Unity in Action at Winter Lally: A Youth-Led Celebration and Raging Success
January brought us not only very cold weather, but an amazing winter retreat for our teens that we lovingly call "Winter Lally" (Lally is short for "little rally"). Unity of San Antonio Y.O.U (Youth of Unity = High School age) and Unity of Albuquerque Y.O.U created, organized, and hosted our annual regional Winter Lally with the help and support of their sponsors - our own Suzy Crowly and Albuquerque's Barbara Griffin. We hosted 65 people, which included teens from middle and high school as well as their sponsors (adults), coming from 7 states, including Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Louisiana, Missouri, and California! Two visiting National Unity Directors came to the event from California and ). One of the visiting directors shared with me that our Winter Lally was a historic event - the first Rally where two Unity District Directors attended. San Antonio took 10 teens and 5 adults to the event. We stayed at a beautiful Christian Camp called Slumber Falls Camp. It's nestled in the rolling woods of New Braunfels.
The event was a raging success! I had feedback from several parents about the beautiful transformations they witnessed in their teens after the event, such as "...came home from Lally so deeply connected, open-hearted, and filled with love and joy." Rallys are events that are designed by teens, for teens. Our teens worked really hard to create this deeply connected event, and we are so proud of them! We thank you, Unity of San Antonio, for always supporting our Youth and Family Ministry (YFM) program. Your support allows us to host this amazing event and offer scholarships in our community to those who would not have otherwise been able to attend. A special shout out to Suzy Crowly and our Y.O.U. for their time, energy and creativity in planning the events that took place throughout the weekend.
