Trinity Assembly of God (AG) and ABC Early Learning Center (ELC) will present an outdoor summer carnival on Friday, June 18, from 4 to 7 p.m. The event will feature family-friendly activities, including games, a petting zoo, bounce houses and food, including cotton candy.

In lieu of an admission fee, attendees will be asked to make a donation to purchase ventilators for people living in India who have COVID-19. The church has partnered with its missionary, who is on the board of Mercy Hospital of Calcutta and is the director of the charity Cry of India, to provide the ventilators.

"We will have free food, including burgers and hot dogs, grilled on-site," noted Megan Potts, ABC-ELC director. "Everything at the event is free as long as you bring any donation for the Cry of India."

Last year, the carnival was canceled because of the pandemic. Potts expressed regret for the cancellation because it was a milestone year. "2020 was (the preschool's) 20th anniversary, and this year is the church's 50th anniversary," Potts noted.

Trinity AG pastor Jimmy Smuda explained that he contacted the missionary after hearing about the pandemic's effects in India, especially the new coronavirus variants. "We asked him what we could do to help him and support him," said Smuda. "He sent us a CNN video that we showed to our church (congregation). It's a lot more dire than I had even realized. Ventilators are at a premium right now."

To date, the church has donated $12,500, the cost to purchase one ventilator. "Because he serves on the board at the hospital, he has first-hand ability to make the purchases there," Smuda explained. "Even if we purchase them and send them over, there is so much red tape."

To view the video and to donate, visit http://www.trinityag.org/giving/cry-of-india.

According to Smuda, those who donate can be sure that their money will be used directly to finance the cost of purchasing additional ventilators. "One hundred percent of their donation is tax deductible, and (if there are) any administration fees that occur, the church will cover those," he stated. "We will take up funds until things change in India."

Trinity AG and ABC-ELC are located at 1022 Pottstown Pike, West Chester. For more information about Trinity AG, call 610-692-1897 or visit http://www.trinityag.org or http://www.facebook.com/TrinityAGWC.

For more information about ABC-ELC, contact Potts at meganpotts@abc-elc.org or visit http://www.abc-elc.org.