Patriot Project

18th Annual Patriot Project Blesses Community
 

The Lord is working in big ways once again! The 18th annual Patriot Project not only raised more than $300,000, but the impact of our school’s service project is also being felt throughout the community.

“It’s just a good day to look forward to,” said Chance Betts, Senior at Southwest Covenant Schools. “We do God’s work, and we’re humble about it. We just come out here and do what we need to do.”

Each year, Southwest Covenant schools set aside an entire day of volunteering at various locations including Yukon’s city park, the Manna Pantry and OKCity Center. This past year, more than 1,000 students, staff and family members got to work planting flowers, painting infrastructure, clearing debris, cutting tree limbs, laying concrete, and helping set up the city’s annual Christmas lights display. The day of service provides much-needed resources and manpower for the city and these non-profit organizations.

“We absolutely could not accomplish this without people like them,” said Shelby Stewart, OKCity Center Community Outreach Coordinator.

The heart of Patriot Project has remained the same since its beginning in 2006. The annual project raises money for local charities and provides funding for enhanced resources in the classroom while also teaching students to emulate the character of Christ through serving others.
“The same students who we taught to dig a hole and plant a bulb in kindergarten are now taking their own initiative,” said Angela Frazier, mom and music teacher at Southwest Covenant schools.

Frazier served with a team of 11th grade students who worked to complete one of the biggest projects to date. Students laid concrete, set 168 perimeter poles and painted roughly 160,000 square feet of outline for the city of Yukon’s new baseball fields.

“It’s a great picture of what it means to raise young patriots step by step and then watch them become servants of the Lord,” said Frazier.

As mentioned, a portion of donations made to Patriot Project are given back to the community. In 2023, $30,289 was given to FaithWorks of the Inner City.

FaithWorks is a nonprofit ministry designed to meet the educational, spiritual, and physical needs of inner city children and their families. This ministry partners with Shidler Elementary school and the Shidler-Wheeler community to establish educational and after-school programs, teen and adult work programs, and summer camps.

“It means a lot,” said Issac Gallegos, Youth Director at FaithWorks. “It means a lot of kids in our community are going to get resources they don’t normally have, and we will be able to continue a lot of after-school programs with the faith-based curriculum we teach our kids and how to apply that to their lives and their families as well. So, it’s gonna go a long way.”
The remainder of donations provide funding for teachers in the classroom. From anatomy models to iPads for interactive learning, teachers say resources purchased through Patriot Project enhance classroom participation.

Breana Bassett, a 1st grade teacher at Southwest Covenant Elementary, received 20 new iPads and Osmo educational gaming systems through Patriot Project funding.

“This is the first thing that has kept my whole class engaged and focused,” said Bassett.

While these resources are an added bonus, the mission of Patriot Project is consistent with everything done at Southwest Covenant Schools and that is to glorify Christ through all that we do.

“Most of all, what we love is what it does for the hearts of the students,” said Steve Lessman, Headmaster at Southwest Covenant Schools.

2024 Patriot Project Recipient

OK City Center champions youth and families in under-resourced communities in Oklahoma City by creating empowered pathways to relief and restoration.  They work to mobilize the resources necessary to meet vital, tangible needs in the community. From clothing, food, and hygiene items to tutoring and mentorship, OK City Center provides support to help individuals and families flourish.

Supporting Local Charities

Since the inception of the Patriot Project in 2006, Southwest Covenant Schools, through generous givers like you, has donated nearly $300,000 to local charities.  

For more information, please contact:

• Project Information or Business Sponsorships: Shayna Peffer (405) 213-8495
• Volunteers & T-shirts: Shayna Peffer (405) 213-8495
• General Questions: Email patriotproject@southwestcovenant.com