Stories of Impact

After discussing for years the dilemma requiring every student pay tuition between $100 and $610 to offset the annual education cost of approximately $7,000 per student at Red Bird Christian School (RBCS), the Red Bird Mission Board of Directors took action yesterday to eliminate the tuition requirement beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.

Last Friday, the Red Bird Christian School (RBCS) Appalachian Studies and Ag Science classes made a trip to the Sheep Shearing Days at the Museum of Appalachia in Clinton, Tennessee.

Paul grew up in Perry County, Kentucky in a hardworking family that struggled at times. He was not averse to tell people his motivation for hunger relief, saying, “I know what it means to grow up hungry as a kid.” He worked tirelessly to resource, pack and transport thousands of food boxes for the Red Bird Mission Crisis Emergency Food Pantry.

Not everyone in the Class of 2026 at Red Bird Christian School (RBCS) was able to make the week-long Senior Class Trip to Gulf Shores in October, but a day-trip to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area in Tennessee last Friday included them. The class travelled as a group to Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Dolly Parton’s Pirates Voyage Dinner and Show, and Wonderworks, an indoor experiential attraction that was also educational.

Old Man Winter threw another round of snow and cold on Monday, but there was plenty of warmth spread throughout Red Bird Mission Community Outreach on Monday and Tuesday. Eight (8) audiology student volunteers from the University of Louisville (U of L) School of Medicine welcomed 72 community residents to assess hearing and provide critical maintenance on hearing devices.

Rain falling on top of the snow and plummeting temps on Monday created dangerous, frozen road and walkway surfaces. Telecommunications were lost Sunday when the main cable was accidentally cut during tree removal on the state highway. Executive Director Jamie Collett decided that staff and those needing services would be best served by closing Red Bird Mission on Monday and Tuesday.

Saturday was a day of honors for Red Bird Christian School (RBCS) student athletes.

At the same time, these students are also spending part of their first week back in Agriculture class out in the fresh air, getting our school garden ready for spring.

Christmas in Appalachia is tender and complicated. Money is tight most of the year, and it stretches even thinner when parents start picking out gifts and planning Christmas dinners.

Candace Litton, Women and Children Ministries Coordinator, says, “With the recent shutdown and the holidays drawing near, many families are feeling the weight of the season more than ever. Because of this generosity, they were able to feel seen, supported, and deeply cared for. Their gratitude was overwhelming, and it reminded us just how much these acts of kindness truly matter.”

Today, my Appalachian Studies class had the privilege of visiting Portal 31 in Harlan County, a historic coal mine that now stands as a museum preserving the story of Kentucky’s coal heritage.

Low income elderly residents living in isolated areas without transportation receiving home-delivered meals from Red Bird Mission Elderly Ministries can relax for a few weeks. Compassionate individuals and churches learning about the potential shutdown of vital meals have stepped up to make donations...

Red Bird Mission Work Camp does not schedule teams the week of Labor Day, but the north end of Queendale Campus was filled this week with lots of familiar faces, and some new faces, opening up the Fall Work Camp “season.”

Red Bird Mission Work Camp does not schedule teams the week of Labor Day, but the north end of Queendale Campus was filled this week with lots of familiar faces, and some new faces, opening up the Fall Work Camp “season.”

The weather is beginning to feel more like Fall the last few days, and weeks filled with sports programs at Red Bird Christian School confirm the transition from Summer to Fall.

Even with the summer heat packing a punch this week, Red Bird Christian School has been nothing short of amazing!

It’s a “fur piece” from Red Bird Christian School to Hopkinsville, Kentucky, but Principal Jennifer Wilder and Chasley Collett, K-1 Teacher, made the trek last weekend at the request of Rev. Steve McVay.

There were plenty of construction workers at the Florida team’s jobsite so a group of ladies joyfully jumped in to help this week at Community Outreach and at Red Bird Christian School cleaning; organizing pantries and classrooms; packing food boxes and school supplies goodie bags; and handing out fresh produce.

"Learning about dragons was my favorite part," says an elementary student as he recalls his trip to the United Kingdom with classmates.

It’s not the first blood drive hosted at Red Bird Christian School, but Tuesday’s event was one of the most successful. The “milk box photo”