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Students, Families Grateful as New School Year Approaches

By ERIC AYRES 4 min read

WHEELING - Many students in the Ohio Valley will be ready to head into the new school year with a smile on their faces, thanks to the generosity of the community and the efforts of Bethlehem Apostolic Temple and its partners.

Saturday’s annual Adopt a Student Giveaway drew a line of students and their families at the North Wheeling Community Center.

"We’re excited about the turnout," Bishop Darrell Cummings of Bethlehem Apostolic Temple said. "It’s hard to believe we’ve been doing this for 36 years."

Donations and collections from the community have been taking place in preparation for the coming school year. The church held its annual Stuff the Bus campaign last weekend, and a variety of back-to-school items along with other goods and necessities were made available at Saturday’s giveaway for students and their families who are in need - regardless of where they reside.

"Not only do we have school supplies, but we also have food - fruits and vegetables, we’ve even got cherry pies, apple pies, milk and orange juice, cereals, chicken, pork chops ... hopefully we’re giving them enough food to supply them for at least the opening week of school," Cummings said. "They say that a family who eats together stays together. So we hope this helps everyone come together and make their family even stronger.

The event also offered toys, clothes, balloon sculptures, face painting and more.

Cummings said volunteers, local organizations and generous people in the public help make sure the students who need a little extra help can kick off the new school year with confidence.

"Our church is not one of the largest in the community - if anything, we’re one of the smaller ones," Cummings said. "Without community support, this is not happening. I’m glad to be the band director, but I’m definitely not playing all the instruments."

Whether donors contributed $1 or if they gave $100 or more, it all shows that the community trusts in the people behind this annual effort to make it happen, Cummings noted.

"Whatever amount they gave, they helped to make this happen, and I hope this puts a smile on their face, as well," he said.

Through Adopt a Student and the holiday giveaways organized by the church each year, Cummings said he is doing what he can to fulfill a promise he made many years ago when he found himself in need.

"I got laid off years ago and struggled to take care of my own family," he said. "I prayed and asked God if he would bless me, then I would pay it back. I don’t know how it happened, but after I prayed, food and clothes showed up on our porch, and I took that as an answer from God. For the last 36 years, I’ve been trying to pay it back."

Every family in the Ohio Valley has their own unique situation. For Gloria Triana and her daughters, the help is much appreciated and comes at a time when smiles matter most.

"Their father passed away a year and a half ago from stage 4 colon cancer," she said of Madeleine, 9, and Savannah, 8, Elliott, both students at Madison Elementary School in Wheeling. "I make it happen for my daughters and try to make the best of everything for my kids, and the community - this is like a family. This helps a lot - it helps out tremendously. With a community like this and the people who help put this together, they are angels sent from above from God. I wish I could do it."

Triana said she hopes to be able to do the same in the future and help those in need. Her girls also expressed appreciation for the neighborly generosity.

"It helps people who are going through tough times, like people who are single and who are trying to pay bills," Madeleine Elliott said. "That’s very hard with a loved one who has passed away. Events like this help."

Cummings said students who step into the new school year prepared and with confidence are more likely to succeed in the classroom as classes for the 2026-27 year are about to begin.

"We’re hoping to send them home with a smile, and hopefully we’re letting them know that not only does God love them, but their community loves them, too," he said.

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