Live Everyday with Purpose!
Welcome to 2017! This has been an amazing year in the life of Heart of the Cross Ministries. As we reflect on our work and gear up for 2017 we give thanks for all of the love and support you have given us.
Since our launch as a 501c(3) in December of 2014 we have led 235 youth in programs that engage them to learn about and address global issues on-the-ground and in relationship with communities striving to overcome obstacles associated with poverty. An intentional effect of these programs is the transformation of individuals and communities that are positively impacted through our work both locally and globally.
During this time our youth development and community engagement programs have:
- completed 60 home repairs for families in need
- sponsored 3 home builds
- collected and distributed countless food, hygiene, and baby care items to local and international communities
- provided school supplies for 200 students
- built gardens to tackle food insecurity
- paired youth with children in need to provide homework support and enrichment activities
- led playground enhancement projects for children in crisis
- provided relief support following Hurricane Matthew
- provided medical, dental, and vision care for villages in Sri Lanka, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti
- made hundreds of washable sanitary pads for vulnerable school girls and women in Zambia, Dominican Republic, and Sri Lanka
- put concrete floors in dirt floor homes
- led environmental stewardship projects
- provided a toilet facility for a community that had none
Youth have gained valuable life and leadership skills through their experience with us. Serving in cross-cultural contexts and receiving intentional training on global issues gives our students a unique opportunity to learn from leaders in the field and apply their knowledge through service in:
- rural health, dental, and eye clinics
- agriculture and nutrition programs
- education programs
- construction
- business
- general relief and development programs
Youth that are often overlooked and would otherwise miss the opportunity to grow as a global citizen through education and experience-based learning are able to serve with us through our worldwide engagement scholarship.
This scholarship fund strives to narrow gaps in opportunity and achievement by offering low-income students the experience of international service.
Many of the students who have benefited from this scholarship are the first in their family to travel outside their community and the U.S. This program has provided 10 travel scholarships in the past 2 years.
We have so much more to share, but this gives you a glimpse into our world-changing work since December of 2014.
In 2017 we will continue with our youth programming in local communities and schools; send service teams to Sri Lanka in January, Haiti in March, and the Dominican Republic in the summer; and continue to lead youth to take action locally and globally to reduce poverty: spiritually, socially, and materially.
Young people that participate in our youth development and community engagement programs say that this experience is changing them from the inside out. They gain new perspectives on their lives and the lives of others. They deepen their understanding of poverty and learn new ways to overcome these obstacles. They grow in empathy, express compassion, and develop relationships with others who are not from their neighborhood and represent cultures different from their own. They see that their lives are intricately caught up in the lives of others and that their actions, big or small, can be far reaching and life changing.
Thank you for being on this journey with us as we lead world change that increases Love, Equity, Altruism, and Dignity across cultures and communities.
