One outcome of the Mennonite Youth Convention last July in Phoenix was a Bethel College drawing of a youth’s name to receive a money award for the charity of her/his choice.

Clark Oswald of Bethel College and Rachel Walker Clark Oswald of Bethel College and Rachel Walker

Clark Oswald ’03, associate director of admissions, traveled to Hopedale (Ill.) Mennonite Church in September to give a check for $500 to Rachel Walker, whose name came out of the barrel of tickets.

After some time of deliberation, the youth group decided to contribute to a local charity called Anthony’s Promise, established to help with medical costs for Anthony Durham, Hopedale youth pastor Kim Litwiller said.

Anthony is 21 months old and has suffered from a variety of health issues since birth. To date, doctors are still unable to provide a diagnosis, which is frustrating, as you can imagine.

Anthony has had more than 12 surgeries in his short 21 months of life. He has roughly four doctors’ appointments each week in Peoria, which is 25 miles from his home in Hopedale.

Due to Anthony’s health issues, his mother, Jacqueline, is unable to work, leaving her husband Brad to provide the family’s only source of income. Brad and Jacqueline also have a daughter, Alexis, 4.

In his presentation at Hopedale, Oswald talked about how the ethic of service is incorporated in our mission statement and who we are at Bethel College.

To that end, we integrate a service component into our youth convention booth—hoping to give youth the opportunity to think of others and make a difference with a call to service.