Tidbit Tuesday

DID YOU KNOW???

That I'm really late with today's tidbit?

I guess that's hard to miss, eh? Well today's tidbit is not so much a tidbit as a whole ginormous chunk of LOVE :)

Seriously, did you know that my church's kid's worship service has voted to help Haiti for this church year??? I was stoked when, of all the social causes out there, they chose helping children in Haiti as what they wanted to raise money for this year. This is the collection offering taken during the family/children's worship service in between the two adult services. Last year they raised $1,500 for Solar Cookers International.

I have helped to spearhead this project and we are going to split this year's collection, half goes to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC.org), which is partnering with several grassroots organizations in Haiti. They will hopefully be offering a work trip to Haiti early next year that our youth group wants to go on.

The other half of the money will go to an organization dear to me, that I've been following for some years now, "Real Hope for Haiti." Many of you may know their blog, HaitiRescueCenter.com. They are a small, family run operation that is doing BIG THINGS for their rural community in Cazale, Haiti. If you want to see what they see every day at their Rescue Center and Clinic, just watch this video and check out their blog. They post very often, sometimes daily. What you will see and read there is difficult, sometimes, but it's reality.

Here is a professionally done video about the Clinic and Rescue Center:

Real Hope For Haiti from Corrigan Clay on Vimeo.

I have started a church blog for this year of raising this money, so that people can come and see what we are doing, learn about these organizations, and hopefully also donate money to add to what our kids give during church. The money will be split and given to the organizations at the end of the church year. I really want to see this fund grow, so I can share it with the kids on Sundays. I can tell them "25 people came to our Helping Haiti blog and gave $50 to add to our collection! Yeah!!!! Here are some of their comments!" Can you imagine their faces when they see the power that exists in the world to do good....that people from all over care as much as they do?! To turn their weekly $20 into $40 or $50 or more? Yeah!

I am also heading up what we call "Social Service Sundays," which we do 4 times a year with the Religious Exploration classes. The kids do some kind of project for charity, something simple like making biscuits for the SPCA dogs, crafting fleece blankets for the local children's crisis nursery, stuffing Christmas stockings for Toys for Tots, etc. This last time we made easy fleece knot dolls for the kids in the Rescue Center to use for comfort. Something soft to cuddle and suck on if they are sick in bed. Our kids L.O.V.E.D. making them. So much that they asked to do it at home, too! (If you are interested in this project for your church or school, let me know, it's super easy. It would be great for any children's hospital or orphanage or any such place)

If you are so inclined, please check out the blog, leave us a comment, follow if you like, and  maybe donate even just a dollar. (Click on the red heart in the sidebar). You will be taken to our church's donation page and you just need to make sure to select "Haiti" when you donate. ALL the money goes to Haiti, every cent. None is kept for the church.

Thank you so much!