THOMASVILLE—Young Life Thomas County held its annual fundraising banquet on Monday night. At the banquet, youth gathered to celebrate community members who make it possible for them to learn about Christ in a fun, new way.

More than just a fundraiser, Area Director Cole Ramaekers wanted to use the event to promote Young Life’s impact on the local community.

“We want to raise awareness on how people, not only kids, but parents, leaders, and committee members can get involved,” he said.

To help those in attendance better understand Young Life, the banquet was posed as a miniature version of Young Life’s Monday night “clubs.”

Attendees saw a skit, followed by a raffle of various items, including a burrito blanket and a one-lb. bag of sour gummy worms, before playing an onstage game, with couples invited to participate.

As the crowd settled down, Ramaekers dove into the most important part of “club,” God’s word.

He began by speaking on the growth Young Life Thomas County has seen since he moved here with his wife, Lindsey, three years ago and how the Lord has been faithful to the ministry through the kids reached.

“I talked about how the numbers for club on Monday nights have grown, and shared about the camp trip we went on to Colorado this past summer,” he said.

Ramaekers particularly focused on the growth in the public school system and how Young Life is present at all three schools in Thomasville and Thomas County, while also hosting a Bible study for students in Cairo on Tuesday mornings.

He then read from the Book of Mark, speaking on the man who was being controlled by demons and how Jesus “showed up on the scene, walked into his life, and learned his name.”

“He starts by asking this man what his name is,” Ramaekers explained. “He then proceeds to change his life and send him on a series of restoration.”

The story parallels Young Life’s mission.

“The heart of what Young Life is is showing up in the dark places, where kids are hurting, or doubtful, or asking questions,” Ramaekers said. “We get to come alongside them, learn their name and their story, and point them to the hope of Jesus.”

Much like Jesus in the Book of Mark, Young Life aims to learn the names of as many as possible.

“Between all of our Young Life leaders, we know almost 400 kids by name,” Ramaekers said. “It’s really hard to quantify the effect of a ministry because there’s a lot of internal impacts being made that you’ll never see. But, the number we do love to keep track of is kids known by name, because we believe that’s where ministry really starts.”

Approximately 80-100 of those kids attend club on Monday nights, compared to three years ago when club averaged only 10 kids regularly.

The number of kids being impacted is a testament to the community, who packed out the Garden Center on Monday.

The fundraising banquet saw 185 people in attendance, making it the largest banquet since Ramaekers took on the position.

“That was our largest attendance by 40 people,” he said. “It even exceeded our 20th-anniversary celebration last year. It didn’t even touch the number.”

Ramaekers was thrilled to see the new and old faces in the crowd, as excitement lit up the room.

As the night wrapped up, those in attendance were asked to donate, if they felt called. All the donations would go toward Young Life Thomas County’s operating budget. The operating budget covers all programming, including clubs, events, Bible studies, and food for kids. It also helps support the Young Life staff, including Ramaekers, Wyldlife Director Emily Brinkley, and Area Administrative Assistant John Shapiro.

Ramaekers is grateful for all those who attended and donated. He said his hope for the rest of the year is to continue growing Young Life’s presence in the public schools, specifically Thomas County Central.

“We know at Thomas County Central there is a lot of room to grow,” he said. “We know it’s our largest high school in several counties around us. We want leaders on Central’s campus who are praying for and getting to know those kids.”

If anyone is interested in learning more about becoming a leader or a committee member and helping reach the students at TCC or other local high schools, please contact Ramaekers.