DANVILLE (WCIA) — Many of our students in Central Illinois find themselves buzzing with energy and too much time on their hands. Maybe they don’t even have a place to go once classes end. Well, a Pastor and his wife are leading the charge on an event to eliminate that.

Pastor LeStan Hoskins and his wife Jennifer, with Mosaic City Church in Danville, are excited because their second “After Hours” event is next Friday. So they joined us to share how the previous event on September 22nd was a huge success for them and the high schoolers who attended. Activities were abound, from basketball to dodgeball to volleyball. Overall, Pastor Hoskins and Jennifer want their local teens to feel seen, heard and supported in their lives.

“We just want to make a difference. We want to let them know the sky is the limit. We want to walk alongside them and we want to let them know it doesn’t matter your circumstances or where you come from. You can still be successful and ultimately, God has a purpose and plan for your life,” says Pastor Hoskins.

Pastor LeStan is also the leader of It Takes a Village, a mentorship program where he and Jennifer go into the local schools to guide and mold our younger generation into leaders. Something they aim to continue through their “After Hours” event. Jennifer told me that September’s event saw 20 volunteers and various churches coming up to support them.

If that wasn’t enough, the Danville pair are also leading efforts to afford scholarships each year to a deserving teen. Jennifer says this year, they’re giving out one or two, so stay tuned for who earned them. But overall, Jennifer and her husband want to be examples of what God’s love and blessings can do. That’s why Jennifer says they encourage an education to ensure their futures.

“We are huge believers in higher education and that higher education can really get these kids anywhere they wanna go. So because of that, our church offers a scholarship towards the end of the year. Tell those kiddos to be looking for those opportunities with Danville High School’s counselors.”

Jennifer went on to say, “We want to build relationships. We’ve given out one or two scholarships from Mosaic City Church currently. It’s great. We ran into one of them and she was working the window at Arby’s and we said hey, how are you doing? How’s school going? It really just creates that opportunity for interaction and relationship.”

Again, the “After Hours” event is next Friday, October 13th.

It’ll be held at the Danville Family YMCA from 9:30 to 11:30 that night.

If you need the address for that, it’s 1111 North Vermilion Street.

You can also learn more about Mosaic City Church by clicking here.