The New Year may be off to a great start, but we are still celebrating some of the amazing partner stories we heard around the holidays! Right before the winter break, United4Hope team members Jenny Runyon and Katie Jackson got a chance to visit Fall-Hamilton Elementary. While there, they got to visit with school liaison Daryl Elliot and Woodmont Christian Church volunteer Jim Thomas. “Mr. Thomas,” as he is affectionately referred to by the students, is a dedicated volunteer at Fall Hamilton. What began as being a lunch buddy with a few students evolved into becoming a “room dad” for a whole classroom and beginning a pickleball club. His impact at Fall Hamilton has been so significant that they named their holiday store The Jim Thomas Holiday Gift Shop in his honor. Students decorated cutouts of pickleball paddles and used them to write thank you notes to Mr. Thomas. Volunteers like Mr. Thomas bring so much life and joy to our schools! Thank you to Mr. Thomas and the hundreds of other volunteers from Woodmont Christian Church who invest so much into the lives of students, staff, and families at Fall Hamilton Elementary!

Pictured from left to right: Jim Thomas, Katie Jackson, Jenny Runyon, and Daryl Elliot