Agape House For Humanity Newsletter
Dear Supporters,
God has blessed each of us with a unique purpose. We need to listen to his voice to find this purpose. Then, as we remain prayerful, we can lovingly fulfill it. “Let all that you do be done in love.” I Corinthians 16:14
There will be tasks involved in accomplishing our purpose. We may not know HOW to accomplish these tasks. This is where a leap of faith is required. Remember, our God knows everything. Each task contained within our purpose, is known to him. “…as it is written, the just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17
We don’t need to know the “HOW.” We only need to begin.
This is the way Agape House For Humanity was formed. I received a calling to help alleviate the suffering of those living in poverty. Then, a leap of faith was taken. However, it was not only an individual leap, but the collective faithfulness of many; Board members, family, friends, and even strangers. Many of you reading this were instrumental in getting the organization started. You gave of your time, talents, and donations because you recognized a greater purpose.
It is with deep gratitude that I prepare this newsletter; the first edition of “AGAPE NEWS.” Thank you to God for entrusting this stewardship, to Jesus Christ - our perfect example of love and compassion, and to each of you for aiding in this work by embracing the vision of eliminating extreme poverty.
Thankfully,
Leanna B. Colarich
Leanna B. Colarich, M.Ed.
Executive Director Leanna in the mission field, 2016
MEET OUR EXECUTIVE BOARD
Agape House For Humanity has a dedicated Executive Board that volunteer their time. They help organize, fundraise, procure humanitarian items, and prayerfully determine the direction of this young non-profit.
In fact, the entire organization is 100% volunteer driven. Every penny of every dollar goes to support needs assessments and humanitarian aid, while spreading the Gospel.
Mike Blauser (Left) is the Treasurer of our Board. She is a loving mother, grandmother, and retired teacher. Her kindness and sincere regard for the welfare of children made her a favorite among many of her students in Farrell. Her experience with poverty is first-hand. For years, she not only worked as a teacher,
but also served as Director of the C.O.O.L. Program. This after-school program helped at-risk youth. Maggie Mills (Front) is the Board Secretary. Her extensive experience is in direct service and
management within the field of mental health. Because mental health issues exist at all levels of income, Maggie also has first-hand knowledge of poverty. She has seen the effects it can have on children and their families. Her concern for children has made her an effective professional. And to see further evidence of her love for children, watch her face lights up as she talks about her nieces and nephews. Leanna Colarich (Right) is the Board President and Executive Director. She enjoyed raising two children while developing a 30-year career in public relations. Leanna’s understanding of poverty is both observed and personal. She observed it when serving with various mission groups in developing nations. It is also personal. While in the Dominican Republic, she developed friendships with several locals. Seeing the struggles of her friends weighed heavily in her decision… to not only heed the call to be a full-time missionary, but to start a new kind of non-profit. Agape House For Humanity not only works to alleviates poverty, it does so while helping other organizations increase their effectiveness.
WHAT IS A NEEDS ASSESSMENT?
It is a systematic process for determining and addressing deficiencies, or "gaps" between current conditions and desired conditions. The need may be to improve performance, a current state, or address a complete deprivation. This systematic process may be used for improvement of the situation in which individuals, families or even entire communities exist.
A formal needs assessment identifies a problem, costs, and most efficient methodologies for solving the problem. A needs assessment is the first step toward implementing a feasible solution with the least expenditure of resources. Needs assessments
conducted by Agape House For Humanity are focused on sustainable methods.
Needs to be assessed include, but are not limited to:
Construction of single and multi-generation homes.
Home repair to provide for safer, healthier living environments.
Medical; clinics & access to medication.
Clean, safe drinking water; filtration, distribution, & access to existing sources.
Educational tools; books, facilities, curriculum, school uniforms, & technology.
Spiritual development; Bibles, church buildings, & access to services.
Conditions of natural environments; animals, plants, rivers, lakes & oceans.
YOU ARE NEVER TOO YOUNG TO VOLUNTEER!
Cord Pocza of Mercer County, saw a picture of two young Haitians, and wanted to help. He asked his mother to find out what they needed. Along with clothes and other practical items, he also wanted to donate toys, books and crayons. His concern for other children became a great inspiration for all of us at Agape House.
Cord not only saw a need and wanted to fill it, but he gave unselfishly, expecting nothing in return. What’s most inspiring is that he did it for children he’d never met. They weren’t friends from school, or kids in his neighborhood (although he has involved himself in local efforts as well).
But what happened when the items were donated, shows us how Cord’s love
for others was multiplied. When the donated items were given to the boys in the photograph, they smiled over the first few toys and books. This generated the attention of a young girl (about 6 years old) who was playing in the dirt nearby. Seeing that she had nothing to play with, they started to share.
Their joy from the act of sharing was even greater than their joy at receiving! In the end, all three were giggling and the youngest one was jumping up and down with excitement.
Cord has also gathered and donated items such as school supplies for students and teachers in the Dominican Republic. This kind young man was only 12 years old, and a student at West Middlesex Elementary at the time of his participation (Jan-May, 2016). May God bless Cord and his family for their compassion and generosity.
Special thanks to
Abundant Life
Fellowship in New
Waterford, OH. Agape House For Humanity participated in their Summer VBS (vacation bible school) program.
We shared thoughts about the work of a missionary with the 80+ children who participated. Joy!
This congregation encourages their youth to serve. They teach by example through multiple humanitarian programs in their own community. May God bless them
ABUNDANTLY!
Humanitarian Aid Efforts in Appalachia Region of the U.S.A.Maggie and Ed Mills were the first to collect food donations for our trip to Appalachia this September. The donations are part of our efforts to provide humanitarian aid to residents of the poorest county in the USA, Owsley, KY. Agape House For Humanity provides humanitarian aid while conducting ‘Needs Assessments.’ We also select a few projects to contribute to in a bigger way. In order to do this,we collaborate with other non-profits. We work with organizations who share similar philosophies of effective altruism by conducting business with low or no overhead, and low or no paid salaries. For this project we are collaborating with Owsley Community Outreach Center. Items will assist with their children’s backpack program. Every one of the county’s 596 children qualify for the federal “free” lunch program. Unfortunately, many of those children go from lunch on Friday to lunch on Monday (72 hours) with little or no food. The backpack program provides easily prepared meals and snacks for the kids to take home on the weekends. Items that cannot be utilized by the backpack program will be given to the Owsley Food Pantry which serves 250-300 families each month. DONATIONS ARE STILL NEEDED. FOOD ITEMS WILL BE COLLECTED UNTIL SEPT. 20, 2016. Call 724-877-5366 to arrange for pick-up.Many thanks to Maggie, Ed, and their family & friends who donated so generously!
SCHOOL UNIFORMS
Something as simple as a school uniform, can be a key to sustainable poverty alleviation. Without an education, there are fewer opportunities for work. Free public school education provides a way for children in poverty to improve economically. However, it is not “free” if one child’s school uniform costs the equivalent of a month’s wages. This is often true in developing nations where uniforms are required for attendance. Agape House For Humanity provides school uniforms to children in these circumstances. Your donation of $25 provides a shirt & pants, or a blouse & skirt for a child. A donation of $50 ensures the child will also have shoes to wear.
UPCOMING MISSION TRIPS INCLUDE:
Kentucky: Sept 2016
West Virginia: Oct 2016
Costa Rica: Dec 2016
The Dominican Republic: March 2017
Guatemala: June 2017
If your church or organization has an interest in a specific region of the United States or a developing nation, call us to discuss your goals. It is possible that a needs assessment could be conducted to improve your chances of success. We remove the guesswork involving project & travel costs, as well as details such as safe lodging, clean food & water for volunteers. We will negotiate lower rates for everything from lodging to food, construction supplies and even transportation in-country. Needs assessments are conducted and provided at no cost to the organizations that utilize them. We help your fund-raising dollars go further that you might be wise and faithful stewards of what is given.
To join us on our Mission Trips, please be sure to to send us a message located on the "Contact Us" tab.