Archive+of+2011+Collections

January 2011
**January 16th - The Roger-Eubanks Neighborhood Association and the Coalition to End Environmental Racism** The Rogers-Eubanks Community is a 150-year-old neighborhood in the northern part of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. This primarily low-income, African American community has been host to Orange County's regional landfill for the last 39 years. The Rogers-Eubanks Neighborhood Association (RENA) has been working hard to bring basic services such as public water and sewer to the community and to advocate for the health and safety of its residents. To expand its base of support and further its goal of advocating for environmental justice across Orange County, RENA created the Coalition to End Environmental Racism (CEER). Your gift will help RENA fund the Rogers Road Community Center and Garden. RENA offers classes, tutoring, and programs for adults and youth. At the center of the historic neighborhood and the developing Phoenix Place Habitat subdivision, it also provides opportunities for residents to share experiences and gather in community. For more information, see http://rogersroad.wordpress.com.

**Thanks to the generosity of of the congregation, $1,518.51 was raised . **

**January 30th - Interfaith Ministries of Chatham County** Interfaith Ministries of Chatham County provides education, information referral and direct services to county residents needing immediate intervention, particularly those experiencing domestic violence, homelessness, hunger, sexual assault, unemployment and other crises. Interfaith Ministries has received enthusiastic endorsement and support from a wide array of religious groups, involved community leaders and social service agencies. It is a strongly multiracial organization having African American, Hispanic and White representation from all areas of Chatham County. Providing shelter for the homeless is the primary direct service program. Briefly, the Homeless Sheltering Program recruits faith based organizations representing the key areas of Chatham County to serve as initial Emergency Shelter Providers during the winter months of December through May. Hosting organizations will, on a rotational basis, provide shelter, breakfast and dinner, and volunteers. (Note: Chris Moran of IFC said this is how it started its homeless sheltering program.) Other opportunities for getting involved include volunteering as intake workers, translators, vans drivers for client pickups, cooks, and individuals who create hygiene kits. More information can be obtained from Gayle Ruedi and Patricia Learned. Thanks to the generosity of of the congregation, $1,914.20 was raised .

February 2011
February 13th - Joe and Lucy Straley Fund for Youth Travel The Joe and Lucy Straley Fund for Youth Travel was established to fund youth from the Community Church to travel for peace, justice and service. In December, the Straley Fund supported 18 youth who traveled to New Orleans to participate in the post-Katrina rebuilding efforts. This summer the Straley Fund will support youth traveling to Ecuador for a service trip. The Straley Fund has supported over 70 youth trips from our church over the last 8 years, to New Orleans and Nicaragua. Church support means that youth of modest means can take these trips which would otherwise be cost prohibitive. It conveys to our youth our values and commitment to their future. The fund honors Joe and Lucy Straley -- founding and stalwart members of the Community Church and prominent activists for civil rights, peace and justice here in North Carolina and around the world, especially in the Latin America.

**Thanks to the generosity of of the congregation, $1,380.05 was raised <span style="background-color: #fafaa8; color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 10pt;">. **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">February 27th - Orange County Justice United in Community Effort

In October 2009 C3HUU was one of the founding member organizations of "Justice United" and committed to financial support by pledging dues of $10 per member household. We met our obligation with a “Share the Plate” offering, a grant from the Social Responsibility fund of the UUA, and sales of the “Better World Shopping Guide”. Justice United’s accomplishments that year included: • Living wage increases for town personnel in Carrboro and Chapel Hill • Expansion of affordable housing in Chapel Hill • Abolition of Waste-Transfer-Station plans in the Rogers-Eubanks neighborhood • Safer school-bus routes in a Hispanic neighborhood With support from the majors of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and other county and town leaders, we are working to prevent exploitation of Day-laborers, and continuing opposition to unfair sewer rate hikes in Efland.

With support from the majors of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and other county and town leaders, we are working to prevent exploitation of day-laborers, and continuing opposition to unfair sewer rate hikes in Efland.

**<span style="background-color: #fafaa8; color: #540080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks to the generosity of of the congregation, $936.00 was raised <span style="background-color: #fafaa8; color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 10pt;">. **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; letter-spacing: 0px;">March 2011
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Sunday, March 13th: Habitat for Humanity of Orange County __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">The Problem: Families in Need __ Orange County<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> has a large number of families who live in substandard housing, are cost-burdened with rental payments, and are overcrowded.

__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The Solution: “A Hand Up, Not a Handout” __ Habitat for Humanity of Orange County partners with community groups and churches to help local low-income families fund, build and own quality affordable homes. Volunteers help build homes with Habitat families, who invest 325 hours of labor into building their own homes and other homes. As Habitat homeowners repay their mortgages to Habitat, the money is used to help build other Habitat homes.

__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">What We Can Do: Let’s Make it “Sweet 16”! __ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Our church has helped build 15 Habitat houses in 15 years, and hopes to build our 16th home this fall. Our March 13 Share the Plate collection will provide the funds for our share of this green-certified home in Habitat’s 50-home Chapel Hill community, Phoenix Place. If we don’t collect enough, we can’t build this home. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">(Can’t be here March 13? Please send your contribution. Make checks payable to Community Church of Chapel Hill UU and put Habitat for Humanity STP in the memo line. Thank you.)

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">**<span style="background-color: #fafaa8; color: #540080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks to the generosity of of the congregation, $2,406.00 was raised <span style="background-color: #fafaa8; color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 10pt;">. ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">March 20th - Crop Walk for Hunger

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">2011 marks the 25th year for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Crop Walk. We will join our neighbors and friends to walk on March 27, at 1:30pm at the Carrboro Farmers Market. The 4 mile loop represents the average walk per day for food and water among all the peoples in the world. Mark your calendar so we can all walk together, representing the Community Church. For those who wish to stay at church before the walk, pizza/salad will be sold in the Jones Building after the second service. Carpools will be arranged from the church and back to the church, since parking can be difficult to find. You can make a contribution to Crop Walk in the March 20 Share the Plate Collection.

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">**<span style="background-color: #fafaa8; color: #540080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks to the generosity of of the congregation, $1,542.25 was raised <span style="background-color: #fafaa8; color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 10pt;">. **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; letter-spacing: 0px;">April 2011
<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Sunday, April 3rd - Inter-Faith Council for Social Service

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">The Community Church was a founding member of the IFC and has long supported its efforts through the church’s outreach budget and now the STP collections. For almost 50 years the IFC has provided shelter, food, information, and direct services to people in need in Orange County. It has relied on the help of local churches and other groups, many individuals, and a dedicated staff to do this. In recent years the number of people needing help has increased at a considerably faster rate than the amount of help received. The IFC has had to ask churches like ours, who already do a number of things to support their work, to dig a little deeper to fund their basic budget. We do bring food for the Food Pantry, cook three meals a month at the Men’s Shelter, raise money during CROP WALK, and help to fund the holiday <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> dinners.


 * <span style="background-color: #fafaa8; color: #540080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks to the generosity of of the congregation, $2,020.00 was raised **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px;">Sunday, April 10 - Piedmont Wildlife Center
The mission of Piedmont Wildlife Center is to “foster healthy connections among people, wildlife, and nature, engaging in numerous education and conservation programs. In addition to weekend programs on birds, tracking, plant lore (to name just a few), they offer camps, field trips, school presentations, mentoring programs, and internships. Wildlife conservation projects include a box turtle study and installing nest boxes for birds and bats. PWC also promotes care of sick and injured native wildlife, by referring citizens who have found sick or injured wild animals to wildlife rehabilitators.

PWC raises 30.5% of its annual budget through donations. Since the recession began, the number of donors and the amount they give have both been cut in half. Thusdonations are urgently needed for program staff salaries, supplies and equipment. You can help! Please give generously on April 10th when we will share the plate for PWC. To find out more about this wonderful organization or to become involved, visit @http://piedmontwildlifecenter.wordpress.com/.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">May 2011
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Sunday, May 1 - Charles House

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Charles House is a small adult day care center in Carrboro, founded just over 20 years ago by the family of our first minister, Charlie Jones, to provide the care he needed and wanted. For all of its history the emphasis has been on dignity, choice, and individualized care for the participants. Stimulating group activities are provided, but no one is forced to join them.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Some of the families go to work while their participant is at Charles House, while others have a much needed respite from constant care giving. Our gifts to their operation will add to the scholarships available so there can be a wider socio-economic diversity, something we are sure Charlie Jones would approve.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This spring they opened a very small residential unit in Heritage Hills, following the same philosophy, but for now our gifts will support the excellent day care center.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Sunday, May 1 - O.K.A.Y. (Opportunities for Kids and Youth)

// C //// aring about healthy development of our community children // What happens to children of low-resource families when they aren’t at school or with family? Inactivity during summer exacerbates the achievement gap. Through **OKAY**, members from various churches: Connect families-programs (develop list, share with school social workers, IFC, El Centro, churches, NAACP, etc, and website [] )
 * Provide ** – information, funds, resources, expertise, ideas, space, volunteers, love.
 * Advocate ** – for affordable programs
 * Facilitate ** - <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Identify, supplement, collaborate, network with programs and resources in churches and community – e.g. Pine Knolls, Barbees Chapel, El Centro, Rogers Rd, Parks & Rec.


 * Conduct ** programs (occasionally) – e.g. sometimes last week of summer vacation

Church members have participated and continue providing important leadership in this community endeavor - including Connie Gates (founding member), Lynn Harmon (on core group), Richard Neulist, Lori Hoyt.

Volunteer; share ideas; donate expertise, supplies, money, etc. – contact conniegates@juno.com

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Sunday, May **15,** **Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (the UUSC)**

Through a combination of advocacy, education, and partnerships with grassroots organizations, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (the UUSC) promotes economic rights, advances environmental justice, defends civil liberties, and preserves the rights of people in times of humanitarian crisis. The UUSC is involved in projects in the United States and around the world. For example, it is participating in ongoing relief efforts in Haiti by providing aid and ensuring equal access to that aid irrespective of race, class, and gender. As part of the UUSC’s pursuit of economic justice, it actively supports workers’ rights to organize, fair trade, and the fair wage movement. One of its big focuses these days is on helping the people involved in our food industry--- from farmworkers to food-processing workers to restaurant workers. For more information go to their website at uusc.org