Eta Sigma Alpha National Homeschool Honor Society

 For our November meeting, we had the honor of Jon Montoya as speaker. He was a missionary in Honduras for many years, teaching the native "theists" about the glory and word of God, sometimes even hiking for hours through mountains to reach native tribes. A theist is someone who believes that there is a God, but doesn't go any deeper with their faith. Mr. Montoya shared his experience teaching others the Christian faith, and how it shaped his own relationship with God.  It was a delight to have Mr. Montoya, and a special shoutout to Caleb Giraudeau for contacting him.

  During the October meeting, we volunteered at the West End Center. The West End Center is an after-school program founded to give children a safe haven. We played basketball and football with the kids, read to them, played indoor games, and ran around outside with them. It was fun learning about the organization and helping the children! Volunteers are always well-received here, and today was no exception. For more information, visit  https://www.westendcenter.org/about

  In the September meeting, we inducted two new members: Kate and Vivian Fernandez. Next, we elected officers, with Gabriella George as President, Caleb Giraudeau  as Vice President, Kate Fernandez as secretary, Ben Ronk as Treasurer, Elijah Townsend as Parliamentarian, Ella Cox as Webmaster/Historian, and Gidean Shiffer as Devotions/ Snack Coordinator. Congratulations to everyone on their new positions! To close, we discussed possible speakers and service projects for the rest of the year. 

       In March, we had the privilege of working with Professor Frances McCutcheon from Roanoke College, who spoke about the organization she runs called Toy Like Me. Toy Like Me seeks to make toys which represent children with disabilities. We also had the opportunity to make some toys for organization, sewing gastric tubes onto stuffed animals. It was an incredible opportunity to hear about this organization's impact and participate in a different type of service project. You can find out more about Toy Like Me here .

  In February, we volunteered for the Local Office on Aging's "Soup For Seniors" event, bagging donated food to send to the elderly in the area. The initiative itself delivered over 2,850 bags, and our team helped to bag around 500 of those! It was such a fun opportunity to serve! To learn more about the Local Office on Aging and the Soup for Seniors event, click here . 

  At our January 2024 Meeting, Mr Zack Shiffer spoke to us about his work as a small-business owner. He owns the Harley-Davidson branch in the Roanoke area, and he was able to share from experience a bit of his journey towards becoming a small-business owner as well as advice to those interested in pursuing that path. He discussed everything from employees to finances to franchises. It was an interesting and enlightening talk! 

For our December 2023 meeting, we volunteered at the West End Center. We read with kids, played basketball and other outdoor games, and enjoyed meeting and interacting with the children there. The West End Center is an after school program which offers services to encourage the kids' "holistic" development. It was a wonderful and fun opportunity to serve. Learn more about the West End Center here . 

 In our November 2023 meeting, we had the pleasure of hearing Mr Chris Ronk speak to us about money and a wise, Biblical approach to personal finances. Mr. Ronk is the Chief Financial Officer at Carolina University and was able to share many practical pieces of advice regarding loans, budgeting, and investing. It was an engaging and helpful talk! We also inducted two new members to the Honor Society: Owen Bishop and Gabriella George.

  For our October 2023 meeting, we did a service project for the Friendship House kids after school program, creating an obstacle course at Highland Park for the kids to enjoy, and helping with childcare and play supervision at the park for the afternoon. To learn more about the Friendship house, click here . It was a great time to provide some fun for the kids and bond as a group!