by Margaret & Hilton Almond
Our first association with River Road Preschool began in 1973 when we enrolled our son, Hill Almond, in Meredith Berry’s class as a three-year-old. We had just moved into a neighborhood, close to the church, which at the time, had no children with whom he could play and we wanted him to meet new playmates. Our daughter, Kristen, followed the next year and all of us were extremely happy with the program. It was headed by Tricia Alford at that time and has been so ably directed by Margaret Collins for the last 25 years. River Road Preschool led us to find River Road as our church home; gave us lifelong friends introduced us to the best church musical program in the city under very the capable direction of Carl Freeman; nurtured our children with superb programs for children and youth programs led by Chester Phelps who is now leading those programs for our grandchildren, Emma and Harry Phelps. In 2004, our daughter, Kristen Almond Phelps, began teaching at River Road Preschool so it indeed has come full circle. She is now influencing so many lives of so many children as she was once influenced so well as a preschooler at River Road.
So, who knew that the enrollment of a small child in a preschool program close to home would become the foundation of our family and would bless us so richly. That is why it is so important for those of us who are members of this wonderful congregation to reach out to young families of preschoolers who have no church home to show them what exciting things are happening at River Road. It will change their lives forever, as it did ours.