Stories of Community Support

Featuring 2003 stories from our BFJ Chapters

Birmingham

Generous Spirit

Janie Holmes is a woman of heart, compassion and action. This elementary school teacher is a magnet for children-in-need at her school, who are consistently attracted to her warm and generous spirit. Janie contacted Bread for the Journey of Birmingham to tell us of a family of five children living with their grandmother who were in need of basic supplies for the new school year. Bread for the Journey's Board of Directors met with Janie over coffee and was impressed and inspired to hear about the simple ways in which she extends herself to others. On the spot, we agreed to donate the $250 she had requested to help this family. The children had everything they needed on the first day of school, and we could easily envision the smiles on their faces.

Focus on Recovery

Focus on Recovery is a non-profit organization that offers a residential and educational program to women in early recovery from alcohol and chemical dependency. The focus is on learning skills for creating a "new life" based in spirit and wholeness. Two board members of Bread for the Journey of Birmingham, a writer and a graphic designer, donated their services to design a custom logo, write copy and design various promotional materials. This was their small way of celebrating the strength, bravery and conviction exhibited by both the participants and the leaders of this remarkable new program.

Bloomington

Pets for Kids Foundation

Bread for the Journey of Bloomington granted $500 to Scott and Robin Dombrosky of the Pets for Kids Foundation. The grant was used to buy materials to build winter housing for farm animals at a therapeutic petting zoo. The zoo is being created so that children who may never get the chance to interact with farm animals can have that opportunity. They will also provide care and new homes for unwanted animals. The Pets for Kids Foundation, which was started last year, plans to have their zoo ready to go in the spring. School groups and day care centers are eagerly awaiting its completion.

Denver

Mighty Muse

Rebekah Shardy is a health care consultant and freelance writer. At mid-life, she wanted to use her passion for writing to benefit other women in the community. She started the Mighty Muse writing project in Colorado Springs to help women find their own voice through writing. These women are victims of poverty or domestic violence, recovering from addictions or coming out of prison.

Rebekah collaborates with a number of other women and businesses to hold creative writing workshops, and publishes a book of their poetry and prose each year. “So many of the women who come to our workshops judge themselves so harshly. Part of this program is accepting and honoring your own story. That’s true empowerment. From there, you’re able to take all kinds of risks,” she said.

Rebekah, whose program is run entirely by volunteers, came to Bread for the Journey of Denver after receiving a number of requests from groups in Denver to expand her program to their area. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave her a grant of $1500 to print more books for distribution in Denver.

Whittier Drum Project

Neil Stone is a therapist working with youth who are required to see him by the Denver Court System. For many years, he struggled to find ways to get kids to show up for their therapy sessions each week, until he had the idea to integrate his passion for drumming into the sessions.

After successfully starting a drumming circle in Denver's Whittier neighborhood, Neil asked Bread for the Journey of Denver for support in creating a new model with the Denver Community Courts that brings a clinical component into the weekly drumming sessions. The youth offenders who choose to participate in his program will attend a 30-minute group therapy session with their families each week as well as 30 minutes of drumming practice.

Through this program, Neil hopes that young offenders in the Whittier neighborhood will come to understand, accept and carry out their obligations for restoration in that same community. He believes that "playing drums together will facilitate and deepen the therapeutic work that will take place during the 'talk' sessions. In this way, the work will translate into decreased at-risk behaviors in the community for the youth who participate." After hearing the Whittier Drum Project perform at a community event, Bread for the Journey of Denver enthusiastically gave Neil $1,820 to get his idea off the ground.

The Daydreamz Project

Starr Hogan and a group of her artist friends living in the Highlands neighborhood of Denver wanted to make the arts more accessible to everyone. The Daydreamz Project was started as a way to develop innovative collaborations between artists and communities through education, raising awareness of social issues and initiating positive change. They work with a number of community-based organizations to define short-term projects for participants that utilize their creativity, and create a sense of community through mural painting, video projects, puppet making or movement and dance. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave them a grant of $800 to purchase art supplies for upcoming programs as well as for office supplies.

Making Someone's Holiday a Little Brighter

Bread for the Journey of Denver granted $250 to Sabrina Hodges, a teacher at P.S. 1 charter school, so that a few families in need could enjoy the holidays. Sabrina solicited donations from the staff at the school and contacted Bread for the Journey to see if we might like to participate. She identified seven students at the school whose families were struggling financially and gave each of them a gift card from Target so they could shop for gifts for their families. Sabrina reports that the families were very surprised and grateful for the gift cards and that the reward in seeing their responses was priceless.

Seeds of Mercy
Willa Chandler has a soft spot in her heart for prison inmates. As a volunteer in her church's outreach programs for many years, Willa has helped people who are getting out of prison get back on their feet. Now she feels called to make a deeper commitment by starting a more formal program to help former inmates and their families make the transition back into society.

Willa has found that there are not many supports available to former inmates. Something as small as a lack of transportation to get to work can be enough to push them back into the criminal justice system. So she plans to start small, by offering bus tokens as needed, or by helping them find the right outfit for a job interview. Over time, her bigger plans are to provide mentors, a food bank, life-skills classes and even housing. Her first step is to set up an office, so Bread for the Journey of Denver gave her $1200 to purchase furnishings and office supplies that she can't get by donation. A retiree from the military, Willa has just the right combination of discipline and heart to help these individuals turn their lives around and become contributing members of society.

Facing History and Ourselves, a Curriculum of Racism and Prejudice
After participating in the Facing History and Ourselves project at Wheatridge High School, students decided to apply the lessons they learned there within their own school community. Facing History and Ourselves is a national social-studies curriculum that examines issues of racism and prejudice - beginning with the Holocaust - and asks students to make a connection between history and the moral choices they confront in their own lives.

Since Wheatridge is a mostly Anglo suburb of Denver, the students wanted to encourage their classmates to understand a wider perspective of lifestyles. With a $550 grant from Bread for the Journey of Denver, they brought in two speakers who spoke to them about building tolerance and respect. Jeff Campbell, from the Colorado Coalition of Hip Hop, shared his story with the entire student body about being a gang member. Gina Otto worked with smaller groups in discussing issues of body image. After the presentations, Brittney Alred, one of the organizers, said she felt that progress had been made. In bringing all the diverse groups in the school together, the students were able to discover how much they really are all the same.

City Strings

Julie Swartwout, an accomplished violinist, believes that music can bring a family together, and she has created a program to do just that. She began offering violin lessons to two students from North Aurora in February of 2002. A year later, she was teaching 20 students each week. The parents commit to attending lessons with their children and, through this partnership, they work to "instill confidence in the students, develop their communication skills, teach them to set and reach their goals, and challenge them to go further in life than what society may present to them as their future." Julie works with the children, ages 4-14, in a space donated by Aurora First Presbyterian Church. Each child gets one private lesson and one group lesson each week. After a child demonstrates a commitment to the program, Julie lets them take home an instrument to practice on. Because of the high cost of renting violins, Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Julie $1500 to purchase instruments for the children.

Irvine

Southern California Fires

In October of 2003, devastating fires burned across sections of southern California, taking numerous lives, destroying hundreds of homes and burning thousands of acres of vegetation and trees. One of the areas that was hardest hit was in the San Bernardino Mountains. Within days, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was on the scene rendering aid to those who had lost their homes and property. Knowing that FEMA is on the scene for only a short period of time, an organization called Rebuilding Mountain Hearts and Lives was formed to coordinate more extended relief efforts.

Bread for the Journey of Irvine got involved after receiving a call from Elizabeth Dimond, a resident of Rim of the World, requesting funds to start up a relief office. Bread for the Journey of Irvine contributed $1,000 towards her project. A letter from Ms. Dimond states, "(Bread for the Journey) has blessed us abundantly with your gift of $1,000 towards administrative costs to get Rebuilding Mountain Hearts and Lives into an office, with a phone and a few pencils! I have always known Bread for the Journey was a wonderful concept. Now I know first-hand how wonderfully it works!"

Volunteerism At Its Best

Alex Miller, founder of "Komputers4Kids," and Ben Feinberg

David Beadles presents a check for $1,000 to Alex Miller as
Judy Beadles and Joanne Tatham look on.

In 2002, at an age when most teenagers are only thinking about getting their driver's licenses, Alex Miller of Mar Vista, CA., was coming up with ways to provide computers to young people in foster and group homes. Volunteer work seems to come naturally to Alex. From the time he was eight, he has been involved in various projects. In early 2003, between homework and football games, the Venice High School senior incorporated Komputers4Kids, a nonprofit organization based in his bedroom. Alex has since enlisted a couple of his buddies to work with him on this project. He works about 15 hours a week calling for donations and doing paperwork. Once a week these teenagers work on machines they have received from corporations and individuals, sorting through donated equipment, deleting old files and installing operating systems and software.

Komputers4Kids made its first donation of five computers to foster children in the care of the L.A. County Dept. of Children and Family Services and to the David and Margaret Home, a social service agency that operates group homes.

The board of Bread for the Journey of Irvine, having read about Komputers4Kids in the L.A. Times, contacted Alex and set a date to visit his operation. During that visit, the board donated three computers, one laptop, several keyboards, a monitor and other assorted computer accessories. Bread for the Journey of Irvine contributed $1,000 to the organization for the purchase of tools and materials. The check was presented to Alex in his garage, where computers were in various states of restoration.

Padres Promotores De La Educacion Leadership Network

An exciting and enthusiastic group of mothers in Santa Ana, California, have formed a group called "Padres Promotores de la Educacion." Their purpose is to empower their community of primarily Spanish speaking parents to become educational advocates for their children. Jack and Joanne Tatham of Bread for the Journey of Irvine and Marianna Cacciatore of BFJ's International office met with this motivated group along with an interpreter. They learned about how the women are teaching Hispanic parents the ins and outs of college entrance success for their teenage children.

During their meeting, another pressing need was addressed - that some college students cannot afford the fee for textbooks. The women, along with Bread for the Journey of Irvine, came up with a plan to start a "book fund." BFJ of Irvine would open the fund with a $750 grant and the students who receive assistance would resupply the fund by raising money at a local fair that attracts thousands of people each year.

Incentives for Learning

Latina Health Access, a local advocacy group, has created "Children's
Initiative," an inner-city pilot program at Roosevelt Elementary School
in Santa Ana, California. In this innovative program, children receive health education while learning about themselves, each other and their community. Bread for the Journey of Irvine presented Dina Villapadua, a teacher in this program, $200 worth of $10 gift cards at Wal-Mart. These will be used as incentives for the children to reach their learning goals in reading, math and social studies.

Angels of Love

Jack Tatham, Judy Beadles, Rick Cryder and David Beadles

Rick Cryder works six days a week making leaded-glass, gold-plated angels that are not for sale. The angels are made in his garage with a few of his retired neighbors, then given away to children with life-threatening illnesses and to parents who have had to remove a child from life support. Rick and his friends sent 825 angels to New York, Washington and Pennsylvania last year in time to present them to victims' families at the September 11th anniversary services. Angels were also sent to the families of the deceased astronauts from the space shuttle, Columbia. On March 25, 2003, the Bread for the Journey of Irvine board of directors went with Rick to Loma Linda Hospital, delivering angels to children on the cancer ward. We thank him for sharing this moving experience with us.

Bread for the Journey of Irvine donated $500 to Rick's Angels of Love Ministry to help cover the expense of applying for 501(c)(3) status. Now this valuable service can continue in the form of a non-profit organization.

Teaching Love

Rick and a truck load of Angels.

The Musick Correctional Facility is an "honor farm" for low-security-risk inmates with an average prison term of 63 days. While farming is the major work done there, the inmates also have opportunities to receive training in certain skills - such as adult literacy, cabinetry, and English-language proficiency - when funds are available. Rick Cryder spends one day a week teaching the men who volunteer for his class how to make "Angels of Love." They learn skills - such as glass cutting, glass grinding and soldering - that are used in the art of making leaded glass. The inmates learn a trade while doing a community service, since the angels are part of Rick's Angels of Love Ministry. He gives the angels away to children with life-threatening illnesses, or to parents who have lost a child.

Rick was bringing all of the equipment from his own garage each week, and still there was no way to accommodate all the men who wanted to learn to make angels. Bread for the Journey of Irvine gave $2100 to Musick Honor Farm for five glass grinders and additional tools that were needed to extend the program.

Conference Coffee
Fernando Leon's service project, called La Calle, provides Been There, Done That conferences in an effort to help kids stay out of gangs. He invites Latina women who have "been there and done that" - and who have then have gone on to become successful - to share their personal stories with the younger ones. In doing so, they offer hope and inspiration to these younger Latina women. Bread for the Journey of Irvine donated $200 for two large coffee dispensers to eliminate the expense of renting them for each conference.

San Diego

It Takes a Village

Upon reading Wayne Muller's book, How Then Shall We Live?, Katherine Miller became inspired by his story of how weaving looms - when placed in a strategic community setting - could help weave a bond between generations and with the community's cultural past.

Katherine had been a weaver who was moving from San Diego to the Virgin Islands, and was looking for a new "home" for her loom. So she called Bread for the Journey of San Diego asking if we could get it to a group who would use and appreciate it.

Karen Schneider picked up Katherine's loom and brought it to a friend's garage for safekeeping. Brandy Sacks at BFJ's International Headquarters soon identified Shelly Trippe Harden of Santa Fe, NM, as a possible recipient. Shelly had worked on a weaving project with the women of Las Trampas. They were now setting up a non-profit organization to promote weaving in their community, and said they would love to have the loom!

After shopping around, however, Karen discovered that the shipping costs would be more than the San Diego chapter could afford. So she located yet another donor - Fred Bincziewski of Ocean Beach - who offered to pack and ship the loom for free. Finally, Katherine's vision for the loom has come to fruition, now in the loving hands of people who will use and appreciate it. In the process, all of us learned that it really does "take a village…"!

Better than Money!

Charles and Diane Connoy became acquainted with the San Diego Chapter of Bread for the Journey at a movie-night fundraiser at Karen Schneider's home.

Charles contacted us to say that Sony Computer Entertainment, his employer, would happily donate their used computers to organizations we might put them in touch with. Of those we contacted, Shakti Rising acted quickly. (Shakti Rising is an innovative and highly effective alternative recovery program for young women dealing with the effects of addiction and disempowerment.) Charles put Jordyn Stanton of Shakti Rising in contact with Rick Rossiter, head of the IT Support Department at Sony, who was responsible for the distribution.

Jordyn writes, "Sony turned out to be a wonderful situation for Shakti Rising. We did receive the four computers that you initially contacted us about. Since then, we have received three more computers with monitors, a scanner and a high power printer. Sony continues to donate to us whenever it is possible for them to do so. These computers have all been used in our offices and our director's home office. They are the fastest machines we have….Thank you so much for giving us this lead. It has been a wonderful blessing to our organization."

Canine Companions for Independence

In the fall of 2003, the San Diego Chapter of Bread for the Journey donated $500 to Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). CCI is a non-profit organization that breeds, raises and trains dogs until they are ready to be placed with a person who is living with a disability.

The grant went to support the adoption of one specific dog, Joshua. He is a Golden Retriever-Labrador who was given to 7-year-old Corey Brooks. Joshua's job is to be a "Skilled Companion." (The team consists of a child with a disability, a dog and an adult who handles the dog). Corey's dad said that they wanted "a best friend and companion for Corey. Being in a wheel chair, he often feels left out because he can't keep up with other kids." Corey suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a neuro-muscular disease that causes the muscles to weaken and deteriorate.

Corey's parents have reported that since Joshua came to live with them, Corey is always smiling. With Joshua sleeping in his room, Corey is no longer afraid of the dark. Corey is so proud that he has something special that is all his. Not only can Joshua help Corey retrieve things, turn on lights and even open doors, but he has become Corey's best friend.

The Telling of our Stories
Walk …
You were born for the path
You have a date
Where? With whom?

I will never find myself
If I don't allow myself to be lost.

The memory and the telling of our stories are central to our experience of being human. It is in this telling that we deeply connect to one another.

The San Diego chapter of Bread for the Journey gathered with friends and supporters on the evening of the Spring Equinox to celebrate the lives of young women walking a new path of hope - and future possibilities - far different from their troubled pasts. The young women were from Shakti Rising, a dynamic recovery program based on education and empowerment (http://www.shaktirising.org). They shared their life stories and told us of being nurtured to wholeness by the staff of the Shakti Rising program.

Our evening together was our Spring FunRaiser. Because of the generosity of everyone who came and the sponsors who provided raffle items, we were able to provide Shakti Rising with a gift of $250.This money would provide one month of private counseling for a young woman in the program. We closed the evening with a Dance for Peace led by Alice King to the music of Pachelbel's Canon, and the naming in alphabetical order of every country in the world.

"Walk … you are born to take the path."

Santa Fe

Creating a Community Center

For many years, Tapetes de Lana has been teaching weaving and spinning to economically challenged people in the communities of Mora and Las Vegas, New Mexico. They purchased some buildings in Mora to provide studios where weaving and spinning workshops could be held. The buildings were spacious enough to also provide classrooms and meeting spaces for other community events. While they had received some funding for a community kitchen, they did not have enough to buy appliances. Then came an opportunity to acquire commercial-grade appliances at very low cost from a restaurant that was going out of business. A $1000 grant from Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe helped them purchase the stoves, sinks and refrigerators. The kitchen will be used by high-school and community-college culinary classes, small family businesses, and community enterprises.

Girls with SASS Get Support in Santa Fe

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, SASS stands for Self Awareness and School Support. SASS is a prevention program for at-risk middle school girls (over 50% Hispanic and low income) who have been referred to school counselors. In addition to group and individual counseling during school hours, the program offers parent-education activities. These are either all-day outings or four-hour evening events that include a meal for the girls and their mothers or other important women in their lives. The aim is to improve academic performance and to reduce instances of substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and violence. Many of the parents themselves had a difficult time in school and so need support in helping their daughters to succeed. Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe donated $150 toward food for these education activities, and also provided names of local food distribution agencies as a potential resources for the future.

The Art of Farming

Farmers play a very important part in people's lives but are seldom honored for providing the food we eat. The Bond House Cultural Center in Espanola, New Mexico, teamed up with the Espanola Farmers Market to produce an art exhibit that would bring together the worlds of art and agriculture in this culturally rich community. Ten artists from the valley interviewed twenty farmers and, from the information they gathered, produced art pieces (paintings, sculpture, ceramics, and fiber art) that tell the farmers' stories. It was a beautiful collaboration between growers and artists, out of which some new friendships were developed, as well as an 8 ft. by 12 ft. muslin story banner for each farm. Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe was pleased to donate $472 to purchase the material used for the banners.

The Show Must Go On

The puppet theatre Los Titriteros has a new production that is being performed as a street show after Sunday church services in thirteen different locations in rural northern New Mexico. The show, called "Out of Order," operates out of an old milk truck. The story line is that the truck (the symbol of strength) is carrying a wedding cake (the symbol of hope) when the truck breaks down. The story unfolds from there with the help of puppets Frank and Edna.

In reality, the milk truck needed repairs before the shows could take place. Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe was happy to donate $100 to repair the truck's brakes so that this inspiring show could go on to visit audiences in remote locations.

Medical Supplies Serve Many
For fifteen years, Suzanne Barry of Mountainair was a Physician's Assistant, and for nine of those she traveled throughout Torrance County serving under the University of New Mexico's County Rural Health Program. Five years ago, she gave up western medicine and opened a small private practice in Belen as a Doctor of Oriental Medicine. Now she treats patients who travel to see her from all corners of Torrance and Bernalillo Counties, as well as from more distant locations such as Texas and Colorado. Unfortunately, many of her local cancer patients find it difficult to afford the alternative treatments she offers, which are not covered by insurance. Over time, she found herself offering more and more of these services free of charge. She says her time is easy to give, but that the medical supplies cost so much. Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe is honored to participate in her generosity by offering $500 to purchase medical supplies to use in those treatments she is offering for free.

Weaving a Bond With Our Cultural Past
Shelley Horton Trippe, of the Las Trampas Institute in northern New Mexico, wanted to bring a weaving master into the community to teach traditional weaving patterns and techniques to area residents. Weaving was once an important craft in these communities but the knowledge has been lost over the years. Women who have lived in Las Trampas all their lives expressed a desire to learn this art form. So with a $500 grant from Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe, Shelley has pieced together the funding needed to bring them a weaving master, who will live in the village, teach the women, and be present to help them work through the learning stages to a point where they can proudly present their work to others.

Legacy of Saint Francis
Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe received a contribution, in the amount of $5,400, that was designated to help Friends of Rescued Animals. We passed the funds on to this organization which provides spaying, neutering, and other healthcare services to rescued animals in the Rowe area, as well as educating the community on healthy pet-care habits. There have always been a large number of stray, neglected and abused animals in the area. This has not only been a problem for the animals themselves, but has posed a health threat and safety hazard to humans as well. Friends of Rescued Animals has been nurturing and caring for the animals, then teaching local families positive pet-care skills and placing the animals in their care.

Sebastapol

Who Would Think The Sewer Would Create Community???

Graton is a small yet vital village fully engaged in the difficult and often messy work of "community." However, as an unincorporated area of Sonoma County, it often has little control over civic matters. A hardy group of volunteers have worked for many years to create a sewer district for Graton that would be ecologically and economically viable, as well as designed with a visionary eye toward sustainability on every level. The county government does not look favorably upon these creative efforts, yet despite countless obstacles, Graton has succeeded and the final vote is coming up in December.

Graton has no newspaper, and at this critical juncture, it is important that citizens have access to accurate information, rather than gossip. To this end, www.graton.info has been launched with the help of local volunteers and a $500 grant from Bread for the Journey of Sebastopol. Although the current focus is on the sewer project, the larger vision is for the website to keep Graton's residents informed about town history, local organizations, happenings, hot issues, and more. A true Community Bulletin Board, via the Internet! Bumper stickers and other publicity items have been distributed to let the town know about the new website. We applaud a small town that is working so diligently to create a community that engages its citizenry in this inspiring way.

Car-Lite
One of the most effective environmental actions each of us can undertake is to drive less, yet most of us need help integrating this simple concept into our day-to-day activities. This is Car-Lite's mission. With $1200 from Bread for the Journey of Sebastapol, a Car-Lite website is being designed to educate, motivate and inspire more awareness and participation in what Portia
Sinnott and Sammy Nasr are living every day. They are also supporting bike parades, energizer stations, as well as Bike-to-Work and Car-Free days, and are gathering pledges from local citizens to reduce car usage through more mindful planning of errands, along with many other suggestions. Sonoma County was the first in the country to gain committed support from
each City Council involved in reducing emissions, and took very direct steps to support the Climate Protection Act. Car-Lite's mission provides a way to educate and encourage people to support this important Earth need!

SW Michigan

"I Can Do It"

Children who are blind - along with their parents - are challenged by limited access to services and activities that are part of the usual public school education. Sports and athletics are among these, yet there is a sport designed for the blind called goalball. Alissa Williams and her husband Theron have organized a goalball program outside of school for 7- to 14-year-olds so that their son can participate in sports.

For there to be enough members to make up two teams, some children need to be driven long distances to get to the games. For this reason, practices occur rarely and with limited participation. To offset this problem and to get members to gel as a team and form an esprit de corp, Alissa and Theron requested a grant so that the children could spend a full day at Pretty Lake Adventure Camp working on ropes courses. The activities involved team problem solving while building self-confidence and an "I can do it" attitude that comes so much more easily to sighted kids on sports teams. While Alissa and Theron asked only for a partial donation to cover the day's activities, Bread for the Journey of Southwest Michigan chose to cover the entire cost with a grant of $1100.

Western Michigan University Hunger Banquet

Bethany Timmons is a leader in the Social Welfare Action Alliance at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. One of the missions of this group is to bring awareness to the issue of hunger in our society. The group holds a fundraising Hunger Banquet each year, with proceeds going to three agencies that provide food and shelter to people in need in the greater Kalamazoo community. This year, Bethany had a vision to broaden the scope of the banquet by inviting Nancy Delaney, the National Outreach Coordinator from Oxfam International, to be the keynote speaker. Oxfam International is a confederation of 12 organizations working together in more than 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty, suffering and injustice. Bread for the Journey of Southwest Michigan was pleased to provide a grant of $500 to cover Nancy's transportation costs.

Writing Life Stories

Bobbe Taber has been writing poetry for much of her life, and has compiled a book of poems that tell her life story. Wanting to share the healing that comes with the writing process, Bobbe recently started a writing group at Ministry with Community, a day shelter for Kalamazoo's homeless residents. Bobbe's vision is to help them write their own life stories and, in the process, come to see their own value and place in the world. Bread for the Journey of Southwest Michigan provided a grant of $500 to cover the cost of a memoir-writing course to help Bobbe achieve this goal.

Things are Looking Up

Walter Jones is a man of many talents. He has a diverse background in education, skilled trades and business ownership, and has made a commitment to work to improve the lives of disadvantaged young adults in his community. Walter is establishing an American Legion Training Institute to provide three- to six-month intensive training programs in trades such as plumbing, electrical, heating and property management. The young men enrolled in this school will learn skills that will enable them to become gainfully employed. Walter plans to eventually expand the scope of his school to address other issues faced by his potential students, including housing, budgeting and addiction. Bread for the Journey of Southwest Michigan is pleased to provide a grant of $1200 to pay for the Michigan Proprietary School License application fee for this school.

Healing to the Beat of a Different Drummer
Lee Burdick understands the healing powers of drumming, and has created an Art Beats program to teach drumming to at-risk and handicapped youth. Lee's program allows each student to reconnect with self, and to heal and act out pent-up emotions without violence. Since listening is an integral part of creating music, Lee also teaches listening skills and respect for others by facilitating talking circles. Lee's students have a safe and supportive environment to express their emotions as well as their creative and artistic talents by drumming together and talking things out. She hopes to expand the program to include drum-making for these students. Bread for the Journey of Southwest Michigan is pleased to provide a grant of $2200 to support Lee's Art Beats program and to buy drums for her students.

Wilmington

Operation Warm

Often forgotten are the hardships that the families of our deployed service men and women frequently face when family income is reduced or children are forced to stay with relatives or friends. Recently, Operation Warm teamed up with Bread for the Journey of Wilmington to provide brand new winter coats to children of our deployed service personnel stationed at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware.

The mission of Operation Warm is to enhance the self-esteem of disadvantaged children by providing them with resources that promote a positive self-image and foster the conviction that says, "I am of value." They were granted their 501(c) (3) non-profit status in the spring of 2003. Their current focus is to provide underprivileged children with new winter coats, which continues to be the items most consistently requested by schools and social service agencies.

With a grant of $920 from Bread for the Journey of Wilmington, Operation Warm brought smiles to the faces of 92 children of service men and women currently serving overseas.

Kudjip Nazarene Hospital - Papua New Guinea

Dr. Chuck Miller is a retired pediatrician who has answered a call to become a medical missionary in some of the most remote and primitive parts of the world. Chuck's most recent assignment was to the Kudjip Nazarene Hospital in Papua New Guinea. There he spent three months in a hospital that provides the only medical care for up to 2,000,000 people in the country's remote highlands, where meningitis and tuberculosis are common and have cost the lives of many children. These children often don't receive the life-saving chemotherapy they need simply because it takes their families too long to save the equivalent of $1.00 U.S. that it costs to get their children to the hospital for treatment. As with many missionary hospitals, Kudjip Nazarene operates on a shoestring and is frequently in grave danger of closing its doors.

To honor and affirm our connection with the family of the earth, Bread for the Journey of Wilmington sent $500 to Kudjip Nazarene Hospital to support its ministry to the people of Papua New Guinea.

Stories of Community Support from 2002 and earlier.