Local church to sponsor benefit for city's needy

7/14/2012

Cornerstone Church is to team up with the musical duo Winning Our World (WOW) next Saturday for an event to help Toledo's needy.

The 2 p.m. event at Savage Park, 650 Nebraska Ave., is to include music, games, dances, and prizes. In what the church describes as an effort to "love people in practical ways," volunteers will provide groceries, meals, haircuts, bicycle repairs, and family photos for needy attendees.

Meredith Ryburn of Cornerstone Church said organizers expect attendance of 1,500 to 2,500 people. The church is ready to provide 2,000 hot meals.

The event is a WOWJAM and is to feature a musical performance by Steven and Linda Tavani. WOWJAMs, begun by Mr. and Mrs. Tavani two decades ago, seek to help the needy while promoting Christianity.

This WOWJAM is part of Cornerstone Church's Heal the World initiative, through which church volunteers give time and resources to local and international causes. The church's last WOWJAM was in 2000.

"With the market changes, we saw a real need for them again," said Ms. Ryburn, adding that while Cornerstone's efforts have become more international in recent years, "we wanted to bring some attention back to Toledo."