Global Outreach Projects
Inspired by people who have seen firsthand the work that is improving lives for families in the the developing world, St. John's supports global partnerships that are sustained and enriched by faithful advocates for the world's poor.
Sudan
In 2001 20 young men, known as "The Lost Boys," who were refugees from the civil war in Sudan, immigrated to San Jose. Trinity Cathedral in San Jose organized support services for these young men, such as help with school registration, tuition and language tutoring.
Their primary mentor and leader of this mission is the Rev. Jerry Drino, who has visited St. John's several times to tell us about the Sudan and introduce us to the former "Lost Boys" who live in this area. After their first visit to St. John's in 2003 when they sang stirring songs of praise in Dinka, their tribal language, and endeared themselves to many here at St. John's, we began donating to the program at Trinity Cathedral. Our outreach has now expanded to support the church in Sudan through Friends of the Episcopal Church in Sudan.
How to Help: To donate please send checks earmarked for scholarship aid to young people of Sudan to St. John's/Outreach, 216 Oakland Ave, Capitola, CA 95010, or marked "Sudanese Ministry (for Sudanese Students in San Jose)" to Trinity Cathedral, 81 N. Second St., San Jose, CA 95113.
The Maria Luisa Ortiz Clinic
The Maria Luisa Ortiz Clinic in Mulukuku, Nicaragua, was founded in 1990 by a group of enterprising Campesina women who invited Nurse Dorothy Granada to open a clinic in their community of about 30,000 people with no health care. St. John's has been supporting this remarkable work for eight years.
The Maria Luisa Clinic focuses on reproductive health care along with support to victims of domestic violence. The clinic also provides nutritional services, dentistry, emergency medical treatment and transport, and some alternative healing approaches. A Nicaraguan doctor and several nurses staff the clinic. Teams of medical doctors and dentists from the United States provide specialized care on a rotating basis.
Dorothy has many friends and supporters in Santa Cruz and at St. John's. She visits on a regular basis and invites us to visit her and see the clinic in Mulukuku.
How to Help: To contribute send checks to The Women's Empowerment Network, P.O. Box 7652, Olympia, Washington 98507-7652. The contact person at St. John's is Nan Fitch, who will have the latest news about Dorothy's visits and updates on her work. Also see Dorothy's website. Contributors receive a newsletter complete with pictures and the latest developments.
VAMOS!
VAMOS! is a nonprofit organization which serves the very poor in Cuernavaca, Mexico. It was founded in 1987 as a response of four people from Oregon who visited Mexico and encountered children as young as 3 and their parents selling candy or crafts on the street 12-16 hours a day.
With the cooperation and participation of their parents, a small school was opened so that the children could have a nourishing meal and two hours of education per day. From small beginnings VAMOS! now has 15 community centers in Cuernavaca, has taught thousands of children and their parents to read and write, has fed over 500,000 hungry people and provides free medical and dental services.
How to Help: Please send donations to VAMOS!, P.O. Box 212, Weston, VT, 05161. In 2006, the Outreach Committee sent $500 to VAMOS! We would like to do more in the future. Contact Mary-Nona or Michael Hudson for more information.
Children of the Americas
Children of the Americas is a nonprofit which provides a before-school breakfast in very poor neighborhoods on the outskirts of Tijuana. Breakfast is prepared for between 30 and 200 children each morning at various locations by volunteer mothers.
The St. John's Tijuana teams, including both adults and youth, shop, organize and deliver a ton of food to the meal locations. They also help cook and serve breakfast at the largest breakfast program, and provide and arts and crafts program for the children as well as a sports activity. Some St. John's teams have also provided required school uniforms and backpacks with school supplies for a year to those children whose families cannot afford them. Finally, the team takes lunches to the gleaners at the dump and then is treated to a delicious lunch by the mothers. Those who have gone worked hard, learned a lot about poverty and came away joyful from their experiences.
How to Help: For further information or to become a member of a team going to Tijuana, contact the Fudges, Fitches or Greenleafs. To contribute you can send donations to: Children of the Americas, 67 Gingham Court, Trabaco Canyon, CA 92679. Contributors receive a newsletter complete with pictures and the latest developments. Also see their website, www.americaschildren.org.
Centro Buen Pastor
Centro Buen Pastor in the Dominican Republic began in 1989 as a Ministry of the Sisters of the Transfiguration, an Episcopal order based in Ohio and devoted to prayer and service. Members of St. John's have visited the center and are Associates of the community.
The center started as a feeding and nutrition program for malnourished children in one of the poorest barrios of the San Pedro Macaoris on the island's southern coast. Now as a nutrition, education, health and spiritual center, it is an oasis of hope for the people. The center has grown to include a preschool and a primary school through grade six. The clinic provides immunizations and other child health services, as well as preventative and acute care to patients of all ages. The Sisters have also provided emergency aide after hurricanes, regularly care for the dying and provide comfort to families in times of tragedy.
How to Help: Education in the Dominican Republic is required through grade six, but 13 percent of the children do not go because they cannot afford uniforms and books. In the higher grades, tuition costs are added, which keeps 59 percent of the children out of school. The Sisters are actively seeking individuals, parishes or other groups willing to partner with them in providing partial scholarships of $250 to the children of the barrios near Centro Buen Pastor. In 2006 St. John's Outreach committee donated $1,000 for four scholarships. We are seeking more individual donors.
Volunteers are also welcome for a minimum of 10 days, food and bed provided. This is a great opportunity to serve and learn more about life in a third world country. Contact Julie or Kim Fudge, or Father Steve Ellis for more information. Learn more at ctsisters.org/the_dominican_republic.htm.
Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD)
ERD provides emergency assistance in times of disaster, rebuilds devastated communities and offers long-term program development solutions to fight poverty. St. John's holds an annual appeal each spring.
How to Help: Checks can be mailed to Episcopal Relief and Development, P.O. Box 12043, Newark N.J. 07100. ERD can also be contacted via phone at 1-800-334-7626, Ext. 5129 or via their website: www.er-d.org.
United Thank Offering (UTO)
The mission of the United Thank Offering is to expand the circle of thankful people. To achieve this mission, they encourage daily prayers, offerings and awareness of the abundance of God's blessings. UTO is a project of Episcopal Church Women. Collections are taken twice yearly. A national committee of ECW disburses funds in the form of grants. In 2005 UTO awarded 131 grants for a total of $2,701,247.22.
How to Help: Take home a UTO blessings collection box from the rear of the church, and then put coins in from day to day, whenever you find yourself grateful for God's blessings. Bring your blessings collection to the UTO in-gathering when it is announced. Contact Janet Mize for more information.