A Note from Derek Vaughn, Site Director - March 2020

Cross-Town season is approaching PLAYOFFS!  Week 5 is in the books and the teams are ready to go back at it next weekend.  If you are unaware of this basketball league, let me share with you the mission and purpose of it. 
   

Cross-Town Basketball League is a league we offer students in grades 7th through 12th who are not on a high school varsity team.  You would be amazed at how many youth love the game of basketball and want a chance to play on a level higher than street ball.  We bring in PIAA certified referees for these games to give the youth a real experience of how it is to play organized ball.  We draft players, host games on Fridays/Saturdays and hold practices on Wednesdays.  Basketball is a wonderful sport and a great way to connect with the youth which is why we created the league.
   

This league gives us the opportunity to connect with the youth and preach the gospel to them.  During our practices, we take time to see how the youth are doing.  The coaches will ask the players how school is going, how their week has been, what goals that want to accomplish.  We usually share random facts as well.  Facts like, ‘if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?”.  Personally, I would love to see Rome.  We spend time in growing relationships as teammates.  Getting to know one another aside from the desire to play ball.  We also have faith talks with the players. One of our coaches will share a part of their journey with Christ.  How they chose to accept Him into their life and chose to follow Him.  I am always amazed with the conversations we have with the players because every story is different.  Every coach has had a different walk to/with Christ and that makes the program special. 

The players are from many different walks of life that each story sheds a little light on theirs.  I have seen some youth completely transformed after participating in this league.  The practices hold the heart beat of this program.  The true purpose of its creation.  These practices continue during the duration of the season.
   

Please consider attending one of these games as we would love to see your face in the stands!   

Another date to mark on your calendar is Saturday, March 14th.  We will be hosting our Annual Saint Patricks Day 5k/10k Race.  With awards given to the top three men and women in each age bracket.  We also have a 50 yard dash for kids ages 10 and younger.  This 50 yard dash is free and the participants will receive chocolate gold coins for running it!  We also have a bag piper to welcome the runners before the race kicks off at 8:30 AM.  For more information and to register, please visit our website at joshuahouse.com!

A Note from Derek Vaughn, Site Director - December 2019

Let me start off by saying, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and had the opportunity to spend it with family and friends!  This year, like every year, Joshua House has been blessed by all of the volunteers, donors, and those who attended our Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner.  We had a record breaking 525 meals served!  How incredible!  In case you were unaware, we host this event every year on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  Be sure to mark it on your calendar for 2020 as we would LOVE to break bread with you, serve with you, and see how you are doing.

2019 Champs - Lakers

I am very excited to announce that our Cross-Town Basketball League will be starting up this month!  This program is one that we provide to students in 7th to 12th grades throughout the area who love the game of basketball and love to have fun.  Last year we had 4 teams and hope to expand on that this year.  If you have a child or grandchild that is interested, please sign them up because this league is a blast! Let me give you some important dates and then we will dive into the purpose of the league.

• Open Gym: December 28th from 5:30 to 7:30

• Open Gym: January 8th from 5:30 to 7:30

• Last Day of Registration: January 10th

• First Practice: January 15th from 5:30 to 7:30

• First Game: January 18th from 5:30 to 7:30

• League runs January to beginning of March

• Registration Fee: $25 per player

• Register on: www.joshuahouse.com/cross-town

Proverbs 3:6 states ‘In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.’  The wonderful thing about the league is that it gives us the opportunity to connect with youth in a sport they love and share our testimony of faith.  Last year I was able to lead a student to Christ and cannot tell you how thankful I am for that interaction and this league.

When I spoke to that youth, he conveyed to me uncontrollable feelings of rage and unforgiveness, feelings of destruction.  He asked how he could stop those feelings, and how he can overcome them.  He knew Jesus but never submitted his life to Him.  We spoke and prayed together.  He asked Christ to come into his life and into his heart.  That youth has never been the same since.  He is always eager to help, eager to learn.  I am very proud of that young man and who he is becoming.  He has been an example to me as to why Joshua House exists and why Cross-Town is such a cool thing to be a part of.

Not all stories of our attendees are like this, but, to me, that is ok.  Joshua House has been a safe haven to many youth who are struggling, have feelings of unforgiveness and need a place to feel accepted.  We have been here to give guidance and love, and without support from people like you, we would not be able to do this. So, thank you for supporting us and giving us the opportunity to have impact.  The Armory has truly become a place that a lot of youth call home.

Since this will be the final monthly update of the year, I would like to, on behalf of Joshua House, wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!  Make sure to spend some time with your loved ones and celebrate.  Celebrate the year in passing, the year ahead, and the birth of our Savior.  I admit, I sometimes get caught in the frills and thrills of Christmas with preparing for dinner and gifts and hosting friends and family from out of town, but I do not want to push the true meaning aside.  This year I will be sure to take the time to truly celebrate Jesus and all that He has done.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you and have a very Merry Christmas!!

-Derek

A Note from Derek Vaughn, Site Director - November 2019

Thanksgiving Day is so close! For us here at Joshua House that means a very busy and exciting time as we host our Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner on Tuesday, November 26th. In case you have never heard of it, this dinner is provided to the community for FREE as a way for us to give back and to give thanks! We host this event at 926 Logan Ave, Tyrone (The Tyrone Armory) from 4:30 until 6:30 PM. Last year we were able to serve 400 meals and hope to serve even more for this year!

I absolutely love this season and this event! It gives us the opportunity to see what a wonderful heart our community has between those who donate food, donate their time to serve or cook and recognize what a blessing giving can be. We get to see old friends, make new ones and feed multiple families who may or may not otherwise enjoy a home cooked Thanksgiving Day meal. If you wish to volunteer or have items to donate please call me at (814) 684-2032.

Attention basketball enthusiasts in grade 7th to 12th! Our Cross-Town Basketball League registration is NOW OPEN! This league offers a chance for those who are not on the school varsity team to show off their skills or enjoy an upbeat and friendly competition in a sport we know well and love. We have three open gyms this year.

• December 18th

• December 28th

• January 8th.

All open gyms and practices are from 5:30 until 7:30 PM.

Registration must be completed by January 10th as coaches will be drafting their teams the day after.

Registration fees are $25 to help cover the cost of official refs, awards, and jerseys.

Practices will start on Wednesday, January 15th and will continue to be held on Wednesdays for the remainder of the season.

Games will be on Saturdays. We’ll announce game dates soon.

For more info and to register, go to our Cross-town page.

From all of us here at Joshua House, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

-Derek

A Note From Derek Vaughn, Tyrone Site Director - October 2019

FALL. IS. HERE! A little fact about myself, I love Fall! Football is in season, leaves are changing, the chill of the morning welcomes your day and all my favorite holidays are on its way. The most obvious, Thanksgiving!

I remember being a young boy and going to my grandparents house where all three floors of their home were filled with laughter, story telling, kids running around and the delicious smell of thanksgiving dinner in the air.

The Thanksgiving Dinner is a great way for teens to learn the value of serving others. Desert anyone?

Here at Joshua House we like to celebrate God’s faithfulness by hosting a community Thanksgiving dinner the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. We have been so blessed to be able to provide this to our area year after year for free! Last year we served over 400 meals and are hoping to serve even more next month. This is all made possible because of our wonderful volunteers who dedicate their time to cook all of the turkeys, the stuffing, mashed potatoes, cookies and so on. I can smell the goodness! Can’t you? I cannot express enough how thankful I am for our volunteers and donors.

If you have never come to this event this note is my invitation to you to come break bread with us on November 26th at the Armory (926 Logan Ave). You’ll most likely see old friends, make new ones and have a delicious meal. For us, it’s a chance to give back and to share God’s love. It brings me such overwhelming joy to be a part of this and I am sure you will feel the same.

If you are interested in donating or volunteering we would LOVE to have you play a part. Please message our Facebook page or reach out to me directly.

I wanted to also give you a reminder about the Fall Classic - our beautiful 5K, 9 mile and Kids SuperHero costume 1 mile race. The Fall Classic is on Saturday, October 26th at Reservoir Park. You can register here.

God bless!

-Derek

A Note From Derek Vaughn, Tyrone Site Director - September 2019

It has been an excellent summer for myself and Joshua House! As some of you may know this has been my first year as Site Director and I cannot express enough how grateful I am to be a part of this organization, to carry out our purpose in helping the community and our youth.

We had quite a summer! Here are some highlights:

• For our 19th year of HoopsFest, we had over 200 teams, representing 10 different states (not to mention surviving the high heat index!). Be on the look out for HoopsFest 20th year plans!

• Took a group of 50 teenagers to Compassion Commission in Baltimore. We helped clean up throughout the city, minister to people and build a home for a vet.

• We started a new program called ‘Above the Rim’ which was held on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of every month led my local basketball legend, Drew Shubik who played D1 college ball and a year of pro ball oversees. We had at least 12 teens come each time where we played basketball, ate pizza together and Drew would share powerful messages.

• This was the first year for a new event called ’SportsFest’ held at Lakemont Park in Altoona. This event had three three-on-three tournaments - basketball, volleyball and dek hockey. Though a smaller event than HoopsFest, it was a blessing to be able to give Blair County another opportunity to relate sports to faith and have it as an avenue of outreach.

Our 2019 Compassion Commission Crew

I can't tell you how excited I am that school is back in session! That means our AfterSchool program has begun. The Summer is a busy time for many so seeing some kids who were off the grid during the Summer is great. Our attendance is strong and we're looking to build off of last year with implementing an incentive program, creating volunteer opportunities, scheduled speaker nights and much more. This program was created for the purpose providing a safe place where our youth can come and feel welcomed, wanted and given direction in life.

Also, be sure to sign up for the Fall Classic coming up on October 26th. It's a favorite in the area because the beautiful Fall scenery at Tyrone's Reservoir Park and for the yummy food at the end. Pumpkin muffins...oh yeah!

-Derek