Building Bridges with Gramps

Windsor Care residents Sarah Barnes, Gracie Collingsworth, Barbara Thomas, Mary Jones, and Margaret Herald, spend an afternoon folding some of the faith-based material created by James “Gramps” Curtis (pictured below).

James “Gramps” Curtis has been fulfilling a long-awaited mission with his creation of games, puzzles and workshop guides, that he uses to help build bridges.

“These bridges are not boards and beams across rivers, but far more valuable. These bridges connect generations. I’m an independent author creating guides, puzzles, faith-based adventures for and about youth. All that I create, and self-publish are totally free, and non-denominational,” Curtis said.

After mixing up a colossal confection during a youth group event, Curtis discovered an unexpected blessing along the way.

“That 50-gallon milkshake mixed with a very real outboard motor, had to be about the strongest thing to bond me with reaching out to today’s youth. It must have also been back in 1940, when I took my first breath, not realizing my dad’s DNA for story telling was in every part of me. Now, I’m not for waving my own flag for others to see, but God will bless you with both barrels, if you give Him half a chance. Yes, I’m grateful for my Air Force Radar Electronics training, and even doing guided missile repair and calibration, but that isn’t what really thrills my soul. Even when I did corporate programming for 3 corporations, doesn’t sit on the top of my favorite memories list. I must word this careful, but it wasn’t even when I married “Sweetie,” my wife Peggy, 53 years ago. My joy above joy, in these years, even here in Sharpsburg, is to create stories, adventures, puzzles, workshop guides, to aid adults in showing today’s youth, how important each of them are, in Heaven’s plan. Oh, before I forget to explain, the outboard motor was an electric trolling motor. I believe the ones operating it, intentionally lifted it up a little too high and created several large rooster tails across the gymnasium. That Youth for Christ event produced the stickiest floor you’ve ever tried to walk across. Even with my pacemaker, my body continually pumps the message, to feed the hungry.

The hungry, that are in my radar, are those that are hungry for answers; that are hungry to know what to do next and how. I see church leaders that are desperately hungry to know why their youth are leaving. I see parents that want to know what causes the youth to wear green hair, facial jewelry, long sleeve shirts on hot days and why people are addicted to video games and texting. It was even fun, creating a regular column in the Crosspoint Magazine that seemed to reach out. But that provided no feedback, to learn what the readers wanted. One thing, that remains close to the top of my favorite memories list, is realizing that technology is Heaven’s gift to us, but we are to use it to get the Word out, that puts hope, peace, and purpose in the lives of young and old alike,” Curtis explained.

After visiting with area nursing homes and county jails, Curtis realized there are plenty of people who have a desire to help others and to feel needed.

“Sometime back, I began printing my stories and booklets and giving them, by the hundreds, to Windsor Health Care for distribution among their staff and residents. They would also carry many of them to visiting churches, and other nursing centers. I started folding and stapling many of them with the residents watching. You could see in a minute, their hunger to get involved; to help; to feel useful. That’s probably the start of the WORTHshop program. You want to see happy residents, watch them folding the resources and helping each other. It then sort-of morphed into a mission’s program within the center. The ‘wheelies’, wheelchair folks, were creating the materials to be given to the bed-ridden residents. Can you believe it? People WANT TO be missionaries, to feed the hungry. But then we began giving the word-search duo-puzzles to the staff of one of the Mt. Sterling fast food chains. We found out later that someone there began taking the puzzles and stories to a friend in the Mt. Sterling Jail. That presented a problem. Booklets that contain metal or string binding, are never allowed around convicts. Well, no problem. We’ll start taping them. At a nursing center back in Ohio, I met a resident where arthritis had turned her hands into two tight fists. Though she couldn’t begin to hold a fork, she was STARVING. She was starving to be useful, to help others less fortunate than she was,” Curtis said.

As a trusted volunteer in the community, Curtis has become affectionately known as “Gramps”.

“What am I hungry for? I’m hungry show folks the guarantees of scripture, that guide us to reaching the hearts and minds of those to be tomorrow’s leaders,” Curtis said.