Lewis Smith, Miles Duke, Ayesha Nasmyth, Emily Shuler, Amanda Bostic, Leanne Smith, Hannah Armistead, and Elizabeth Harrell. This incredible team sold a total of 1,700 at 50 cents a piece. When we asked Audrey what inspired her to take on such a big task, she told us that, “reading Jantsen’s Gift made me fall in love with the people in Ghana even though I haven’t met them.”
Thank you so much to Audrey and her team in Nashville. We are in love with this project!