William Penn Life, 2000 (35. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2000-10-01 / 10. szám
Fraternalists help county wipe out poverty housing warming rend You astound us-again-with your generosity to our Operation Christmas Child campaign PITTSBURGH — We thought we learned our lesson last year: Never underestimate the generosity of William Penn Association members. But, it seems like we did it again. We asked you to donate 400 gift-filled shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child this year. And what did you do? You donated nearly 6001 We're sensing a trend that warms our hearts: we set a goal; you shatter it. As of press time, the Home Office had collected 496 shoe boxes from our members and friends, along with $2,797 in financial contributions to Samaritan's Purse, the organization which conducts Operation Christmas Child. A few promised donations have yet to arrive, so it appears our total at the Home Office will exceed 500 boxes. We also received word from WPA member Anne Marie Barger of Branch 249 Dayton, Ohio. She reports the students at Bishop Fenwick High School in Middletown, Ohio, again adopted the WPA's O.C.C. campaign as one of their charitable projects. Ms. Barger informs us that the students raised $438 and collected nearly 100 gift-filled shoe boxes, exceeding their totals from last year. The students' donations will be delivered to the O.C.C. donation center in Dayton and presented in the name of the WPA. We are at a loss as to how we can fully express our gratitude to all of you who responded to this campaign. Your generosity overwhelms us. May your holidays be made merrier by the knowledge that you helped to make this Christmas season a little brighter for 600 children living in crisis situations around the world. God bless all of you. NFCA announces new Youth Volunteer Scholarship Program AMERICUS, GA- On Sept. 15 Sumter County, Ga., declared victory against poverty housing. Not one person in this southcentral Georgia county of 30,000 needs to live in a shack. Credit for the victory belongs to Habitat for Humanity, its volunteers, its sponsors and its homeowners. The WPA and other fraternal benefit societies played a significant part in securing the victory. Fraternals provided the funds and most of the volunteers needed to build seven houses in Sumter County over the last three years. The seven houses are located in the Easter Morning Community of Americus, the county seat. The last two of these houses 1 I were built as part V h j of the 2000 Jimmy Y j Carter Work *y\i Project Sept. 9 to 'vl y 15. During the week, volunteers worked side-by-157 houses three '-'ties. Twenty-two houses were built in New York City, 100 in Jacksonville, Fla., and another 35 in Sumter County. About 40 fraternalists from the WPA and other fraternals were among the 1,400 volunteers who went to Georgia for the project. “I travel around the world each year, urging communities to declare war on poverty housing,” said Millar Fuller, Habitat’s founder and president. "My exhortations are often met with disbelief, as communities ask themselves, ‘How can this be done?’ Here in Sumter County, we proved that it can be done. This war can be won.” NAPERVILLE, IL - The National Fraternal Congress of America (NFCA) recently announced a new scholarship program designed to recognize young fraternalists who balance volunteer service and other interests while maintaining solid academic performance. The first grants from the new Youth Volunteer Scholarship Program will be awarded in the spring of 2001 for the 2001-2002 school year. The NFCA expects to award a total of $50,000 in scholarships the first year. Plans call for the naming of six "Volunteer Scholars," each of whom will receive up to $7,000. Eight honorable mention recipients will receive awards of up to $1,000 each. To be eligible, the student must be a graduating high school senior who is a member of an NFCA-member fraternal benefit society and who plans to enroll full-time in a four-year undergraduate program at an accredited four-year college or university. The application form, eligibility requirements and additional information will be available via the Internet on Oct. 15 at www.nfcanet.org. Or, you can call the WPA Home Office at 1-800-848-7366, ext. 135. 2 llilliani Penn Life, October 2000
