HERO Event: Hit The Mark (2/18/23)

On Saturday, February 18, men ages 12 and up from our community piled into The Ladder for our second major HERO event, “Hit the Mark.”  It featured a dart tournament, a number of other target-hitting competitions, and a lunch that definitely hit the spot.  Fathers brought sons, men brought friends, and some men came by themselves, but every man left honored, celebrated, and challenged to be HERO men.  Throughout the three-hour event, we scheduled “Pit Stops,” times when men would discuss questions like, “What are important marks you want to hit as a man?” and “What keeps you going in really difficult times?”  The conversations were honest, meaningful and rich, which led to mutual respect, admiration and tremendous camaraderie.  Powerful!

Celebrate CHRISTmas Luncheon (12/22/22)

The Celebrate CHRISTmas Luncheon was a memorable event.  We were blessed to have Judie McGovern (pianist) and Beth Pranger (vocalist) kick off the luncheon by leading the Christmas Carols.  The Shelby Public Schools Kitchen provided a delicious meal with many choices and lots of leftovers, serving approximately 115 people.  The food, fun, and fellowship were a beautiful thing to behold as we celebrated Christ. 

Shelby Harvest Festival (10/1/22)

We kicked off the Shelby Harvest Festival with a .5k & 5k fun run/walk fundraiser for The Ladder. We wanted to connect the generations in a fun way, so we offered a discount to participants who had more than one generation on their team. During the races, we witnessed: 
  • a grandpa and grandson to run together,
  • people over age 80 complete it with energy to spare,
  • five ladies do a chorus line at the end of the race,
  • players on the football team cheer for people in our community (and especially their coach), 
  • a Ladder young lady participated in the race with ladies from two different generations, 
  • a Ladder young man participate in the race with his dad,
  • entire families participate together,
  • a young man from Shelby win, with his dad and brother cheering him on.

After the races, from 12 to 7pm, staff and volunteers from The Ladder had a blast in downtown Shelby at the festival. We had:
  • 9 Square in the Air, a fun game for kids and adults alike,
  • balloon animals for children,
  • time to talk with past Ladder youth who have graduated and moved away,
  • time to listen to these youth tell us how much they loved Shelby'
  • time to tell two young Hispanic gentlemen how much we need Hispanic leaders in Shelby,
  • extended an invitation for two young men to come back to Shelby and serve on the school board and village council,
  • an opportunity to promote Hero, an event that will change men's lives,
  • an opportunity to invite people to come check out The Ladder.

What a wonderful opportunity to love our community! 

*For more photos not pictured here, please visit our Facebook page!