Dear friends:

Asbury Park is the most economically depressed community in Monmouth County. Once a "jewel" of the Shore Area, the median income has dropped in the past 20 years to just above poverty level. Continued efforts to revitalize the city have, to date, been unsuccessful. Nestled on the "other side of the tracks" just west of Main Street are a series of public housing tenements. As in all seriously impoverished neighborhoods, the children are helpless victims.

Two summers ago, Aslan started a program in Asbury Park that continues to grow steadily. Last Thursday, we had an Easter egg hunt for our Asbury Park children. Several of the kids were so unruly on the ride to the park that the hunt almost didn’t happen. Lynn Ann finally stopped the van and told them if they didn’t behave she would be forced to turn around and take them home. The van got real quiet, real quick! Once the hunt started, everyone had a wonderfully good time. Sterling, one of our bright-eyed eight-year-olds, was busily running from place to place filling his bag with candy when (unbeknownst to him) Lynn Ann heard him quietly say to himself, "Life doesn’t get any better than this!" A few minutes later, 20 kids with bags bulging with candy were lining up to climb into the van. Since their hands were full, they couldn’t use their arms to pull themselves up. Lynn Ann opened both side doors of the van and told them she would help them – one at a time – climb in. Again, she was surprised and touched to hear Sterling reading the lettering on Aslan’s van and saying, "We must do it just like the sign says . . . one child at a time!"

Although we know how much Aslan does for children like Sterling and how much we mean to them, it still brings tears to our eyes to know that life doesn’t get any better than being with us. Sometimes they act up and misbehave and pretend like they don’t care when we have to take a privilege away from them. Deep down, however, they understand that Aslan is here for them because we love them. Every class, every tutoring session, every bike ride, every Easter egg hunt – they’re all expressions of our love and God’s great love for each individual child.

I hope Sterling’s words touch you as deeply as they have us. All of you who receive this monthly letter – more than 500 in number - are special friends of Aslan. We are thankful that many of you give generously to this work throughout the year. For those of you who have not given in some time or have not yet contributed financially, please remember that we need your help as well. Without people who care – and put their concern into action through prayers and giving – there could be no Aslan. Like Sterling said, "We must do it just like the sign says . . . one child at a time!

Our most heartfelt thanks,

Craig Bogard