Bucket List Adventures in Decatur
Have a water balloon fight, sleep in a tent, fly a kite, go to the zoo, go to a drive-in movie, and ride go-carts—these sweet and iconic kid past times are just a handful of the first few ideas that topped the “ABCH Summer Bucket List” for some of the girls in our care, in Decatur. Dustin and Haley Terry are house parents for this girls cottage, and the bucket list they worked on together started small but ended much bigger than ever imagined. With a total of 52 activities they dreamed up and hoped to check off before starting back to school, this crew had a busy and memorable summer!
STARTING THEIR LIST
With no limits on what they could add, the girls were encouraged to dream up whatever they liked to add to the list. The things that made their list ranged from on-campus activities like a campus kickball game and tie-dyeing t-shirts to road trips that would take them to the Space and Rocket Center and to the birthplaces of both Helen Keller and Jesse Owens.
Haley says, “This started out with the white board when they came home from school. I asked them to list 3 to 5 things they’d like to do this summer. It became a group activity, as they all started talking about it, and they didn’t want to write the same thing. I added a few, and it slowly grew out of control. We ended up with 52 ideas!” With a list of ideas longer than their typical summer activities list, Haley decided to post their list on her social media to see if anyone would be interested in helping to provide for any of them. Within a short amount of time, nearly every bucket list wish was claimed!
CREATING GOOD LIFE EXPERIENCES
Though some of the girls had done some of the things on their list, there were many things that none of them had ever had the chance to experience. And it was those things, the things they had never done, that surprised Haley the most.
She says, “I grew up around here, and there were things we did that were just 5 to 10 minutes away, things that they’d never done . . . When we took them to Helen Keller’s birthplace for example, we had read a little book about her life before we went, and they were so into it. After we finished the tour, I realized a few minutes later, they had found our tour guide and were (still) asking her so many questions. They were so curious! This was all historical and cultural stuff I had taken for granted. Now they know these things and have a better grasp on them.”
(Pictured below, a few snapshots of summer fun—a visit to the Jesse Owens Museum, crafts at the library, and go-karts!)
For some of our donors, it was nostalgia that largely inspired their gift to the girls. “There was a lady who contacted me and said, ‘Can I do the picnic in the park, and then we can go back and do the concert?’”
Every Monday in the summer, there is music in the local park near the campus, and this generous lady had prepped two big coolers for the cottage full of chicken salad, drinks, games, and rollout quilts. Haley says, “It was stuff like that that people had grown up doing, things they had good memories of with their families, and they wanted to be a part of sharing that same experience with the girls.”
Each of these tangible investments of life experiences has meant so much. “They (the girls) need food, clothes, and more. But a lot of these kids haven’t had good life experiences. And they need those too.” She continues, “Simple things like, dancing in the rain or catching fireflies—and oh yeah, they caught those fireflies!”
GETTING AND GIVING BACK
Through the generosity of donors who support our ministry, children in our care all across the state are able to enjoy special summer activities. Haley says that for some of the items they came up with though, she and Dustin worked with the girls to earn their own way, giving them opportunities to earn money doing extra chores around the campus.
She says, “We feel it is important to do that . . . to work and earn things, and also understand they won’t be handed everything. One of the things we did this summer that was also on their list, was to volunteer at a school—we cleaned a kitchen, and it took about three hours. They did such a great job! We want them to learn it’s not always about people investing in you, but you investing in others and in yourself too.”
THE GLOW OF SUMMER
Thinking back on the summer, the Terrys and the girls are full of smiles. Of the 52 ideas listed, they crossed off an amazing 48! “Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would get the response we got,” in thinking of how many people so quickly and eagerly jumped in to bless their home.
And what did the girls think of all the activities? Here are a few things that stood out to them:
“I had never went to a drive-in movie theater. It was super fun!”
“I liked (making and) giving the cookies to the fire department.”
“I didn’t know about (how I’d like) the waterpark, but I really liked the waterpark.”
“My favorite was the go-carts."
“Volunteering was one of my favorites . . . I like helping people out."
"Ruby Falls was so fun, and pretty."
"We went to Helen Keller’s birthplace. It was super cool. I liked it . . . learning and seeing how her house was set-up."
When asked what she would want to share with all the donors, Haley says, “Just how thankful we are. That’s why I’ve continued posting about it (online) . . . I want people to see we’re doing what we said we’d do and the joy behind it. And people have commented, ‘I love following your summer posts!,’ and, ‘I love these posts; I love getting to see what you’re letting these kids experience.’”
Haley continues, “It’s not always good and great (the day-to-day). There’s so much hard stuff these girls have been through and things we have to deal with. This Bucket List has given us something fun and helped us make connections with the kids that are important. And I know they feel invested in from people giving to them.”