We ended up with a fabulous year of fundraising for the Grace Foundation....nearly $4,000! WOW! They can really use it too, because the Grace Foundation is actually in danger of bankruptcy right now. The corporate banks who were supposed to help with the Susanville horses have not come through and the cost of caring for the horses is staggering. Please go to the Grace website and find out how you can HELP!
Our new charity for the 2012-13 church year was voted on by ALL youth who were at church on Sept 30, and the winner is......FREE THE CHILDREN!
This organization is based in Canada but has offices all over, and their goal is to END child exploitation and slavery. It was started in 1995 by a 12-year old Canadian boy named Craig Kielburger:
Craig flipped through the Toronto Star in search of the comics, he was struck by a story. A raw, but courageous story of a boy his age named Iqbal.
Iqbal Masih was born in South Asia and sold into slavery at the age of four. In his short life, he had spent six years chained to a carpet-weaving loom. Iqbal captured the world’s attention by speaking out for children’s rights.
Eventually, Iqbal’s wide media coverage caught the attention of those who wished to silence him. At 12, Iqbal lost his life defending the rights of children (he was murdered).
What Craig learned from Iqbal’s story was that the bravest voice can live in the smallest body.
Craig had to do something.
Craig gathered together a small group of his Grade 7 classmates from his Thornhill, Ontario, school and Free The Children was born.
Free the children from poverty. Free the children from exploitation. Free the children from the notion that they are powerless to effect change.
Those are the messages that sparked Craig’s passion, and continue to fuel the mission of the organization today. Every day the movement grows and every day more young people are free to achieve their fullest potential.
Today, Free The Children is an international charity and educational partner, with more than 1.7 million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries.
One of our own youth, Jaymelyn, has already established a connection with this organization and has already held her own fundraiser for them...she put on a talent show! We are proud to be supporting this organization this year!
