Chair: Teresa Bennett
Over 25 years ago, women at the Longmont Church of Christ organized a Women’s Service & Outreach Committee. They determined that their yearly projects should be blend of service to missionaries and outreach to various groups in the local community. Every year since then, a new set of committee members votes on their projects, assigns a time frame for each, divides into project teams, and implements the projects.The committee has selected these five projects for 2008:
Laduc Children's Home Christmas Gifts (Croatia)
Service Project Work Period: January & February
The Laduc Children's Home is located a few miles northwest of Zapresic, Croatia. The Longmont Church of Christ is the sponsoring congregation for Ivan and Ruth Tesic, missionaries operating in Zapresic. Like many of the children served by Mountain States Children’s Home, few of these children are true orphans but, instead, have come from an unstable or unsafe home situation. Recently the traditional supplier of Christmas gifts to these children had to stop sending Christmas gifts, and Ruth Tesic asked if our committee would take over this effort.The committee agreed and decided to capitalize on after-Christmas sales by asking our members to contribute stockings, hats, mittens, and other items during January and February. The committee will package all the items and send them with two of our members who will connect with Ivan Tesic at a May US bible lectureship. (This allows us to avoid high shipping/postage costs.) In November, Ruth Tesic and women in the Zapresic church will fill the stockings and deliver them to Laduc.
World Bible School Equipment (India)
http://wbsindia.org/world-bible-school.phpService Project Work Period: March & April
The Longmont Church of Christ is also a large supporter of missionary Paul Renganathan, who lives and works in Choolaimedu, India. One of his responsibilities is the oversight of the World Bible School & College.
For many of the bible school students, the mid-day meal of rice and vegetables provided at the school is their only meal of the day. The school’s industrial-size rice steamer and vegetable cookers are very close to “dying,” and Paul has asked our committee to raise money to replace these vital appliances, as well as money to replace aging student desks ($14 each) and student cots ($20 each).
During March and April this project team will fill our foyer with an interesting 3-D display to help our members visualize what their donations will buy. Team members will be on hand to answer questions and accept members’ checks. Paul usually visits the U.S. on a fund-raising tour each spring. The timing of this project will allow us to complete it by his usual first-of-May visit and present him with a much-needed and much-appreciated check.
Mother House
http://www.motherhouse.net/Outreach Project Work Period: May & June
This house, located in Boulder, is funded by a private non-profit organization and provides a safe place for seven pregnant, homeless, adolescent girls (and one "houseparent"). New mothers may stay two to three months, while being closely supervised, helped to find employment, encouraged to continue their education, and taught parenting skills.
One of our committee members, familiar with this community service through her work, brought it to our attention. At present, she and her project team have not decided if they will mount a campaign to raise money for physical items or if they will ask our members to bring donations of smaller items needed by every household – including this one – cleaning supplies, toilet paper, kitchen goods, etc.
Boulder County Social Services Backpacks
Outreach Project Work Period: July & August
A favorite of the entire church membership, this project has been a part of the committee’s project lists since 2001. It may well be popular because of the people served by it: 60 children who will be removed from their homes by Boulder County Police and Social Services workers. When these children are taken from “meth homes” (often in the middle of the night), they’re not allowed to take anything with them. The backpacks we supply provide personal toiletries, stationery items, cuddly blankies (some even hand-made), and small simple toys to ease them through this traumatic time – something they can call their own when everything else has been stripped from them.
A July and August “media” blitz in Sunday bulletins reminds members to take advantage of back-to-school sales as they buy the items the project team requests. The backpacks* are then filled with the items donated by our church members, taken by a project team member to Boulder, and are stored in Boulder County Social Services offices until needed.
*We want to thank Thule Organizational Services (formerly Case Logic), who donated 60 high quality backpacks in 2007!
[October and November left open for HUGS Committee Marine Christmas Stocking Project.]
Boulder County Family Integrated Drug Court (ITC)
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4849327,00.htmlhttp://www.dailycamera.com/news/2007/dec/13/drug-court-finishes-first-year/
Outreach Project Work Period: November & December
The same committee member familiar with Mother House also brought this project to the committee’s attention in 2007. Though our 2007 efforts were marginally successful, the committee wanted to try it again, as members felt it was well worth the effort.
In its first year of service in 2007, the Boulder County Family ITC served over 25 children, and those members of the court who were involved feel that it successfully reduced the length of time ITC children remained in foster care. Intensive therapeutic services, case management services, and judicial involvement all combined to give parents the support they needed to remain sober and to ensure that children are safely placed back in their home.
ITC needs both cash and tangible donations. Toys (for kids under age 10) that Drug Court parents can give their children are often used as incentives in ITC. Gift cards that parents can use to buy gas, diapers, formula, etc., are also popular. This project team has yet to decide what they will request, but they know the recipients will ultimately be the children of Boulder County citizens who are trying to escape addiction and reconstruct their families.