Monday, September 22, 2008
Share Your Stories
On Sunday, September 21, the Unity Church Bless the World Fund gave each household sitting in the Sanctuary an envelope with cash in it. The directions were simple: use the money to bless the world in some way. This money is not supposed to come back to the church but to go out into the world to help others. Be imaginative. Be creative. Then share your story with us. This fund was made possible by the Board of Trustees, the Executive Team, and by generous members of the church who believe in the power and possibility of creative generosity. Share your stories or read stories posted by others by clicking on the comments link below.
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91 comments:
We haven't decided what to do yet, but thoughts that have crossed my mind are: 1) Paying for $20 worth of groceries for the person behind us in the supermarket (anonymously), 2) leveraging my online social network to see if they'll match my $20 and we can raise a bunch of money for the Sharing Corners Food Shelf, 3) finding someone on Kiva.org to give a 'micro-credit' to, and 4) put it under a rock for a while as I think about how best to bless the world!
Diane says...
I was inspired by the story that was told to the children and the congregation about the talents and the chickens. I gave the $20 from the envelope and an additional $20 to Heifer, Inc for baby chicks. It won’t be long and they will be producing eggs for their adoptive families.
My son (in the COA class) and I each got $20 in "found money" from the church and set out to find a worthy cause. We were about to settle in on Hurricane Ike relief when were heard from our neighbor that his daughter, Lisa, age 27, was just diagnosed with breast cancer. As a graduate student, Lisa has somewhat spotty health insurance including a gigantic deductible. My son recommended that we donate the money to a fund raiser that Lisa's friends are putting on for her and give a nice match too. When my boss heard what our church was doing and Lisa's insurance situation, he tossed in another $20. He said he wanted to help Lisa out and he's never met Lisa in his life. He gave it in memory of his dad who died of cancer a few years ago. Pretty neat way of paying it forward!
We asked our children, Matthew (8) and Ingrid (5) who they would like to make the $20 donation to. After considering the local food shelf and Heifer International they decided they'd give to Children's Hospital in St. Paul. I was surprised because we had never discussed giving to Children's Hospital before. Matthew said that his 2nd grade teacher had influenced him by telling a story about Children's Hospital. Ingrid was not totally aware of what we were talking about, but felt confident in the wisdom of her big brother. ;-)
Thank you!
I researched on Charity Navigator which charities are the most efficient in MN, and choose to donate the $20 to MN Environmental Fund.
I was not prepared for the contents within the white envelope last Sunday. However, due to the delightful visualization of the Talents Parable, I began to plan how I would not bury but distribute as widely as possible.
But how? Though shockingly generous, the $20 would not go too far.
Then, it became clear that I would have to use other resources of my
own! Hence, though a "widow's mite" in size, still respectable--to the national Red Cross which appears to be depleted; to local Center for Victims of Torture which Unity supports, and to UNICEF for our children of the world. So, the original amount more than doubled, really tripled, a beginning in the right direction, and there will
be some canned and dry items for Keystone Food Pantry.
Last Friday, my last appointment of the day was a woman named Bernice Johnson who is retired and needed a non-profit corporation formed to carry on her charitable work in Thailand. She runs a school for Shan refugees from Myanmar who have fled to Thailand. In Thailand, because they are "illegals" and do not speak the language, the Shan are exploited by their Thai employers and are forced to live in refugee camps. Bernice, by herself on her own initiative, has been working in the camps teaching children the Thai language, and also English so that their prospects for the future are better than their parents. After getting our $20 on Sunday, I contacted Bernice to ask what $20 would do. She said that $20 can send a child to school for a year. Ann and I each added $20 of our own, and have sent Bernice and her organization (School for Shan Refugees) $60 to send three children to the school. I enclose some pictures that she sent me.
I'm a junior high English teacher, and we've given our students the assignment of creating an "archive" of their 9th grade year. Many students (those with ample resources) have come in with sketch books filled with poetry and images, but some students who were filled with ideas just didn't have the resources - a car to get them to the store, or the extra money to buy a sketch book. I decided to match the Bless the World money and create a "Random Acts of Kindness" pool that the other English teachers and I can dip into to buy sketch books or other materials for our students who need it. When I mentioned this to my class, four students came forward and admitted that they needed a sketch book - knowing that there was a fund just for this freed them up to admit a need. The other teachers have been able to do the same for several of their students.
The work these students have created already this week has convinced me that this was, indeed, a way to bless the world. These students are so creative and thoughtful, and being able to give them the resources was a gift to everyone.
After considering a few different options, we decided that we wanted to donate the money to Project Peanut Butter, an organization making a U.S. version of Plumpy'nut. Using the $20.00 from the church, we added our own $25.00 to it, which made for a total of $45.00. This is enough to save THREE children from malnutrition (includes the entire treatment process as well as preventative care for the future). If you don't know about plumpy'nut or Project Peanut Butter, you will be amazed to find out how effective these products are for children all over the world, especially in Africa. Within one or two days of the supplement, children are gaining a pound or two. It is literally a life-saving product. Feel free to check out this link: http://projectpeanutbutter.org/index.htm
Thank you Unity for spurring this blessing!
Melissa and Erik Olson
I gave the $20 from the envelope plus an additional $20 to SECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND because I like the $9.00 of purchasing power that SECOND HARVEST has for every dollar given.
Carol Dixon
In the spirit of solidarity, we want our $20 to go directly to a person coming out of prison and into an Amicus MnCosa circle, who will not only receive money, but frequent listening care and help with reintegration in the community from individual people in the circle. By walking beside ex-prisoners in need, Amicus circles are what solidarity is all about.
My husband and I and our 3 children have started to attend Unity. Our 2 girls are signed up for the Sunday School program as well. We are looking for a congregation that is a good fit for our family. My husband and I are coming from 2 different religions-Jewish/Catholic. So far we are enjoying all that Unity has to offer. We were at the service where the money was handed out for the Bless the World fund. We were very impressed with the creativity and faith in the congregation that they would do great things with the money. It really got us thinking about how to use the money and if we had more time (we have 3 little ones) we would probably do something more creative with it. We did match the money and sent it on to the Breast Cancer Society. We have lost some loved ones to Cancer and feel it is always a good cause.
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this unique offering.
The Locketz Family
We have decided to try to multiply our $20 by using the money to prepare a simple meal of chili & soup that can feed many. We've invited people to come for dinner and pay what they can or even what they might for a normal dinner out. The money we collect will go towards items for a Habitat for Humanity house: faucet, toilet, door, windows, etc. The dinner is this Sunday evening, open house style.
Our Unity friends are more than welcome too! If you'd like to attend please RSVP on our e-vite page so that we can try to have enough food! http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/VHOISSRNPZCAHIKSXYVC/blesstheworld
This might turn out a little like the loaves and fishes parable, but we will hopefully help make things stretch with some bread and coffee donations from our local coffee shop and groceries/bakeries. What a fun experiement! We will report back on the results later!
It looks like the web address to our e-vite didn't come through in my post about our Habitat chili/soup supper:
http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/
VHOISSRNPZCAHIKSXYVC/blesstheworld
You can RSVP at this link if you'd like to join us!
I am only an occasional visitor to Unity but was lucky enough to be there for the week when the collection baskets were put in reverse and money came out of them instead of going in. I have to say I have never before heard of a cleric giving away money to a congregation rather than asking for it. I was impressed by the trust Janne (and the church board ) showed in the congregation to do the right thing. I mean, this kind of thing works on Oprah when cameras are following everybody, but this was a congregation of people who would not have someone recording their every move. And some of the folks, like me, were total strangers.
My wife and I decided to combine the money with a personal contribution of $35 plus 5 dollars grudgingly contributed by by our two children and give it to our local (Roseville) public school's fund for families in need. That's a kitty they keep handy to pay for field trips for low income kids and so forth. The good news is that the keeper of the fund practically kissed me (over the e-mail) for the unsolicited manna from heaven (not to torture the religious theme too much). It sounds like the money is very much needed, more so this year than what is normal, as you might guess. So, thanks for giving me the opportunity to do some good.
Bill Brady
Falcon Heights
BLESS THE WORLD
Created in six days, or just a big bang,
Planet earth became third rock from the sun.
Though famine and war have taken their toll,
Natives called humans have had a good run.
From Polar ice caps to tropical breeze,
Loveliness of this dwelling place is seen.
Those sky-blue waters and pine-scented air,
Lush vegetation all colored in green.
As glaciers now melt and sea waters rise,
And carbon emissions now enthrall.
Petroleum use is on the down slope,
And cornfields give way to more urban sprawl.
With time running out, some voices are heard,
But slow to change, we don't hear what they say.
As numbers increase, we've nowhere to go,
And the Universe moves farther away.
William Krubsack
from a letter received via U.S. mail:
Dear Unity Unitarian,
This is how I used the $20 to bless the world! I believe that it is extremely important for children to have exposure to books, to be read to from infancy and to have access to books as they grow older. With that in mind I explored areas where there might be a lack of and need for children's reading material. I chose the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery in Golden Valley. I was able to convince my friend Brad that this was a great investment and got his $20 to use as well. I decided that I would get "more bang for my buck" by going to Savers on Senior day (40% off) and purchasing gently used books. I was able to buy nearly 70 books!! How exciting!!
Karen J. Whitlock
from a thank you note sent from a recipient of some of the "bless the world" funds:
Dear Members of Unity Church,
Ingrid Stocking has just started volunteering for the Dignity Center, an outreach ministry of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church. We serve poor and homeless people by guiding them to self-sufficiency by offering to support people in a relationship and with a plan. Ingrid gave us $20 - which will purchase a bus pass for someone looking for work. Thanks for your generosity.
Blessings,
Ann Carlson, Director
After thought and discussion, we decided to contribute to the Angel Foundation, a tax-deductible organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of those dealing with cancer. This group financially assists families and individuals who are under- or un-insured, and supplies cancer medications to those who cannot afford them.
Ever since I visited an intern at what was then the Harriet Tubman Women's Shelter, I have wanted to help support their important work. This was a great opportunity to take the money that was given to us and quadruple it to help women and children, victims of domestic violence, that are served by the Tubman Family Alliance.
Jennifer & Steve
With funds of my own, I matched the amount Unity Church gave me and donated it to Susan G. Komen for the Cure in honor of Katy Gray, Unity Church member and cancer survivor. I hope it will be two gifts: one to the charity and one to Katy. The third gift is that on April 15 I will claim the total as a charitable deduction on my 2008 income tax return, meaning that my tax obligation will be reduced by a few cents. Go, Unity Church!
We added to the amount from Unity and sent a check to a former exchange student from Chile who lived with our family. She is now teaching in an inner city school in Los Angeles and needed funds to send some of her students to a "PeaceJam" Conference. Below is her letter.
Hola,
I want to thank all of you for being so wonderful! We were able to take four students to the “PeaceJam” Conference. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to share with students from different parts of the world J and to meet six Nobel Peace Prize winners. I wish you were all there to have this amazing chance to listen to Desmond Tutu, Betty Williams, Rigoberta Menchu and other laureates. Their testimonies and experiences were breathtaking and simply inspiring.
I cannot describe the joy and energy my students have and how enthusiastic they are in putting some great projects to work. They want to do some volunteer work in a shelter (in our school area), learn about human rights issues, and raise money to help some of the wonderful organizations we learned about during the conference
Your donations and encouraging messages are also an inspiration for us, they remind us to be generous and how great the world can be when we help somebody who asks for help. If you want to keep supporting us, I will keep you posted of all the things we will be doing.
I thank you with a big smile and my heart full of joy. Your donation made a big difference in my student’s lives. You helped my students and they are going to help others too… what a great circle of love!!
God bless your generous hearts.
Have a fantastic week!!
Daniela Campbell
With the $20 we recieved for the Bless the World Fund, my husband and I thought long and hard about how we could make that $20 turn into even more money that could bless the world even more. I am an avid knitter, and with October being breast cancer awareness month, we decided that we would do something related to that. I went to The Yarnery, and bought a bunch of pink yarn that was on sale, we contributed $80 of our own money, and purchased $100 worth of yarn. With this yarn I plan on knitting pink scarves in honor of breast cancer awareness. I am trying to work with some local businesses who would be willing to sell the scarves for $25 a piece, and then all of the money raised will be donated to the Breast Cancer Society. I am hard at work on the scarves, and when they are all done and sold, I believe more than $250 will be raised to donate to the Breast Cancer Society. If anyone has ideas of where these scarves could be sold it would be greatly appreciated.
-Kat & Pete
Our solution to this challenging problem was to give the funds to Ten Thousand Things Theater, whose central mission is to bring high quality theater to people who are normally denied access to it due to economic and/or physical barriers. The funds we were given will buy a tank of gas for their van as it travels to the men' s and women's correctional facilities - with perhaps some left over to drive to a performance at a public housing site. This means close to a thousand people get the gift of an experience that restores and enriches human connection, stimulates the senses and brings light and laughter to those who need it the most. Thanks for the opportunity to take on
this task and share in the distribution of blessings to the world.
As I was paying for the gas at my favorite station, I asked the young many, who is usually there, if he had a mom. He said, "I sure do!" So I gave him the $20 and explained the "Bless the World" plan. He just loved it when I said I wanted him to do something for her. He couldn't thank me enough!! and was so excited to tell her he would take her out for dinner with it. I teared up as I drove away!
I loved the opportunity to decide where some of our offerings could go. I "blessed the world" a bit by sending the $ 20 to Save the Children, which supports kids by aiding families and communities, concentrating on education of many kinds, including academic learning, nutrition, making a living, water sources, etc., to get the kids' communities working for the kids, and everyone else.
We used these funds towards the purchase of second-hand winter coats and scarves for Mu Dah and her husband, Bwei Paw. They and their two children are political refugees from Burma. They are living in the Lake Phalen neighborhood of St. Paul.
Madeleine Lowry
Our solution to this challenging problem was to give the funds to Ten Thousand Things Theater, whose central mission is to bring high quality theater to people who are normally denied access to it due to economic and/or physical barriers. The funds we were given will buy a tank of gas for their van as it travels to the men' s and women's correctional facilities - with perhaps some left over to drive to a performance at a public housing site. This means close to a thousand people get the gift of an experience that restores and enriches human connection, stimulates the senses and brings light and laughter to those who need it the most. Thanks for the opportunity to take on this task and share in the distribution of blessings to the world.
- Macpherson Family (Rick, Susie, Ian and Jamie)
I wrote earlier about our idea to host a Chili dinner to benefit Habitat for Humanity. We had our dinner last Sunday and spent the funds plus about $10 on some great chili and other dinner items. About 5 families attended, and three more who could not attend sent funds to contribute anyway. With a little contribution of our own, we donated a total of $225 to Habitat for Humanity! They were very appreciative of the gift and had given us some nice materials to share with our guests.
Thanks for the opportunity to do something new and "Bless the World"! We also got to know some of our neighbors much better who came over for dinner and got to catch up with some friends we hadn't seen for a long while.
Thanks Unity! :-)
Some friends recently offered a neighborhood teenager whose parents were no longer able to care for him, a place in their home. Our friends have 4 teens of their own, and not a lot of extra income. The child they offered a home to came to them with only the clothes on his back. We offered the money we received, plus a bit more, to the family to purchase a winter coat for the boy.
Beyond what we could do for the boy and the family that took him in, the Bless the World offering prompted me to start something similar in my book club. Each month members donate what they can and the host may use the money over the next month to do what she feels will improve our community -- however she defines that.
Thank you for the generous offering and for reminding us of what we can do!
My daughter Emily and I discussed the purpose of the envelope, and wanted to help out in a way that would give back to the community. We decided to donate the funds to Kasson Alliance for REstoration (KARE). In Kasson, Minnesota, a concerned small group of citizens banded together in 2007 and formed a nonprofit organization with a mission to protect and preserve local historic buildings, structures and properties, and by doing so helping to revitalize the community, spark economic development, promote environmental sustainability and educate the importance of historic preservation.
The city was going to tear down the town's historic 1918 elementary public school building even after the citizen groups' effort resulted in placement of the school on the National Register of Historic Places. Through legal action citizen group reached an agreement with the City of Kasson, and is now trying to raise funds for a Reuse Study in an effort to assess new ways the building can be used by the local community.
The loss of historic buildings is problematic in many cities and towns. Historic schools are unique and architecturally significant examples of public architecture, they form and shape generations of children, and serve as centers of community, binding generations together through an experience of place.
In a small way, Unity Church helped an active local effort to preserve the past, and create a new future.
Thank you, Unity!
We matched the $40.00 and gave it to District 202, a Minneapolis organization that assists GLBT youth, especially those who have been abandoned, either literally or figuratively, by their families. Many of the kids who make use of the services of District 202 are on the streets.
We asked that the money be used to augment the class that District 202 offers, Queer Sex Ed. We did this in part because our kids have taken and benefitted from the OWL (Our Whole Lives) class and we wanted other kids to experience something similar--something that teaches responsibility for self and others as well as an opportunity to think about the joy and love that is possibile in a mutual sexual relationship.
We figured that this was living our values--helping young adults who may be marginalized because of their sexual orientation.
I wanted to relay to you that I was inspired by the idea of giving money to the congregation in order to "bless the world" in some way. I took the $20 given to me, matched it, and purchased needed books for my son's Kindergarten class. On top of that, I have signed-up to volunteer regularly in the classroom (something I would have done anyway) and have reached beyond by contributing to recognize teachers through PTA efforts (I would not have made the time for this in the past, but I'm on a roll).
Also, my mother was a guest in the congregation and while she did not take an envelope with cash .... she told me that she has volunteered in her building by driving elderly folks to medical appointments, and has taken-on administering medication to one elderly woman in a medical crisis. So, she too is blessing the world in kind.
Thanks much for hearing our story...
Mindy
We matched the money and gave it to the "Have a Heart " fund at Inver Hills Community college. This a small fund from donations for those expenses that do not fall into traditional areas of scholarships or financial aid which come up often in the middle of a term and make the difference for that single parent of finishing their classes or having to drop out of school. Such as the battery or brakes went bad. For $250 more they could pay the bill but without it they can not get to school and get their children to day care. or they can get funds for their books that it will be a month and they would get so far behind in class that they could not catch up. They are asked to pay back the funds as they can later, some can some can not. This seemed to meet the goal of pay it forward.
We were speechless when the money was distributed in church that Sunday. After discussing possible recipients, we each matched the $20 we received and donated $60 to Second Harvest Heartland. They are one of our favorite charities because they can get $9 worth of food for every $1 that they receive. Jean and Rick
I wasn't in church on Bless the World day, but I heard about it from my daughter, who was.
After thinking of at least a dozen good causes and programs I could give to, I took a 20 dollar bill out of my wallet and pinned it to the bulletin board next to my desk.
It will remind me of my resolution to give $20 each month for the next twelve months, to one of those 12 good causes.
I also marked my calendar on the 20th of each month as Bless the World Day, and will try to dedicate the monthly allottment on that day.
Our family chose to use our Bless the World fund by participating in the Crop Walk. The Crop Walk is an annual fundraiser for local food shelves and international programs to fight hunger. It is also a community builder. As our family of four walked with others we learned, talked, and shared stories of how and why hunger is an important human issue and one that must be addressed.
We took the $20 from the church, each adult in the house matched the $20, and our two children contributed from their piggy banks. In total, we offered $69.74 to the efforts to end hunger.
Thank you for the opportunity and challenge to find a way to Bless the World!
Karen and Kaia matched the $20 plus added another $20 that Karen found on the floor at her workplace. We sent it to Heifer International to buy two sets of honeybees. Heifer suggests this for vegetarians to donate. Here's what they say about bees:
"From India to the Dominican Republic, bees from Heifer International help struggling families earn income through the sale of honey, beeswax and pollen.
Beehives require almost no space, and once established, are inexpensive to maintain. As bees search for nectar, they pollinate plants. Placed strategically, beehives can as much as double some fruit and vegetable yields. In this way, a beehive can be a boon to a whole village.
Although most Heifer partners keep bees as a supplement to family income, beekeeping can be a family's livelihood. Your gift provides a family with a package of bees, the box and hive, and training in beekeeping."
The game is complete! The winner is Sharing Korners Food Shelf. My goal was to give $400 for the $40 I drew from the basket. I reached $300!
The game's rules: send me a donation to the cause close to your heart and write a 5 sentence persuasive reason why the cause should receive ALL the monies collected. An unbiased panel of 5 judges rated the various causes and Sharing Korners came out the clear winner. All participants will get a prize of a home made loaf of bread. Katy Gray
So, we looked for a way to use our Bless the World money to sustain someone or a family beyond what the initial $20 could buy (inspired by the Parable of the Talents).
We learned through the Healing Haiti organization that goat milk is a staple but that 80% of kids and moms in rural areas of Haiti don't have access to milk.
By matching the Bless the World fund plus a little more, we were able to buy a goat. Not only will the goat produce several quarts per day for the family to use and to sell for additional income, but the goat can produce two or three more goats every year. It's amazing to think how a simple gift of one goat could change the well-being of a family for years to come.
Thank you for this.
I was stunned thrilled awed amazed that Sunday and grateful that I belong to such a generous and loving church so filled with faith. I seemed to imbibe that love and generosity and gave the same amount to Second Harvest that day and have continued to give more generously than I know I would have otherwise to it and other groups.
As for the specific amount distributed in church, I became part of a collective that pooled the money and I'm not sure where it's gone, or if it's been spent yet. Tentative plans were somewhat long range.
My friend, Chris, traveled with fellow educators from Eden Prairie to the Hogar de Ninos Tierra Santa home for abandoned children in Honduras. Trip #2 takes place next spring with wife, Tricia, joining in. I've already made a personal donation to their efforts and am excited to add $20 more from Unity. After hearing stories from Chris, I know what a difference they make in these children's lives.
The Bless the World Fund was the source of some wonderfully thoughtful conversation for our family. We pondered what would be the best way to be stewards of this money and the generosity and trust that underlie it. Ultimately, we decided to make a contribution to Feed My Starving Children. The $20.00 will be used to feed 4 children for a month.
Ginny Allen
We have a number of organizations near and dear to our hearts - Unity being at the top of the list. At first I thought I'd try to find a new place to donate the money, and started researching. But then I remembered Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare fund for adaptive bikes for children with disabilities. These custom-designed, hand built bikes allow children to bike who could not otherwise do so. Last year the fund was only able to help about half of the families who asked for assistance with the cost of an adaptive bike, which can be very expensive. We appreciated being reminded to think about what our money can do in the world.
Since I've had to forego my membership in this organization - I've sent my Unity money to the Southern Poverty Law Center. I believe so deeply in it's work and they do so much in the areas of racism, poverty, hate crimes, legal defense and related issues - I just HAD to.
BLESSINGS - and thanks to you all.
Hello!
I am a new member (actually not officially a member yet...in the process of getting there via classes) and I realized today that I never reported what I did with my "bless the world" money.
Firstly, I would like to say that I was so incredibly inspired by that particular week and sermon that I have probably repeated the story about Unity's $10K into the community thirty times this month.
Secondly, I thought about what to do with the money for at least a week before I made a decision. There is something about spending someone ELSE's money that leads to a whole other level of fiscal responsibility.
So, finally...the big reveal. I decided to put "my" Unity money towards the Twin Cities Childbirth Collective, and I chose this for a few reasons. I am training to become a midwife, and am currently completing doula (birth assistant) certification, so my heart is already there. However, given that this is already one of my interests/causes, I had ruled it out initially as an option, thinking that I would choose a different cause.
Then, a few spirited things seemed to all happen in a row. Teri and David Schwartz, Unitarian ministers whom I am sure you know, called me to do maternity photography for them, and to schedule a newborn photo session for after the baby was born. Then, I thought about how I had seen Justin and his wife (looking wonderfully pregnant!) at the same day in church that you gave out the money. The final straw was the Dedication of New Life ceremony, which was so amazingly refreshing coming from my "original sin" Catholic background. With all of these Unity fingers pointing in the direction of birth & babies, I decided to revert to my original idea.
Furthermore, I wanted to note how impressed I was with today's cause of reproductive health. I directed and edited a documentary film about the history of birth control & abortion for Planned Parenthood a few years back, and have always been frustrated by the general consensus of religious organizations to either shy away from or adamantly speak against reproductive health rights. Once again, Unity wins the "coolest faith community" prize!
Thank you for inspiring me with "take home" messages that last for days and a lifted spirit that renews my attitude in preparation for each busy week.
On Oct. 26 I invited six Unity Church members and one from the First Unitarian Society to be my
guests at a "talent" tea. None of these individuals knew each other. We talked first about
finding small communities within a large church. Then each participant wrote down topics of
current interest for us to discuss. From this list the group chose Education, K-12 and Health Care.
After about an hour of exchanging ideas, I put my $20 in a dish and added another $20 from one
who could not come and passed it around. The original "talent" grew to $140.
We agreed to give our "kitty" to Admission Possible, a St. Paul based program that helps
high school students at high risk of dropping out earn their diplomas and gain admission to college or other post high school training.
We were inspired by Kerry's story for the children in the 9/21/08 9:00 AM service. Instead of burying the money in the backyard, we wanted to expand the reach of the $20. So, we used the $20 that was distributed to purchase a flock of 10-50 chicks through Heifer International.
The 3 members of Parker family (currently living in St.Paul & attending Unity) decided to pool money, match it $ for $, & give to the Jeremiah Program where 2 of us have recently been assisting w/ eve. child care while mother's are in class. The program & facilities are impressive, the mother's inspiring & full of energy, and the children are sweet & delightful.
I became very interested in learning about the newest refugee community in St. Paul when I decided to teach summer school this past year, and all dozen of my little charges were Karen students from Burma. They were born in refugee camps in Thailand. Previous to that their parents escaped from oppression in Burma and are now working hard to learn English and find jobs here. Last month, at a workshop for teachers, I learned that the Karen community in St. Paul is still needing basics like rice, furniture and winter clothing. There are thousands more expected to arrive in St. Paul in the next year. Wilfred Tun Baw, who presented this workshop, is chair of the Karen Community of Minnesota and was happy to accept our Bless the World donation toward their efforts at resettling his people in our community.
"On behalf of the Karen Community of Minnesota, I ( Wilfred D. Tun Baw ) would like to say thank you for your support and it is very helpful for our community. Especially, for the new arrivals. (Refugee who recently arrived).
You can write pay able to " Karen Community of Minnesota".
Again thank you & God Bless You,
Wilfred D. Tun Baw
Chair of the Karen Community of Minnesota
C/O First Baptist Church
499 Wacouta Street
Saint Paul, MN 55101
Tel: (651) 214-6817 (Cell)
E-mail: wilfredshwe@vssmn.org"
I took advantage of this opportunity to look into Kiva.org (microloans to third world entrepreneurs), which I had never seen before, found a group in Bolivia, and loaned them the $20 plus some. Thanks for the inspiration! I'll be back for many more loans; I think I'm hooked...
Hi Creative Ones,
How proud I was to tell others about the Living Our Values/Blessing the World exercise. The $20 that was in my envelope inspired me to give more and think about where it should go. I decided to give it to a project called PUSHPA a nonprofit that provides mico loans to small villages in South Eastern India to improve health, economic and education development . 100% of the funds will live on and on buying sewing machines, bicycles, fishing nets, etc. to start small enterprises.
I also was inspired to give to Sharing Korner foodshelf, Helping on a local level.
Thanks for moving me into action.
Sincerely,
Denise DeJarlais
ps check out: pushpaproject.org
After receiving the $20 and hearing the story Kerri shared on that Sunday, I wanted to do something that would grow our $20 and help a family help themselves. I talked with my son, who was going to be turning 7 yrs old on Oct 15th and was there on that Story Sunday. He was going to be having a large birthday party(35 kids) with a classmate of his that shared the same birthday. In the invitation we asked families, in lieu of gifts to donate money, which would be given to Heifer International. The boys also donated some of their own money they had saved. Later the two boys counted the donations and each wrote a letter to Heifer International asking to use the money collected ($260) to purchase a sheep, pig and a flock of chicks for families in need around the world. Thank you Bless the World Fund and Unity for creating this opportunity for our families.
When we received the $20 we were excited by all the possibilities to help others. Ultimately, we decided to add some of our own money to this amount and buy 14 Thanksgiving dinners through the Union Gospel Mission in St. Paul. We are always so grateful for our warm and delicious turkey dinner and wanted others who may be homeless or without a nutritious meal to share in our Thanksgiving tradition.
I won $100 in a raffle. Feeling motivated to be generous, I added that to my $20 and contributed $120 to the Alley Shoppe on the East Side of St. Paul. This organization gives donated clothes and household goods to people living in poverty. They serve about 75 people a week. (Its like a food shelf for household goods and clothes.)
Alley Shoppe will use the cash to buy items to fill in gaps in donations. Volunteers shop at thrift stores...on days the thrift stores have half price sales. Much needed items include towels, pots and pans, and silverware. They buy silverware for $.09 a piece so that means by donation could buy lots of spoons!
The Alley Shoppe is run entirely by volunteers who have now expended their community service by mentoring new immigrants who are learning to speak English. They have set up the Shoppe so that the new English learners can practice basic English used in commercial transactions in a safe supportive environments.
This organization has been in existence for 39 years at first a part of the Phalen Area Community Council and when that disbanded as part of Arlington Hills Lutheran Church which houses the program. They initially provided winter clothes to poor families in the area but have grown over the years. They are still an entirely volunteer organization doing acts of simple kindness.
Barb Nelson
Hello,
This is in reply to how I shared the $20.00 that was given to me to bless the world in some way.
Working in special education in the public school system, there are always supplies needed to support the students in their education. The budget covers some of the costs, but often by the time requested items are approved for purchase and obtained, it is March, with three months left of the school year. I often purchase $100-$200 worth of supplies every year. The $20.00 was used to off-set this expense, and I appreciate the assistance. I'm sure many of the families of the students served would thank you, too, as most do not have extra income to buy these special educational supplies.
Thank you,
Susan Hinze
Dear Unity Church Unitarian,
My partner, Terry Janssen, and I both work at North Memorial Medical Center and are closely involved with the trauma program. As we all know, unfortunately, medical care is extremely expensive, and trauma affects people of all ages, all races, and all financial backgrounds. We care for truma patients from a wide area of Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. Fortunately, there are some state and federally-funded programs that can be financially helpful to those who do not have medical insurance. Even with assistance, many patients do not have the means of paying for a nonimal co-pay of a few dollars for their prescriptions at the time of discharge from the hopital.
With these latter patients in mind, Terry and I matched the $20 that Unity gave to us from the Bless the World Fund and approached our trauma service's social worker with that small amount of money. She will use it as discretionary money to use for patients like the ones described above. This could help as many as 15-20 patients pay for their prescription co-pays. Or, it can used in other ways as she sees fit.
Ther will be no strings attached to the money, but our social worker will ask the patients that should they, someday, be able to pay this small amount back to this discretionary fund, it might help keep the fund alive, as well as help others who find themselves in a similar medical and financial situation in the future.
Alan Beal/Terry Janssen
Thanks to Unity for the donation of $20 to the charitable work I already do. I teach English as a Second Language to adult immigrants and refugees in an ECFE Family Literacy program through the St. Paul Public Schools. Because I work in a program where there is programming for children too, I also get to see what my families lack in terms of appropriate winter clothing. After being broken hearted seeing my students wearing cheap flip-flop sandals without socks and wrapping babies only in thin blankets during our brutal winters I started making lunch hour trips to thrift stores to buy the necessary winter wear to give to my students and their children.
When I began doing this four years ago, I would go home and look at the full closets of and bulging drawers of clothes of my children and began to pare down of what we have to give to my students, as well as immediately began passing on what didn't fit my children anymore to my students.
I then started to wise up and solicited friends and neighbors with young children for donations, but I still regularly go to the Goodwill outlet where things that didn't sell the first time at Goodwill go for $1.29 a pound. This allows me to make my money stretch farther, allowing me to buy more. I specifically stock up on any hats, mittens and scarves I can find! I have already spent $37 this season and have added the $20 the church so generously gifted back to us for a total of $57 spent so far.
Thank you for using this monetary gift to light the spark in all of us to look at our lives and see the difference we can all make today in our own communities! This is a great blessing for us all to see what we can do as we hear each others' stories! Because of my frugal shopping on behalf of my students I have begun keeping a spare pair of mittens in my coat pocket and I will hand them out to any young child I see without mittens wherever I am. I love being the "mitten fairy" and know I am not only warming hands but hopefully also hearts.
Most Sincerely,
Krista Finstad Hanson
St. Paul
Some of the members of Unity Choir thought that, together, we would be able to do something bigger for our world than any one of us could do alone (that’s always true, isn’t it?). And because those of us who sing in the choir love and are brought together by music, it was natural for us to begin brainstorming ways in which we could pool, match, and grow our reverse offering money in order to support the arts.
Walker West Music Academy came up very quickly in the discussion, because of its reputation and work in our community. When we investigated further, we were excited to learn about the James T. and Lavinia Murray Scholarship, a fund set up through the Pan African Community Endowment at the St. Paul Foundation. Mary K. Murray Boyd started this fund for Walker West in honor of her parents, pillars of the Rondo community. Once the scholarship fund reaches $15,000, that money will be matched by the foundation, effectively doubling the impact of our donation.
Those of us who are music educators have seen first-hand how transformative music study can be for people at any stage of life. The effects of music study reverberate throughout every aspect of a person’s life, as they have for many of us. The members of Unity Choir are fortunate in being able to bless the world with music each time we gather to sing. Within the choir, we raised $1510 for Walker West Music Academy scholarships, in hopes that the students who benefit from them will be blessed by music and, in turn, bless the world with music of their own.
Hello there,
Every year for the past 12 years I have invited my mother, my sister, my 10 sister-in-laws and my adult nieces to what has become the 'Annual Sexe Sisterhood Lunch'. In addition to making a lunch of wine and soup and more wine I come up with a program or event. Past programs have included historical house tours, chair massage, a hypnotist to name a few. The day is great fun. And some years we are still sitting at the table when Dave comes home from work!
I come from a long line of women who are not slouches about keeping a clean house. This year I asked them to join me for some good clean fun----I invited a woman from the Women's Cancer Resource Center to speak about toxic chemicals in cleaning supplies and the possible link to various cancers. After talking about how we could use basic supplies from the kitchen cupboards for cleaning, she had each of us make a bottle of Alice's Wonder Spray (a basic all-purpose non-toxic cleaner using vinegar, borax, dish soap).
To make a long story short, I decided to send my Bless the World money, and a bit more, to the Women's Cancer Resource Center so they can continue to spread the word for earth-friendly home cleaning products.
Cleaning up the world one house at a time.
Thank you for thinking outside the box and giving us the opportunity to bless the world in our own way.
Therese Sexe
I gave the $20 to Jian my daughter to give.
Jian gave it to UNICEF because: her school gives to UNICEF for Halloween. UNICEF gives money to children for a lot of different things.
Thank you for the money for UNICEF.
Jian & Jerry Kettunen
We decided to give to Faith's Lodge. It is located in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and is "a place where those coping with the serious illness or death of a child can find hope and strength for the future." Faith's Lodge requires a minimum $25 donation per night but it actually costs $125/night. We took the money given to us by Unity and added the difference to help sponsor a family for the night. We choose this because we lost our second child, Anna, during the 23rd week of pregnancy. During our recovery from this loss we met others who used Faith's Lodge and found it very healing. While we never went there, just knowing a place like this existed provided us with comfort.
We took the $20, asked our 3 kids to consider giving, and then we matched up. All told, we leveraged up to $60 and donated the entire amount to Second Harvest Food shelf in Maplewood. A great rganization that helps stock statewide foodshelves. with their gant and matching program, they can provide $9 worth of food for every dollar donated. So the original $20 has now turned into $540 worth of food shelf donations. Our talents were definitely multiplied.
After much supper table discussion, our family decided to match the $20 in our envelope and purchase books at the J.J. Hill Montessori school book fair. We donated four books to the school - 2 for each of our child's classrooms - based on our teachers' wish lists. In addition to books in the classrooms that will keep on giving, part of the proceeds from the purchase went to the J.J. Hill PTO. What a great way to share the joy of giving with our kids! Thanks!
Our family added $30 to the $20 we received from the Bless the World Fund and donated $50 to America's Second Harvest. Using surplus food that would otherwise be thrown out, Second Harvest provides $30 of food for every $1 donated for families in need.
Thanks for helping us make a difference.
from Sherri Knuth and Ross Turner: We gave our money to the scholarship fund for Camp du Nord, a YMCA family camp which our family has attended for 12 of the last 14 years. The fund helps people who otherwise may not be able to attend camp. Camp du Nord is located on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness outside of Ely. The camp has been a tremendous asset for our family,supporting our values of environmental responsibility, caring for one another, and communion with what is holy. Our oldest son, Ben, has been a volunteer junior counselor at the camp for two weeks each summer over the past four years. Our son Craig hopes to act as a junior counselor this summer.
Whenever I tell someone about Unity church, I talk about our social justice outreach. I am grateful for the opportunity to bless the world in this way.
How to bless the world? It gets you thinking ...
There is a family in our community whose child was hospitalized for an extended period of time. We put the $20 we received from Unity toward a meal we prepared for this family. My children didn't totally understand how making pasta & meatballs for someone would actually help them. I explained that if the parents didn't have to shop/cook/do dishes, they would have more time to spend with their children! Now, they understand!
Dear Unity,
I put the money from the Bles the World Fund towards my marathon fundraising campaign with Team in Training. I ran the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco last month and raised just over $3900 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Combined with Team in Training groups nationwide, we raised over $18 million for research and patient services. It was a great race - beautiful course, nice cool weater, supportive crowds, and I finished in about 5:15 and felt great! Thank you for helping to make that happen
As a student, I was lucky enough to be attending the weekend the funds were handed out. I pondered over how I could use the $20, in a way that would enable the money grow, rather than just simply donate it to an organization. It came to me when my fellow students and I were asked to come up with a collective action project for one of our classes. We found out that while MN is a pay equity state, women are paid 20-30% less than men with similar work experience and who work similar jobs on campus. We went above and beyond the project's parameters and created a student organization, met with unions, human resources and other students organizations. We used the money to buy envelopes and paper for a letter writing campaign to the administration, and poster board for the protest. While indirect, we were able to use the money in a way that sparked a remarkable amount of interest on campus and created dialogue about an issue most people didn't even know existed. It is going to take a long time for pay equity to be achieved, but had Unity not blessed us all with the money and the fable, this project would never have been started. It taught me a huge lesson too...it doesn't take much to make a huge difference.
I love seeing the diverse ways Unity Church members have used their Bless the World money.
After running into Louise Wolfgram at coffee hour and hearing that Amicus had had to let go several staff members because of reduced funding, I matched the $20 from Unity and sent a check for $40 to support this important work.
Maria Caliandro
My wife and I took the money that the Bless the World Fund gave us to buy hats and mittens for children and donated the items to our office mitten tree (See attached picture). All the mittens and hats on the mitten tree will be donated to children at the B. Robert Lewis woman shelter.
Thank you for giving us this wonderful opportunity to help others in need.
We let our son Chase choose who to give the money to. We gave him three choices:
1) Our neighborhood community foundation that does lots of good work for many people
2) Our neighborhood block nurse program that supports seniors so they can live at home more easily
3) Friends of the Saint Paul Parks and Trails
He said the block nurse program sounded like the most worthy cause, and I couldn't argue with that. We matched the BWF money and sent $40 to the block nurse program.
(I hope the program prospers so I can take advantage of it in 30 years or so 8-)
Hey, y'all.
Its Katie from the Tower Club.
For a while, I wasn't sure what to do with the money, so for the longest time, I just kept it in the envelope in my room (I kept it in the envelope so I wouldn't accidentaly spend it). Then, a couple weeks ago, I heard that my director that had directed the Theatre Camp I had been at for the past 2 summers, well, his colon cancer returned. It got to his brain and lungs before the tumors were successfully removed, and that he was currently going through Kimo. They were having a fundraiser at a local theatre to help pay for his medical bills. So, I went to the fundraiser and I used my money for that. I saw him at the fundraiser, and he seemed as happy and energized as ever, so I have the highest hope in the world that he's going to fight the cancer and win. Us theatre people need to stck together and be there for eachother, as we would in a stage production.
Marikay and Kathryn: We kept the $20 bill out in the living room as we wrestled with the best way to leverage the money to help our community. At first I gave $20 cash to Obama's campaign - and then decided that was my personal contribution. Then I decided to use the money to buy supplies for kahlua and fudge. Those are two very popular gifts to family and friends. This year, I made fudge and donated it toward a raffle at work. Approximately $45 was raised from the fudge -and MDE raised a total of $3,000+ for Second Harvest Heartland. It was a wonderful event to be part of. I am using the remainder of the $20 for kahlua and fudge to be sold at the silent auction at church. It feels good to use the money, add a little of my labor of love, and see it grow to help the community in which we live.
I bought a reference book on composting. My thinking is that if I can educate myself, I can in turn educate others and/or provide the book as a resource to others. I had checked the book out from the library previously and liked it the best of composting books I had seen.
When I saw Janne grab a huge basket full of white envelopes that day, my first thought was "oh, no, they're going to give out money! Can't I just put my $5 IN and be done with it?" But then, after a couple of weeks of staring at that envelope on the bureau, I had an idea. I took the $20 to a bead store and bought supplies. I made three necklaces that said "Bless The World" on one side and "Gratitude" on the other. I sold one at a craft fair for $20 and donated that money to The Union Gospel Mission to feed 10 homeless people in St.Paul on Thanksgiving. Then Jan Gillen, who owns the Benevolent Acorn, said she wanted to sell these necklaces in her shop and she would also donate the entire sale to the Union Gospel Mission's Christmas dinner. That's $60 from the $20 investment!
We donated our money long ago, but I haven't gotten around to writing. We gave the Bless the World money plus an additional contribution to the Jeremiah Program. We chose them because we struggle at times with being good parents to our young children, and we feel that we are coming to it from a stable position (educated, good jobs, etc.). The Jeremiah Program does an excellent job of helping mothers who are not as fortunate as us.
Unity,
We wanted to pass on the word that we used the $20 from the plate from the Bless the World fund to support our neighbor who has a continuous sourdough bread starter going, and who shares his bread on a weekly basis with friends and neighbors. He was thrilled with this work of the church, and was going to make a donation to the food shelf on Oxford near our home.
Thank you for making "creative generosity" happen!
best.
Karin, Rich, Ole & Ingrid Roof
Well, it took awhile to accomplish this particular "blessing of the world" but since in the original story the master gave his servants "a long time", the timeline appeared to be somewhat flexible. Anyway, between the service and COA, we received $40 dollars which my family generously donated to me....a strange donation you might say, but then I am an amateur potter who had an idea and they were willing to take a risk.
The idea was that if I used the money to buy clay and kiln space, and then donated my time to make something people would buy (that would be tricky, being an amateur, but I figured generous people would overlook the flaws in whatever I made) and then I could donate all the money from the purchases of these as yet mythical vessels to purchasing a llama through Heifer International.
It was eventually determined that the mythical vessels should be coffee cups as they would make excellent Christmas gifts and people would probably consider buying them to give to others. So I made a flier entitled "Let's buy a Cow" (because that had a catchier ring than "let's buy a llama"...after all, name recognition is important and we do live in the Midwest:), spread the word and people stated to order them sight unseen (a true test of faith in my mind). On the bottom of the cup were inscribed the words "Joy," for this is the true gift for those that receive the animals, and "Ayni" which is a Qu'chua word for 'reciprocity'-- the kind of reciprocity in which everyone in a community shares their gifts and talents with each other so the entire community benefits and lives in sacred balance and joy (Qu'chua is the ancient language of the Inca's which is still spoken in the Andes today). A card was included with the cups to explain where the money for the purchase of the cup went.
Well, the end result was that the cups made two hundred and sixty dollars-- way more than the cost of the original llama. So now the llama, along with some ducks and bees, a contingent of bunnies and, yes, even a share of a cow have been "purchased" and will soon off to their new homes in the Andes, Cambodia, and several other places around the world to help warm and feed and/or otherwise sustain their new families.
So thank you to all who helped make this a reality because it was a group effort...to Unity Church (what a cool idea!), Phil and Zach (for agreeing to donate the money to 'the cause'), to those who purchased cups sight unseen-- Sue, Jean, Carolyn, Anna, Leeza, Steve and Elizabeth, Katie, Andrew (15 years old who bought one for his mother for her birthday), Natalie, Sandy, Sonja and Joan, and to Heifer International for the work they do, and to the animals themselves, and to the people who care for the animals and to those who support them and..........
Hmm, it seems that, in truth, a thread of gratitude can become a web of joy that encompasses the whole earth...and just think about how many threads of gratitude the original monetary gifts given by the church started. Pretty amazing!
Joy and blessings to all.
MaryLiz
In early November we bundled our $20 along with additional funds and set up a micro loan account through Kiva. We chose a loan group in Uganda that buys clothes in bulk for resale. To date almost 50% of the loan has been repaid. We plan to continue to reloan the funds into the future.
I know this is very late, but i finally found an organization to send that 20$ to (from your Bless The World fund). There is a school in Afghanistan called Mirwais School for Girls. I read about the school in The New York Times, some of the students and teachers there were sprayed with burning acid by a man on a motercycle who was part of a group of men against Afghan girls going to school. My mom and me searched on the internet to see if there were any relief funds for them and we found an organization called UNICEF who gives money to many causes, including Mirwais School for Girls. So we decided to give the money to them.
We have finally spent our $20. It went to one of our favorite charities: Habitat for Humanity.
We were visiting your church last September with Kathy and Joe Schur. We really love your church and tried to find one here in Sault Ste. Marie....but that is another story.
At the time we were in your city, we were beginning an 8 week camping trip. There were many needy people along the way that we could have given the $20 to.
But in the end it went to Habitat to help build the home that we will begin this summer for "God's people in need"
Thank you
All that you touch
You Change.
All that you Change
Changes you.
The only lasting truth
Is Change.
God
Is Change.
This begins Octavia Butler's remarkable work of speculative fiction, Parable of the Sower, and it's sequel, Parable of the Talents.
These two works about a near future distopia have been a strong influence on our family for a long time, and we were reminded strongly of their relevence and beauty by the 9/21 sermon and its use of the same parable to convey a very similar message.
Octavia Butler died in 2006 before she could complete her Parables trilogy. In her honor, we decided to apply our $20 Bless the World donation in a way that we thought would offer the best potential for the long term improvement of humanity. We chose to interpret the challenge literally and have added our own $100 to make a contribution of $120 to the Octavia Butler Memorial Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to writers of color to attend Clarion college, where Butler perfected her craft.
This is a cause that we would not have thought to support without the Bless the World fund and we're thankful to Unity for helping us realize this opportunity.
Thanks
My vision for our $20 has finally come to fruition. After much thought about the best way to "spend" the money. I decided to start a scholarship. Education has always been important to me and my family, after all both my sister and I are teachers. I decided to fund a scholarship in my school community that would go not to the students I teach (elementary age), but to their parents. I have always been moved by hearing their stories of going to school, or back to school, in order to better the life they can offer their families. What a sacrifice that can be...especially for some who already work more than one job. Yet, what a gift it can be as an example to their children. I wanted to support and honor that gift.
So, I took the $20 and created a basket for a family fun night. Through support from my family/friends I also received an autographed Joe Mauer bat, and another basket of goodies to give as other thank you gifts. These baskets were offered as part of a thank you ticket drawing. The opportunity to be part of this drawing was given to anyone who donated at least $5 to the scholarship. We just kicked off the scholarship (well, really tomorrow) and I am trusting that the people of the community see this to be as worthy a cause as I do. Only time will tell...but even if they don't I know I have done all that I can do to make it a success...and that is all one person can do.
This has not been an easy task. Many times I wished I had just donated the money. The time and effort continuously grew from something that seemed so simple to something that seemed overwhelmingly difficult at times. Who knew trying to give away some money and do a good deed could be so difficult? From trying to woo the PTA (they were not wooed), to becoming a business so I could open a bank account, to getting people to give me their time to discuss my vision...it all was harder than I would have ever thought. Now it is over...I have done all I can do and we wait to see how much money is donated, how many people share my vision, and how much support we can offer those parents who seek a better life for their families. I will keep you updated! I should also mention--This will be a sustainable scholarship, as the first $50 will be put aside for next years scholarship. So, on behalf of my school community--Pullman Elementary in St. Paul Park--I thank you for allowing us the opportunity to start something that will touch many lives to come!
We are late in sharing our story about how we used the "Bless the World Fund" money:
We had dinner with another Unity family shortly after the service at which the money was distributed, and decided that both families should combine funds for a donation. Over the next couple months (yes, it took us a while), we discussed charitable causes and local organizations that we'd like to support. Our kids felt that with so many people losing their jobs and the increased numbers of people relying on food bank services, we should contribute to a food bank. After doing a little research, we decided on Second Harvest. Each family contributed the $20 received from Unity and added additional funds from parents and kids which totaled $160 from both families.
When we give our kids their weekly allowance, they save a certain percentage for donations. They choose the cause. Over the years, they have donated to the Humane Society, World Wildlife Fund and other animal-related causes. They have donated several times to "Jessie's Gift", a foundation that funds a mentoring program for kids in Albion, Michigan, and have contributed to memorial funds. We hope they are learning that charitable giving is part of their lives, and something that brings them joy. Although we have already introduced this idea to our kids, this gift from members of Unity led to more conversations about why we give.
Thank you!
Kim Chapman
Elizabeth Longhurst
Madeleine Longhurs
William Chapman
Today I was surprised and delighted to receive a check from Linny Siems as a result of a wonderful project at your church last fall. Linny and her family were creatively able to turn a nominal amount of money (from the church) into $200 for us and an equal amount to another organization. Thank you for sponsoring this project which in turn will help thousands of animals.
I just wanted to follow up to my earlier post. The Education for All scholarship drive we started with unity's donation has now concluded. We had used the unity gift of $20 to buy a thank you basket that we held a drawing for (if you donated $5 you would get your name in the drawing for the gift basket).
We were able to raise $675!!!!!
This money is going directly an adult family member of one of our elementary school students to help defray costs associated with his on-going educational pursuits. He is currently working 4 part time "jobs" to make ends meet for his family. On top of that he is also finishing his 2 year law enforcement degree so he can hopefully begin a "career" that will better meet not only his family's financial, but also his emotional, needs.
We are so proud of the example he, and all the other applicants, are setting for students in our community of St. Paul Park--Education can open doors to opportunities for a better life!!
I couldn't be more thrilled at the outcome and the opportunity to do it all over again next year as we help another family through our (now annual) scholarship program.
The Pullman School community thanks Unity, not only for their $20 donation to get us started, but also for their inspiration to do more!!!
I spent hours and hours, and finally just gave to an incredible project, http://girlchildnetworkworldwide.org/ after learning about the story of one woman in Zimbabwe who was raped at age 6 and at 14 (impregnanted at
14) because of the myth of HIV being stopped by having sex with a virgin. The youngest baby raped was ONE DAY OLD. I'm so horrified and I hope my $20 is joined by many others to help empower girls and women across this world.
This was a fabulous concept and I came up with many creative ways to use the $20 but time, small children and physical limitations prevented enacting them.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth & Mike Thomas
I don't know how long it's been, almost a year I think, since we received the Blessing the World offering Sunday at church. In the weeks that followed we brainstormed ideas on how we could take our money, multiply it, and build community at the same time. We decided to start a movement on our block to replace an old tree the city was taking down. Our first step was to contact the neighbors who's property the tree was on to make sure they were O.K. with us making this effort. That's were our plan got stalled. We've hemmed and hawed since then about what project would best fulfill the offerings intent. Finally, on Saturday, we attended the fourth annual Bresta Fiesta. It was a celebration of the fourth anniversary of breast cancer remission for a friend. The friend's five children host this event each year to celebrate their mom's life and raise money for cancer research. We took our $25, doubled it, and celebrated. Sorry it took so long for us to get this going. Thank you for the opportunity.
Regards,
Mark and Brooke Darst Rice
How wonderful it is that we belong to a church community that would surprise us and hundreds of other families with $20 in cash and encourage us to use this money to positively impact the world around us! I am very happy to report that my family allowed me to use the $20 we received to travel to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala in July of 2009 to work for three weeks as a volunteer teacher in the Mayan community of La Pedrera.
I’ve taught English to immigrant adults in the U.S. for over 15 years, and I had always wanted to use my fluency in Spanish to contribute to the educational efforts of a non-profit group in Latin America. Last March, I happened to find out about a language school in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala called Casa Xelaju (CAH-sa Shay-la-WHO). People from all over the world, teenagers and adults of all ages, pay to take intensive 1:1 Spanish classes throughout the year at Casa Xelaju. Most intiriguing to me, however, was the fact that Casa Xelaju also supports the La Pedrera School Project, a non-profit entity that helps educate the children who live on the hillside behind Casa Xelaju in the indigenous Mayan community of La Pedrera. This was exactly the kind of non-profit work I was looking to be a part of, so I applied to Casa Xelaju to work as a volunteer teacher at La Pedrera School, and I left for “Xela” on July 4.
The Bless the World Fund made it possible for me to offset my travel costs to Guatemala by $20, and this project inspired me to invite 80 family members and friends to contribute to the La Pedrera School Project. Guatemalan families must pay $250 each year to send a child to elementary school. The children in La Pedrera do not come from families that can afford this tuition fee, so the children’s attendance at local schools is dependent upon sponsorship. I was able to transport some classroom supplies to the La Pedrera School, and the contributions I received from friends and family made it possible to donate $350 to the La Pedrera School Project. This money will make it possible for at least one more child to attend school next year in Quetzaltenango. If I reach my goal of raising $150 more, then two children will receive full sponsorship. I’ve included a picture of myself with the two girls who will most likely benefit from this financial support next year: Carina (far left) and Maria Luisa (far right).
I hope to continue to be able to support this wonderful school, and I’m very thankful that I belong to such a fabulous church community that both encourages and supports its members’ efforts to contribute to local and global service projects. Thank you Unity Church-Unitarian!
My family and I have been happy Unity visitors since our move to MN a year ago, and we happened to be visiting on the Bless the World Fund Sunday. What an amazing service that was!!
We took our time; there are so many needs and so many great directions to send the money that we wanted to make a choice that wasn't a one-time gift but
something fuller. That emerged for us as a microloan opportunity through Kiva.org. We have added some of our own monies and contributed toward the recycling business of a woman in Makindye, Uganda named Ngobi Hadijah. She is a forty-one year old business woman who is the single mother of two children. She purchases spare parts, wire, aluminum, and related items and sells them to factories for reuse, and the loan is toward the purchase of more parts and the expansion of her business. A large group of us have completed her loan request and she is already in the repayment stage. Once she pays back the loan, we will then lend it to another person, and then another, and another--a continuous series of investments and paying it forward! The Becker Peeler family thanks the Unity family--and Kerri's great storytelling about the wisdom story of the parable of the talents to our oldest son that day--for catalyzing this wonderful opportunity!!
Blessings!
Amelia, Scott, Isaac and Elliott Becker Peeler
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