4/23/2017

Dear Friends of PCS,

One week ago today we received a most unexpected blessing from God by way of Kosair Charities.  Jodell Seay (PCS Executive Director) and PCS parents Tim and Joan Heid, along with their daughter Rilynn, were invited to attend a luncheon at Kosair Charities.  A few years ago Kosair donated so that PCS could install carpeting and a “sound field” in one of our elementary classrooms so that Rilynn, who has cochlear implants, could attend PCS along with her siblings.  Since that time our relationship with Kosair has grown and they have sponsored several of our events.  The luncheon last Tuesday was billed as an opportunity for Kosair to video the heads of four local schools they had helped, along with parents and a child from each of these schools.  At the end of the event, Kosair revealed that they were donating $1,000,000 to each of the four schools!  Click here or on the “Thank You Kosair” banner at www.portlandchristian.org to watch a video of the creative and heart-warming way in which they revealed these gifts.

That afternoon, Jodell  returned to PCS with a check for $250,000 and the knowledge that Kosair will give that same amount to PCS each April for the next three years!  To say that we were surprised is to put it mildly.  Shocked and amazed would be more accurate.  Kosair has made it clear to us that this gift is unrestricted and we may spend it as we see best.  When we asked them why they had chosen to give to PCS, they told us that it is because we seek to serve the needs of the whole child and they recognize that we serve a number of children with special learning, spiritual, emotional, and social needs.

Now that you know about this amazing gift, we would like to ask three things of you:

  1. Please join us in praising God for this gift and in thanking Kosair Charities however you can, whether on their Facebook page or in person to anyone you know that works with them.
  2. Please pray for wisdom for the leadership of PCS as we consider where best to apply these funds. We have many pressing current needs as well as many dreams of things we would like to do if we had the funding, and we would like to use every dollar in the best way possible.
  3. Please continue to support the work of PCS by praying, giving and volunteering. While this gift certainly gives us an opportunity to meet some current needs and perhaps start some of things on our wish list, we continue to rely on donations for a significant portion of our annual budget.  We also provide tuition assistance to a quarter of our students and all of these funds come from donations to PCS.

We are still in awe God for this timely gift.  It reminds us yet again that He provides for His work in His way and in His time.  We also continue to be thankful for our extended PCS family and wanted to let you share in our joy.

Dan Wilson, PCS ’87