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Osteens supporting local teen's charity for sick kids

Published  July 20, 2016 11:09am EDT
FOX 2 Detroit

(WJBK) - Millions of people tune in each week to hear the inspiring worship messages from Joel Osteen and his wife, Victoria, at the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. The Osteens are also taking their message on the road, visiting various cities across the country to share their message at "America's Night of Hope."

Joel and Victoria are in Detroit right now, preparing for their big event Saturday night at Comerica Park. While in town for these events, they also lend a helping hand in the community with their Generation Hope Project.

Generation Hope Project is an outreach ministry of Joel Osteen's America's Night of Hope that brings together hundreds of volunteers to help with various service projects in the community. One chosen especially in Michigan is Sarah Maisano's project -- filling bags with toys and other items for sick children in the hospital.

Sarah's project is part of the nonprofit she founded herself, Supporting Kids in Pain, or S.K.I.P., in just four months. To make it an official nonprofit, she even used $1000 of her own money.

Hand sewing the bags, sorting the donated toys, filling the bags, boxing them up and shipping them out takes up a lot of time, but the honor roll student at Regina High School says she doesn't mind.

"I think it's incredible. We don't have enough examples like that," Victoria Osteen said of Sarah on FOX 2's The Nine. You can watch their full interview together in the video player above.

She says, with the help of the Generation Hope Project volunteers, they'll fill about 500 bags in eight hours to pass out to kids in the hospitals.

Sarah says she feels honored and blessed to be chosen as part of the project.

"I really am inspired by them," she says. "Joel once quoted, 'True happiness and fulfillment come when you give of your life in some ways to others,' and that's truly what I want to do just as they have."

If you'd like to help Sarah fill or distribute her bags, you can get more information at www.skipforkids.org.

Joel and Victoria's "America's Night of Hope" event is taking place Saturday night, July 23 at Comerica Park. Tickets are $15. You can get more information about the show and tickets here.

You can also get more information on Generation Hope Project at www.generationhopeproject.com. It will be taking place in the Detroit area July 21-13. Registration to participate has already ended.