From September 2022
TEAMMarissa has sponsored another sensory room! On what would have been Marissa Anderson’s 30th birthday, September 25, 2022 a new sensory room was dedicated at Northside Church of Christ (NSCOC) in San Antonio, TX. NSCOC was the longtime church home for Marissa where she participated in children and youth groups, mission trips, and received Jesus Christ in baptism. NSCOC leadership identified a need for a sensory room for its members as well as the surrounding community. In conjunction with the opening of the sensory room, NSCOC has started a formal special needs ministry focused on developing a church where parents with special needs children can worship knowing that their children are welcomed and cared for. A sensory room is a tool to help children with developmental disorders regulate their emotions. For children with special needs, sensory room benefits are considerable, providing them with a safe and controlled environment to work through the unique challenges they face in the real world. This is the second sensory room sponsored by TEAMMarissa. The first is located in San Antonio at Dellview Elementary School where Marissa was a special needs educator. The NSCOC sensory room is located at 19818 US Highway 281 N, San Antonio, TX 78258 inside the Stanley Orsburn library. Stanley passed away in 1988 and was the son of Presley and Mae Orsburn, long time members of NSCOC.
FROM DECEMBER 2021
TEAMMarissa honored Marissa Anderson this holiday season by once again encouraging friends and family to donate items for the Dellview Elementary School’s sensory room which was originally facilitated by TEAMMarissa. This was the second year items were listed on Amazon Smile, donated by the generosity of many, and ultimately placed in huge Christmas stockings and delivered to the school. The children were overjoyed with the more than 50 new items donated.
September 2021
On September 25, Marissa Anderson’s birthday, friends, family, and complete strangers practiced random acts of kindness around the globe. Word has spread of this incredible day and TEAMMarissa continues to hear from individuals who took time out of their day to practice acts of kindness in honor of Marissa’s memory. Acts this year included the buying of meals for friends, coworkers, strangers, and those struggling economically, tasks such as cleaning, lawn care, car washing, and donations of time and resources to a variety of charities including several animal shelters (those who knew Marissa know she would love this!). This is an annual event so please mark your calendar for next year…or better yet, start practicing random acts of kindness every day! Also, remember to visit the merchandise tab and order a TEAMMarissa t-shirt so you can show the world you are part of this great cause serving the special needs community.
from April 2019
Doug DeWitt, a Chicago-area artist, ecologist, and long time friend of the Anderson’s created a piece titled “I Did Not Know Marissa”. The piece is on EPDM rubber and depicts a spiral pattern that revolves around the center 25 times (Marissa’s age when she died). There is a “break” in the line and then although much fainter, it continues to 80 revolutions. Its interpretation is left to the viewer. Mr. DeWitt is known for found art sculptures, drawings, and environmental land art and Video. He has exhibited throughout Chicago as well as in New York and South Korea. He has designed exhibits for the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History and the John G. Shedd Aquarium. This piece and others will be featured in Mr. DeWitt’s upcoming exhibit “A Change in the Weather” at the Evanston Art Center. For more details on the artist or the exhibit visit www.dougdewittart.com or www.evanstonartcenter.org.
from july 2018
A water well was drilled near the town of Tela, Honduras to honor Marissa’s dedication to overseas missions, the water crisis in the world, and her love of children. The well was funded by Northside Church of Christ and was completed by members of her family as well as others from Northside. The site chosen was in a courtyard of a primary school under a large shade tree surrounded by the sounds of children. After completion the well was incorporated into a water project by Living Water International who installed an electric pump to move the clean water into an elevated water tank to be gravity fed to fixtures throughout the school. Thanks to this work done in her honor, the team was able to also show the unconditional love of Jesus Christ and help prevent the waterborne illnesses that had plagued the community’s children in the past. This well will serve the school and the community for many years to come.
from september 2018
September 25, 2018 would have been Marissa’s 26th birthday. On that day, inspired by her Aunt Jodi, people literally around the world, performed acts of kindness in her name. Here a just a few:
One person paid another person’s Home Depot Bill
One person paid their contractor an extra $100 for work they did, sharing the story of Marissa
One person bought a meal for a family at McDonalds
A dog bed was purchased for a shelter in Marissa’s name
One person tipped the Ukulele player extra
A mom and her three year old made brownies for their neighbors and told them about Marissa
ALE Students made rainbows to reach her in heaven, and talked about kindness and sharing
A PPCD teacher bought her students bubbles and playdough, and sent a note home about Marissa and how she loved her students.
In Burkina Faso Africa, two chickens were gifted to a lady who Marissa became friends with when she was there, while friends in France did random acts for people they encountered.
Gas Station coffee was paid for, from Marissa
Breakfast was bought for a person in line…doors were held, kindnesses were done, and the list goes on an on! It was a beautiful outpouring of love by so many. We will be using this impromptu event as a launching point for our Random Acts Wooden Nickel Program. Watch out world - kindness is contagious!