Featuring 2005 stories from our BFJ Chapters

| Atlanta | Cincinnati | Denver | Flagstaff | Kauai | Orange County | Portland |
| Santa Clara County | Santa Fe | Sebastopol | SW Michigan | Wilmington |

Ashland

Dances for the Disadvantaged

Peggy Paver approached Bread for the Journey with an idea. She wanted to make her dance class program accessible to disadvantaged teenage girls who would not normally be able to experience the dynamic and creative art of dance. Peggy says, “The beauty of dance is that it can express ideas in so many ways. These girls will grow and flourish here." Bread for the Journey of Ashland was happy to extend a grant of $600 to Peggy .

Danceability Intergenerational Project

Susan Kraemer recently developed a program called the Danceability Intergenerational Project. She teaches children dance, poetry, art and theater. Susan and the children then travel to Senior Centers and Assisted Living Centers to interact with the seniors. The lives of all involved are equally enhanced. Bread for the Journey of Ashland was happy to extend a grant to Susan of $600.

A Compassionate Art

Melanie Dimes is a nurse who is dedicated to assisting people in "the end-of-life process." She approached Bread for the Journey for help with purchasing the books required for a year-long training program that would assist people in getting through this process. During the year, she will be volunteering 150 hours at Skylark Assisted Living Center and, when complete, will be training other practitioners in this compassionate art. Bread for the Journey of Ashland was happy to extend a grant to Melanie of $300.

Peer Presence

For a young man in his twenties, Dominic Allamano is already quite passionate about his life mission. Dominic is a gifted orator who brings social awareness, preparedness, and hope to others of his generation. He travels extensively, speaking and sharing ideas with other young people who wish to support a harmonious world community. Inspired by his vision and fortitude, Bread for the Journey of Ashland provided $100 to assist Dominic with his program.

World Youth Service Enterprise

Tom Shelstad has the distinct honor of having been selected as one of approximately 30 young people from around the world – and the only person selected from the U.S. ­– to participate in the 2006 World Youth Service (WYS) intensive leadership training program, to be held in Italy. The mission of WYS is to “awaken the great qualities in tomorrow’s leaders in all professions, services and trades, for global harmony and prosperity.”

With a $400 grant from Bread for the Journey of Ashland, Tom will join other dedicated young people as they develop leadership skills that transcend borders. Learn more at http://italy.takingitglobal.org

Visionary Solutions

A $400 gift from Bread for the Journey of Ashland is helping Michelle Engel obtain 501(c) 3 non-profit status for Visionary Solutions, an organization dedicated to providing a cooperative network for teachers and healers. Visionary Solutions provides educational materials and gifts, educational classes and workshops, and consciousness-shifting projects and events that convey messages of hope, freedom and empowerment in these modern times of accelerated change. Visit Visionary Solutions at http://www.visionarysolutions.org

Environmental Technology Mentorship

The Ashland School of Environmental Technology (ASET) is a nonprofit organization in Ashland, Oregon, that provides hands-on education and inspiration to students while simultaneously developing simple, positive solutions to global environmental problems. A $500 grant from Bread for the Journey of Ashland is helping to launch a new program that pairs skilled mentors with inventive high-school and college students. Find out more about ASET by visiting www.greeninventor.org

The Natural Child Project  

Through her psychotherapy practice, Jan Hunt has come to realize the untold challenges that parents are faced with in raising children, and that few ever receive training in this precious art. Her vision includes a world where all children are treated with dignity, respect, understanding and compassion, and where each child can grow into adulthood with a generous capacity for love and trust. Bread for the Journey of Ashland gave a $500 grant for the development of “Parenting Cards.” One of 100 cards can be drawn whenever a parent needs inspiration and encouragement, or just a gentle reminder that parenting can be a joyful experience. The cards offer help in dealing with everyday parenting issues in a realistic, humane and respectful way that enhances the bond between parent and child. Through our connection with the Illinois Valley Safe House, Parenting Cards were purchased and gifted to women who were graduating from a program for survivors of abuse. For more information, see www.naturalchild.org or contact 866-593-1547.

Philosophy in the Classroom

When philosophy professors Prakash Chenjeri and Mitchell Frangadakis go into local high schools to speak, they find that the students are hungry for what they have to say. Prakash and Mitchell teach young people how to think rather than what to think. They offer tools to help them examine their assumptions and judgments about the world and gain insight into the sources and consequences of their thinking. Their open-mindedness is nurtured so that viewpoints that differ from their own can be fully heard and assessed. Bread for the Journey of Ashland is excited to offer “The Philosophical Forum” a grant of $750 to make a film of their pilot workshop, which will take place in a local high school. Once this occurs, the program can be offered to other schools in the Rogue Valley. For more information, contact chenjeri@sou.edu or wisdom@mind.net.

Amazigh - “Free People”

Youssef Baiddou was born into the arms of the Shlul tribe of Berber in the remote Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Having grown up in the United States, Youssef has always had a dream to help keep the music and culture of this rich history alive. Armed with an interdisciplinary degree in biology, indigenous studies, music and film, Youseff — along with his wife Syndee — is starting a Fair Trade organization with offices in Williams, Oregon. They will assist the Amazigh and other indigenous cultures to attain financial freedom and also to share their life-ways, language, and earth-based spirituality with the world. As they travel to remote lands, they will play and record spontaneously with local musicians. Their aim is to demonstrate the healing power of music as they create modern inter-cultural dialogue based in mutual respect. Bread for the Journey of Ashland is supporting this dream by giving a grant of $175 to assist them in registering as a Fair Trade business so they can bring back and market Berber arts, crafts and music. Youssef and Syndee may be contacted at berber@envirocitizen.com

Healing Violence in Men

The experiential workshops designed by the trainers of “Accountability in Men” (AIM) developed in response to incidents of violence in and around Ashland by college-aged men. A Southern Oregon University administrator, the head football coach, representatives from the Ashland Police Department, members of the Women’s Resource Center, the Dean of Students and, finally, the Southern Oregon University Provost, all participated in a dialogue to discover a creative approach in dealing with this complex issue. In January 2005, the University Provost approved the pilot program developed by AIM and its delivery was successful, showing promise for future programs. Along with principles that outline healthy male identity gleaned from over 20 years of working with men, the AIM staff is eager to facilitate support teams so that those who go through the program can take what they learn into their everyday relationships with a sense of accountability and responsibility. AIM Trainings Inc. is a non-profit organization — soon to be 501(c)3 — and a $700 grant from Bread for the Journey of Ashland is going toward the continued development and marketing of this fine program. See www.AIM-Trainings-inc.org for more information.

Food for People

For seven years, Pamela Joy has made her living as a clown and mime. She has always felt badly about the starving people in the world. Now she and a few volunteers serve more than 1000 people a week by picking up dated dairy products, breads and produce from local markets, and distributing the food to seven local groups that feed the hungry. Recently, Pamela’s food rescue project drew praise from Access, Inc., southern Oregon’s largest provider of emergency food. Bread for the Journey of Ashland gave a grant of $1,000 to Pamela to enclose and cool a room in her garage. This room will serve as a walk-in fridge so that the life of the food may be extended between deliveries.

“This Is Ashland”

Everness is non-profit organization that seeks to stimulate and promote sustainable living and spiritual consciousness through films, documentaries and educational programs. From artists and musicians to unique stores and restaurants to alternative building and energy production, there are many creative endeavors that are found right here in this town. Blue Star Spirit, filmmaker for this DVD project, is filled with enthusiasm as he walks the streets of Ashland finding the uniqueness that may not be readily noticed. Bread for the Journey of Ashland granted $250 to Everness for one of its programs called “This is Ashland,” a subscription-based DVD that will be available soon. The DVD will highlight some options for creative living in these times.

More Ashland stories

Atlanta

An End to Poverty

As director of the Resident Services Department of the College Park Housing Authority, Bruce Morgan is dedicated to building a thriving community by combatting drug use and distribution, encouraging self-sufficiency, and promoting self-pride. Brad is especially interested in promoting education as a means of ending the cycle of poverty for children in College Park. Bread for the Journey of Atlanta was happy to provide a grant of $500 in support of his efforts to improve his community.

A Living Wage

Chad Hale, director of the Georgia Avenue Community Ministry (GACM), is dedicated to creating a safe place for local people to share in the nourishment of food, community and love. GACM includes four food cooperatives that together collect and distribute groceries for two-hundred low-income families. Three co-op members also serve in part-time paid leadership positions, handling the administrative responsibilities and creating a sense of community among members. As a result of the support and empowerment that the co-ops provide, individuals have obtained jobs, alcoholics have become sober, and people have become better parents to their children. Bread for the Journey of Atlanta provided a grant of $1,000 to support Chad in his efforts to uplift the people who live in the Summerhill, Grant Park and Peoplestown neighborhoods.

Aid to Children of Imprisoned Mothers

Sandra Barnhill of Atlanta, Georgia, created “Aid to Children of Imprisoned Mothers” (AIM) to provide programs and services that lessen the impact on children of mothers who’ve been incarcerated. At this time, an estimated 8,000 children in Georgia have mothers who are in prison. These children spend an average of 6 years away from their mothers. Bread for the Journey of Atlanta provided AIM with a grant of $1,000 that enabled 25 children to visit their mothers in prison during the holidays.

Hot Tamale

Ivonne Hernandez knows how difficult it can be to raise a special-needs child, since one of her own children is afflicted with autism.

Three years ago, Ivonne created a support group for other Hispanic families with special-needs children. She recently told us about one of the women in her group, Veronica Jimenz, who has few financial resources and no private means of transportation. However, Veronica does know how to make the most mouth-watering tamales we have ever tasted. So delicious, in fact, that an Atlanta restaurant would like to pay her to add them to their menu. This would enable Veronica to share her talent and gifts while earning an income for her family, but she still has no way to deliver her product.

With Ivonne's help, Bread for the Journey of Atlanta will provide $1,000 to help get Veronica's Tamales to market, support her cottage industry, and hopefully serve as an incentive for other local Hispanic families to start up their own businesses.

Arts for Children Everywhere

As an artist and teacher, Katherine Hunter has seen how creativity and art expands the imagination and enhances learning skills in children. All too often, she has found that many underprivileged children with a strong interest in the arts do not have access to the same programs that are available in wealthier communities. In response, Katherine created Arts for Children Everywhere (ACE), a non-profit organization. In Decatur, Georgia, ACE has developed its first outreach effort: An art mentoring program where talented children will be matched up with a local artist for a six-month internship designed to nurture, motivate and support them. Bread for the Journey of Atlanta is honored to provide a grant of $1,000 for art supplies and enrichment activities that will help get this inspirational project started.

More Atlanta stories

Cincinnati

UNI-verse

The first annual Cincinnati UNI-verse was held on October 23, 2005 at Sawyer Point in downtown Cincinnati. The event's purpose was to encourage community growth and foster inter-community development, using art and music as a way to express these themes.

The program included stage performances, a mural contest and an area for local vendors. The performances included both local theater companies as well as local musicians, with acts ranging from jazz and poetry to a Middle Eastern / North African drum and dance ensemble.

The mural contest was designed to help build a stronger relationship between local artists and the city of Cincinnati. Six artists painted murals throughout the event, and one was chosen to paint a public mural in the heart of the city, sponsored by “Keep Cincinnati Beautiful.” UNI–verse was considered a huge success, with over 500 people in attendance for this inaugural event. Bread for the Journey of Cincinnati was happy to grant UNI-verse $400 to help with production costs.

Women Writing For a Change

“Women Writing For a Change” (WWFaC) was founded in Cincinnati 15 years ago by Mary Pierce Brosmer. Its mission is to help women find their voices through writing, and to do so by providing adult and teen classes, children’s camps, and other outreach programs.

This fall, WWFaC is collaborating with the Cincinnati Women’s Choir in a performance called “The Voices of Feminism."

Mary asked for a grant to hire a voice coach for the young women who would be reciting their heartfelt poetry in public — some for the first time. The coach would help to instill confidence and build self-esteem, as well as teach these women how to more powerfully use their voices to tell their stories in a public venue. Bread for the Journey of Cincinnati gave Mary $750 towards this project.

Knit One, Heal Too

Knit One, Heal Too is a dedicated, growing group of people who knit prayer shawls for individuals in the midst of a medical or spiritual challenge. The group meets for three hours once a week to knit, laugh and share stories with one another. Their beautiful prayer shawls are then blessed in a special service each Sunday morning.

Bread for the Journey of Cincinnati was honored to award Knit One, Heal Too a grant of $500, which was used to purchase knitting supplies and to help pay for the group’s website ( www.knitonehealtoo.org). As of this writing, eight special people have been blessed with the prayer shawls, with the first going to a woman with a rapidly progressing form of leukemia. At the time, her medical team felt they had done everything they could and recommended hospice as a next step. Within two weeks, the same medical team discovered that the progression of her disease had completely stopped, and today she is leading a full and active life.

Coming Together Through Fun

Kennedy Heights and Pleasant Ridge are adjacent communities in the city of Cincinnati. Originally vibrant middle-class communities, they have stagnated through apathy, negativity, and increasing crime rates over the past couple of decades.

Late last year, a Kennedy Heights resident, Richard Cooke, spearheaded the creation of Cincyfest, a non-profit organization with the goal of building community spirit through recreation and fun. Cincyfest is composed entirely of volunteers from these communities who have pooled their talents to increase enthusiasm and pride in the area. In December 2004, the group hosted Winterfest with live music, horse-drawn carriage rides, an art show and refreshments. The visual centerpiece of the evening was a mile-long candle luminaria that linked one community to the other. Residents of both communities, young and old, mingled together and had a great time.

Plans are underway for Summerfest 2005 and an even larger Winterfest this December. The two communities are working together as they haven’t done in years to make these events a huge success. They are already expanding the program to include other neighboring communities in the city. Bread for the Journey of Cincinnati gave Cincyfest $500 to develop a website (www.cincyfest.org) to help publicize the organization and coordinate its activities.

More Cincinnati stories

Denver

Ricardo Flores Magon Academy

Marcos Martinez has been working with a community group for the last year to start a charter school in north Denver. The Ricardo Flores Magon Academy Charter School will serve kindergarten through eighth-graders, and will provide an academically rigorous, tightly structured and highly disciplined curriculum and school culture. Marcos lives in north Denver and has been a community organizer for a number of years. His research showed that kids in northwest Denver consistently underachieve and that high school graduation rates are very low. He wants to create a school that helps to turn those numbers around. At this time, the group is trying to complete their application to become a charter within the Denver public school system. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave them a grant of $1500 to apply for their non-profit status. This status will allow them to receive grants from other organizations and to cover the costs of incidentals such as copying, office supplies and board meeting expenses.

Momma Jean

Jean Wood saw a story on “60 Minutes” that changed her life about the Lost Boys of Sudan, who survived approximately 20 years of civil war and were left without parents or family. These boys joined together and walked over 1,000 miles to Kenya where they were placed into refugee camps. In 2001, the United States selected 3,800 of them for resettlement in this country. Jean was touched by the story, and upon hearing that 70 or so of the Lost Boys were coming to the Boulder/Denver area, she jumped at the opportunity to help them. Jean started talking to her employer, church and friends about pulling together resources to help these men begin their new lives in America. Upon meeting them, they told her of their dream of returning to Sudan with an American education and helping to rebuild their struggling country. Now they call her “Momma Jean,” because she helps them with whatever they need, primarily with educational expenses that are not covered by grants and scholarships. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Jean a grant of $1,800 to start a book fund, since books are a significant expense each semester.

Medicine Horse Center

Located in a remote part of southern Colorado, the Medicine Horse Center has little access to resources to support their work. They use horses to help adults and kids who have suffered from trauma, abuse and/or neglect, and told us the following story about one of the children they helped.

“A ten-year-old girl was referred to us from hospice. Her father had committed suicide and her mother was in drug rehab, so she was sent to live with her grandparents. Her grandfather was dying of cancer and the grandmother was in deep grief. The girl was completely shut down and would not speak to anyone. The therapist called me and asked if I thought that horse therapy might help this child. When she came, I introduced her to Alex, a little mustang who’d been tied to a fence post and beaten until nearly dead. We rescued him and have used him to help children, as he loves kids but distrusts adults.

“I told this child about Alex before taking her out to the paddock to meet him. She marched up to Alex, threw her arms around him, and told him her entire story while sobbing into his neck. The therapist and I stood in amazement as we watched the two of them ‘talk.’ I left them alone for quite awhile, then as I stepped closer, this beautiful little pony-tailed blond told me to ‘stay still and be quiet – Alex has something to tell me.’ She then put her forehead to his as they stood there head-to-head. (This is amazing because, having been beaten, Alex does not like to have his head touched.) Then she stepped back and told me that Alex had said he had been very sad like her, but that he was better now, and that she’ll get better too if she’ll just trust us.”

Bread for the Journey of Denver was happy to support their program with a grant of $500.

San Luis Wild Dog and Cat Care

After one feral dog was hit by a car, these dogs became a concern of a caring group of neighbors in San Luis County of southern Colorado. Two of the women drove the dog to a vet and paid for his care out of their own pockets. They contacted local officials to find out what might be done about these dogs, and in speaking with the vet, they quickly realized that the only real solution was to neuter the dogs to prevent them from reproducing. They tried to capture a group of puppies by enticing them with food, but realized they didn’t have the right equipment to transport them, even if they were lucky enough to catch them.

They asked Bread for the Journey of Denver for $1100 to purchase traps for wild cats and dogs and to help with the costs of neutering.

Hope Pride Day Cookout

Unique Irvin, an African American girl, moved with her family to a primarily Anglo suburb of Denver, where she began to attend a new middle school. She was shocked at the racial slurs that were directed at her within her first few days at the school. Even though the offending child was disciplined by the school, the harassment continued. Unique’s mother was concerned about her daughter and worked with the school to get it to stop, but saw a larger opportunity here to educate her new community about diversity. She contacted the boy’s mother and, once the young man expressed genuine remorse, they brought the two kids together and encouraged them to become friends. Unique’s mother, LaTonya, decided to go one step further and form a group called H.O.P.E. - Helping Others [recognize me as a] Person through Education. LaTonya worked with the kids in deciding how to best educate their community. They chose to hold a H.O.P.E. Pride Day Cookout where the community would come together to taste various ethnic foods, watch performances and make crafts from different cultures.

Bread for the Journey of Denver admired how the kids were working together to turn a negative experience into a positive one for their whole community, and gave them $750 to cover expenses for their celebration.

Mountain Chamber Music

Laura Shulkin has taught disadvantaged kids for many years and has always found ways to share her joy of music with her students. In recent years, she has become interested in finding new ways to help kids learn, so she founded Mountain Chamber Music to create a curriculum that teaches critical-thinking skills through music. Through her extensive networks in the education and music communities, she creates interactive performances for elementary school kids in the Denver Metro area. Colorado’s state-mandated tests put great pressure on educators, so she also has the documentation that shows how her curriculum raises test scores. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Laura $600 to apply for her non-profit status, support the development of a logo and purchase the Colorado Grants Guide, helping her to move a few steps closer to realizing her dream.

Capital Heights Community Kiosk

There is a church In Denver's Capital Hill neighborhood that uses its building space well, housing three different congregations that meet on Sundays at various times. In addition, a wide variety of community-based activities are held there during the week, from Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to home-cooked lunches for the mentally ill members of the neighborhood. The three congregations have talked for many months about building a kiosk on the corner of 11th and Filmore to advertise events at the church as well as to provide a space for neighbors to advertise other activities. One church member made sketches of how the kiosk might look along with possible locations for it. Another volunteer took the project to the City of Denver for approval, since the kiosk would be placed in the sidewalk right-of-way.

Capital Heights Presbyterian came to Bread for the Journey of Denver to ask for help toward the $3000 in estimated costs. We were pleased to grant them $1500 with the hopes that some of the other congregations and groups would also contribute to this community-building effort.

El Centro's Proyecto Mujeres

A few years ago, a group of community members started El Centro Humanitario para los Trabajadores in Denver as a more humane place where day laborers could gather to find work. The center is now housed in a donated garage near downtown Denver and offers a variety of services for the city's significant population of day laborers. In the last couple of months, a number of women have started showing up at the center looking for work too, so a new program was started called Proyecto Mujeres. Ten to twelve women meet every Thursday (those who do not get jobs that day) to discuss how to best support each other in finding work.

Many of these women are confined to low-paying, inconsistent and physically demanding work in the cleaning industry. So they came to Bread for the Journey of Denver to request $990 to fund first aid certification training through the Red Cross, in the hope that this training will help them to expand their work opportunities into child-care and geriatrics. Travis Ning, a graduate student from the University of Denver who works with the group, says that, "there is no other viable source of funding to address this need. This grant can empower 10-15 women to continue to reach toward their economic and personal hopes and dreams." Bread for the Journey of Denver is happy to provide the funding to support this training.

Cole Middle School Community Service Projects

Each year, Earth Force works with the sixth graders at Cole Middle School in central Denver to help them learn a process to improve conditions within their community. Cole is one of the highest crime and lowest income neighborhoods in Denver. These kids have many struggles in their lives, but we were heartened to hear all the great plans they came up with to make their neighborhood a better place. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave eight student groups a small grant of between $85 and $150 each for their community service projects. This spring, the students will be tackling tough issues such as homelessness, immigrant education, the use of bio-diesel fuels, and education about sexually transmitted diseases. Bread for the Journey of Denver was pleased to give a total grant of $1000 to support their efforts.

Circles of Success

Modeled after a national program, Mother to Mother is a grass-roots organization designed to meet the needs of women from diverse racial/ethnic and multi-class backgrounds through friendship and support. After working with women in friendship circles for a number of years, they had a new idea for bringing women together across racial and economic barriers. They created a program called Circles of Success, designed to educate women on topics of interest to all. With a grant of $975 from Bread for the Journey of Denver, they will launch a three-month pilot speaker series that will bring in knowledgeable women from the community to present information on "Women and Money," "Knowing Your Body and Spirit," and "Self Defense for Women and Girls." They are partnering with a number of other groups and non-profits in Northwest Denver to bring women together around these issues. They hope to continue the program through 2005 and 2006.

Montview Elementary ESL Babysitters

Patti Capps, the principal of Montview Elementary in Aurora, Colorado, has worked with parents over the past few months to start a community room near the entrance to their school. Montview's population is predominantly Hispanic and many of the families are immigrants from Mexico. Patti and her staff had long recognized how few parents came into the school, due to language barriers and unfamiliarity with the school system in this country. They hoped that a community room would provide a welcome place where parents could meet together or with teachers in an effort to build relationships that would support their children's learning. A couple of enthusiastic parent volunteers took the lead, and before long realized the desire on the part of many parents to learn English. They found a local non-profit called Focus Points that would offer ESL (English as a Second Language) classes to them for free. As soon as they offered the first class, there was a waiting list for another. The only problem was what to do with the kids while the parents were in these early morning and evening classes. Three of the parents came to Bread for the Journey of Denver to ask for $600 to pay for babysitting services for the rest of the year. We decided to give them $1200 to cover the costs for next semester too, so that the ESL classes will continue until they find more ongoing support from another community group.

More Denver stories

Flagstaff

Good Night Pediatrics

Staffed by board-certified pediatricians from 5pm until 5am, 365 nights a year, Good Night Pediatrics is founded on the principle that no child belongs in the emergency room unless it’s for a true emergency. They also consider pediatric specialists to be advocates of whole-child development, so their waiting room features a well-stocked shelf of diverse age-appropriate children's books. At the conclusion of every visit at Good Night Pediatrics, each child is encouraged to choose one book to take home and keep. A small gesture perhaps, but the delight on the kids’ faces leads us to believe it's an important one.

Bread for the Journey of Flagstaff was happy to give them a $720 grant to purchase additional books for their program.

More Flagstaff stories

Kauai

A Sense of Stability

A thirteen-year-old girl in foster care arrived at her new home in Kauai, Hawaii, with all of her possessions in a large, gray garbage bag. Later, she confided to Cynthia Weiss, a professional parent recruiter at Hale Opio Kauai that, like her belongings, she too felt like garbage. Cynthia Weiss had heard it before. There are nearly 3,000 children in foster care in Hawaii, with 200 of them on the island of Kauai. Unfortunately, these children move from home to home several times a year, and do this without the benefit of having personal luggage. This time, Cynthia decided to do something about this lack, and approached a representative of Bread for the Journey of Kauai with the idea to purchase suitcases, towels and toiletry kits for every foster child in Kauai. Bread for the Journey thought it was a great idea, since it might offer a sense of stability to children who have so little that they can count on. They gave Cynthia a challenge grant of $2,000 to purchase the suitcases and supplies. The community of Kauai met the challenge and a new program was born.

Orange County

A Roof Over Our Heads

The Lighthouse Church of Costa Mesa has several rooms above their gathering hall. They also have an outreach ministry to house the homeless who are seeking jobs. Once on their feet, these men and women become interested in helping other homeless people find shelter and jobs as well. With only one finished room upstairs that was being used to house women, another was needed for the men who were in sleeping bags in empty hallways or unfinished rooms. Pastor Dale Fitch wanted to fix up one of the rooms for these men, but needed to replace four windows due to water damage, as well as bring the building up to code. He also needed to get four bunk beds, two dressers, a few lamps and some nightstands. Bread for the Journey of Orange County (formerly Irvine) gave him a grant of $1,600 to complete the work. The ministry will soon be able to provide temporary housing for eight fortunate men in this room.

A Christmas To Remember

“Hannah's Children’s Homes” is an agency that provides foster care services to children looking to be adopted. Judy Aronsen, a volunteer, contacted Bread for the Journey to see about the possibility of a Christmas donation for the children. Bread for the Journey of Orange County contributed $200 towards the purchase of a Playstation II. They received a warm note of thanks from the executive directors, as follows: "Because of your generosity, we were able to give our children a Christmas to remember. Words could never describe how grateful we are for your dedication and commitment to our children, many of whom have been abused, neglected or abandoned."

“CASA Kids go Back-To-School”

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Orange County gives hope and a powerful voice to children in our community’s foster care system. By training community volunteers to serve as mentors and advocates for severely abused, abandoned and neglected children and teens, CASA ensures that these kids’ immediate needs are being addressed while guiding them toward resources and environments that will help them to thrive.

Bread for the Journey of Irvine recently partnered with CASA to help meet a very special need for these children. Each year, CASA holds a Back-to-School picnic for about 200 foster children and distributes school supplies — including a new backpack — to each of these vulnerable kids. Because of the importance of this event to both these children’s self-esteem and their academic potential, Bread for the Journey has proudly provided $1,500 to purchase backpacks for each child who attends this year.

The Back-to-School event is a special time for these children and their volunteer advocates. Each backpack will be filled with donated school supplies including pencils, pens, rulers, paper and more. It will be an exciting day as Bread for the Journey and CASA make something positive happen for these kids. It is a small gesture that will make a big difference in helping them start the school year off on the right foot!

More Orange County stories

Portland, ME

The Telling Room

Each of us has a unique story to tell. Some people tell their stories to everyone they know; others aren’t even aware they have something worth telling. The Telling Room exists in Portland, Maine, to help local young people tell their stories through writing, singing, or speech. It began in 2005 as a nonprofit center run by accomplished local writers whose work has appeared in myriad national publications. These writers have organized a number of different workshops for Portland storytellers from ages 8 to 18. From the harrowing tales of young war refugees to rap lyrics to class clown rants, in high school classrooms and in performances and workshops, The Telling Room has celebrated the written and spoken word in all its manifestations.

The Telling Room directors – Michael Paterniti, Sara Corbett and Susan Conley – came to Bread for the Journey of Portland in December with an idea for a new endeavor called the Story House Project. This project will involve a group of five to ten high school students who have arrived in the U.S. in recent years from countries as varied as Somalia, Cambodia, Sudan and Croatia. In the course of a six-session “Coming to America” workshop, the directors will discuss different approaches to personal storytelling. After those sessions will come individual month-long mentorships with other local professional writers, and then construction of “story houses,” which are structures in which one can enter, stand and look around. Decorated with pictures and artifacts from the stories themselves, the story houses may include video or audio of the storyteller telling his or her story. The story houses will live at local high schools during their construction and the development of the story performance. When they’re complete, a local performance and art gallery will hold a show of the houses.

Bread for the Journey of Portland made a $1,000 grant to The Telling Room to go towards story house construction and decoration as well as supplies.

Children’s Healthy Environment Campaign

Lead paint is one of the most widespread environmental threats we face. This is especially true in regions such as New England, where so many houses were built and painted before a nationwide ban on the paint went into effect in 1975. Ingesting lead paint dust can bring on a host of ill effects, ranging from nausea to permanent brain damage, with small children at the highest level of risk.

For homeowners with sufficient funds, there are a number of abatement options. But for most renters, those options just don’t exist. Although landlords are required by law to institute lead-safe practices, it usually takes an informed and persistent tenant to prod the landlord into action. That’s where the Portland Tenants Union (PTU) has decided to step in by launching their Children’s Healthy Environment Campaign. PTU representatives go door-to-door in the city’s densest urban districts to inform tenants of the dangers of lead paint, of their rights under the law, and of the most effective ways to get their apartments tested and, if necessary, brought up to acceptable lead-safe standards. They also work directly with landlords to ensure that the process does not lead to antagonism, and is instead developed within a communal spirit of cultivating a healthy environment for all.

In developing the campaign, PTU had relied chiefly on volunteer canvassers. Bread for the Journey of Portland, Maine granted $750 to the Children’s Healthy Environment Campaign, to go towards stipends for those volunteers.

Worth Thousands of Words

Everyone has a story to tell, even when it's hard to share. For many students in Portland, Maine's, Adult Education literacy program, the difficulties are two-fold: They've endured extreme hardships in their native countries before their recent immigration to the U.S.; and their literacy skills are minimal, even in their native tongues. Gail Dawson-Gray, a teacher in the literacy program, found a novel way around these obstacles by working with the students in using photography as a medium for telling their own stories.

The 42 students, divided among three classes with three different teachers, are from all around the world, primarily from Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan, but also from Southeast Asia and Latin America. Most are middle-aged women, some are young adults, and the Family Literacy class has children in it as well. The Connecting Worlds Literacy/Photography project taught them to take photographs as a way of documenting their own lives in a new country. With the help of their teachers, they took several weeks to discuss and write accounts of their favorite photographs. With the aid of Kodak disposable cameras, they learned invaluable lessons in reading, writing, speaking, creative expression and increased cultural awareness.

In June, Portland Adult Education mounted an exhibit of the students' work at the school, as well as in satellite exhibits at community centers and the Portland Housing Authority administrative offices' boardroom. Bread for the Journey of Portland granted Connecting Worlds $250 to help purchase the disposable cameras and other materials.

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Santa Clara County

Day Worker Center

The Day Worker Center of Mountain View serves as a gathering place, a place to find work and a hot meal at lunchtime, as well as a home away from home for anyone who is forced by extreme poverty to live away from their country, home and family. On average, only 30% obtain employment on any given day, usually for only four hours per assignment.

Maria Marroquin, the Executive Director of the Day Worker Center (who was once a day worker there herself) came to us with three projects she wanted funding for. The first project requires financial support to be able to teach classes in flower arranging, a skill that will help the workers support themselves. We gladly supported this project, knowing it would open the door for more skills courses needed for other areas of employment.

The second project requires funding for a newsletter that will be the voice of the workers. Maria's plan is for this newsletter to serve as a communications tool between the workers, and to include practical information, such as community events. It will also serve as a useful handout to help acquaint both potential employers and potential day workers with the Center's services.

The third is a pilot project to create a "novella." Says Maria, "Our workers have lives that are full of drama, misfortunes, and dangers. We plan to interview workers ... about their life experiences, goals, and dreams. Using the novella format, we can take advantage of an enormously popular feature in Latino culture to communicate important information to our workers, as well as to validate their experiences." Bread for the Journey of Santa Clara County is delighted to support all three of these projects with a grant of $1,000. We're looking forward to receiving the first newsletter and reading the first novella.

Young Women Change the World, One Classroom at a Time

Julia and Katie Ransohoff, a pair of articulate, enthusiastic 13- and 15-year-old sisters, were quick to capture the hearts of the board of directors of Bread for the Journey of Santa Clara County. The girls had written a teaching program for the fifth grade about bullying in schools, including a web site, student modules, teacher curriculum and worksheets. "We are passionate about early intervention into this problem in our community. We feel that young people's perspectives will make a difference in promoting good peer relationships." They piloted the program in the fifth-grade class at the Escondido School in Palo Alto, CA. Then they expanded the modules and adapted them to meet California's state curriculum standards, and will be bringing the program into other schools in the community. They asked Bread for the Journey of Santa Clara County for a $500 grant to help with the costs of this project. How could anyone say no? Bread for the Journey is thrilled to support such an inspired project and to become a part of these young women's lives.

Mental Illness Understood

Paula Communeli’s dream is to change the way that mental health services are perceived and delivered in her community. Although many excellent resources exist, she perceived one glaring absence — the voices of the patients and their families. Last year, through her grass-roots organization, Listening Well Alliance, she gathered five brave community members, all of whom had been affected by mental illness in some way, for a weekend program entitled "Trust - Truth - Triumph: A Celebration of the Resiliency of the Human Spirit." Through a facilitated process, the participants shared and explored their stories about their own experience with mental illness. As a result of this process, each participant wrote and delivered a 10-minute heartfelt monologue.

That weekend — which culminated in sharing their monologues with each other in the presence of an audience — was a life-changing experience for all, participants and audience alike. Encouraged by the success of the event, Paula came to us with a request for help in subsidizing a similar event for this fall. Deeply touched by the stories she shared, we were honored to be a part of her project. A $1300 grant from Bread for the Journey of Santa Clara County went toward paying the fee for the retreat center.

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Santa Fe

Oh, Yes, I Remember

Following the publication of his book, "Sparking Memories" — a collection of poems for use with Alzheimer patients — poet Gary Mex Glazner was asked to prepare a book for Spanish-speaking persons. While many native Spanish speakers have become fluent in English in their lifetimes, it has been found that as their Alzheimer's progresses, they slip back into almost exclusive use and comprehension of Spanish. Stories or "cuentas" are more traditional in the culture of northern New Mexico than is poetry. Gary wanted to work with local people to record these well-known stories so that they could be read aloud to stimulate memories and to provide enjoyment for the patients. As with the poetry book, it was felt that this storybook would help reduce stress in both patients and caregivers. Having given a grant for the English poetry book, Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe was delighted to provide $1,500 for this "sequel."

Brrr.... It’s Cold Outside

The Carson Resource Center (CRC) consists of a donated parcel of land west of Taos, N.M., and a sensitive, adept Board of Directors with a wish to create a viable meeting place for the residents of several nearby villages. Recently, a metal Quonset hut — open at both ends — was donated as a meeting place for this new “community.”

Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe donated $300 for the ends of the building to be enclosed, thus blocking wind and the elements from coming in. This will allow the hut to be used as a safe storage area for a food bank program and, later, as a community center.

Let’s Add Some Protein

There are quite a few people in the Espanola Valley of New Mexico whose income is below $1,200 per month for a family of four. These people need help in feeding their families, so Tom Bozone set up a site where eligible families can come once a month for staples donated by the Food Depot of Santa Fe and other like-minded organizations. Last year, they distributed over 250,000 pounds of food to more than a thousand families.

Tom wanted to realize his dream of turning this site into a full-on food distribution center. To do this, he needed a compressor for refrigeration of donated frozen chickens, milk, butter, and cheese. Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe granted Tom $2,500 for the compressor so that his dream could come true.

Another Way Of Looking At Things

Rabia Van Hattum of Abiquiu, New Mexico, is the Program Director for “Arts to Boost Curriculum” (ABC). This small organization provides art supplies and instruction with the aim of boosting cognitive skills in hundreds of children from low-income and poverty-level families in small rural schools in the  Espanola Valley. Mentors assist in the classrooms to help the children understand their lessons through art. This has been highly effective for learning math, as the children use geometric shapes to make the concepts clearer. They are thrilled when they get to take the items home with them. Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe supplied $1,000 toward the purchase of materials for these art projects that enhance learning.

Loving Kindness

Susan Hale is the Program Director for the Chesed Project (Hebrew for Loving Kindness). The Project’s aim is to help break stereotypes about aging and to add to the quality of life for people over 60 in Taos, New Mexico. It is an inter-faith, collaborative endeavor, coordinated by the Taos Jewish Center. One group provided lunch but had no program to offer, so Susan has arranged to bring a variety of activities there. Most of the programs take place at the Taos Jewish Center, which has generously provided space in their building. Activities vary from writing classes to singing, exercise, and more. Susan had the idea to initiate the Sage Project, where twelve of the wisest seniors in Taos would be identified, photographed and written about in a journal that would also have blank pages to include the wisdom of other elders. She is planning to have them professionally photographed for the book. This “Sage Wisdom Journal” will be for sale to help generate funds for the Chesed Project. Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe provided $1,000 to cover the cost of producing the books.

Leave The Lights On

South of Santa Fe, New Mexico, there are many small communities with interesting names such as Pena Blanca and Sile. Ann Baumgarn, a transplant from Iowa, lives in Cochiti Lake, a community near these towns. She became aware of the lack of after-school programs for children of working parents. She had volunteers to help but no location. One library said that their building could be used, but they would need money to cover the costs of the additional electricity. In another village, the only building available was a church, but several potential funding sources said that they couldn’t give money to projects with religious affiliations. They finally found a location but financial help was needed for the “extras”. Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe gave Ann a check for $500 just in time to help with her spring-break program.

Can You Hear Me Now?

There is great joy in the Embudo Valley these days, as radio station KDLK is on the air at last. Dixon, along with seven other mountain villages in New Mexico, has never had radio reception before. Clark Case, a carpenter and visionary, established a new noncommercial, low-frequency, limited-range radio station for the valley. He invited widespread participation, including the broadcasting of sporting events from Penasco High School. This open invitation has particularly attracted students, who are being taught by Clark to produce radio programs. Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe believes strongly in this project, and gave a grant of $2,000 to purchase equipment for the 500-square-foot studio that’s located next to the town library.

The Power of Hope

Since agency budgets are created in advance, funds are often not available when an exceptional training opportunity arises. The Power of Hope Program for Youth was started on the west coast by Peggy Taylor, who is the founder of New Age Magazine. It involves an innovative approach for training staff and, for the first time, a two-day course was going to be given in New Mexico. Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe provided $660 so that staff from the Santa Fe Boys and Girls Club could attend this training. They are very enthusiastic about what they learned and eager to apply it right away.

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Sebastopol

In its seventh year, BFJ of Sebastopol found itself in the midst of life-changes that affect many non-profit boards. Of our six wonderful board members, some experienced family deaths, major surgery and crises around aging parents, while others lived through the disruption of home remodeling and business changes. It was a big year! In addition to that, we began to move to a shared leadership model after many years of one board member holding many of the primary responsibilities. Our focus was inward this year, looking at our lives, our infra-structure, our goals. In the mysterious way that the outer process often reflects the inner process, we were approached for very few grants during this time, and in fact, gave only one. We are coming through this transition with renewed clarity; a new form of collaborative, rotating leadership; a new brochure; and new eyes and hearts open to continue to  participate in, and celebrate the beauty of Neighborhood Philanthropy which drew us all to BFJ in the first place!

Women’s Justice Center

Bread for the Journey of Sebastopol gave a $1200 grant to the Women’s Justice Center (WJC) of Santa Rosa several years ago to help launch their bilingual website. This website, which is a tremendous resource about domestic violence, including support in dealing with courts, etc., gets approximately 800 hits (or visits) a day from around the world, with over half of these in the Spanish language. The two most visited documents, in both English and Spanish, are “Special for Rape Victims” and “Special for Immigrant Women.” Laura Asturias translated all of the articles. This takes a special skill because of the nuance of language required, and the WJC has found her to be a speedy, impeccable translator. She works tirelessly on behalf of women everywhere in many ways. She is also a renowned journalist and feminist in Guatemala, and has formed a strong bond with WJC.

Bread for the Journey of Sebastopol gave Laura a grant of $1000 for further translations and assistance with the WJC website. We are also extending a hand from Sonoma County — where the Hispanic population is large — to Central America, and creating more bonds of cooperation to Spanish-speaking families, friends and helping professionals worldwide.

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Southwest Michigan

Bob Rowe 2006 Mother Teresa Laureate

In 2001, Bread for the Journey of Southwest Michigan awarded a grant in the amount of $1100 to Bob Rowe for his work in bringing music to people living in nursing homes and related facilities (see Musician with a Mission). He has just received the 2006 Mother Teresa Laureate award (see announcement below). We send our heartfelt congratulations!

Mr. Bob Rowe, founder of Renaissance Enterprises, has won a 2006 Mother Teresa Laureate for his work and dedication to beautifying the world by bringing music and the arts to our nations forgotten elderly. The nomination process took place in the fall of 2005 and awards were announced in January, 2006.

Past laureates include: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Pope John Paul II; Billy Graham; Former President, Jimmy Carter; Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and other notable individuals. (For a full list of laureates please see:  www.motherteresaawards.com).
 
This prestigious, international award will include the presentation of a commemorative award statue presented in September 2006 by members of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity order, through the auspices of St. Bernadette Institute of Sacred Art in Albuquerque, NM.  This award is given to those who make a significant contribution to beautify the world through their work.  "The world is not only hungry for bread but for beauty as well." Mother Teresa, of Calcutta.