Nonprofit Highlight: UMCOR

 

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the not-for-profit global humanitarian aid organization of the United Methodist Church.  UMCOR is working in more than 80 countries worldwide, including the United States.  Their mission, grounded in the teachings of Jesus, is to alleviate human suffering—whether caused by war, conflict or natural disaster, with open hearts and minds to all people.

UMCOR responds to natural or civil disasters that are interruptions of such magnitude that they overwhelm a community’s ability to recover on its own.

For more information about UMCOR you can visit their website at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/.

 

 

 

Nonprofit Highlight: Wesley Glen Ministries

Established in 1984, Wesley Glen Ministries serves adults with mental disabilities by provided a home environment and continuum of programs to allow each individual to develop skills and greater confidence, living happy, full lives as contributing members of their Wesley Glen family and the surrounding community.  Wesley Glen is a private, not for profit agency and ministry of the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.  Their goal is to increase the public’s awareness to the stregths and barriers realted to people with mental disabilities, while being committed to providing services, in a Christian atmosphere, that improve the quality of life for indiviudal and their families.  Welsey Glen owns and maintains seven group homes in Macon, one in St. Marys, two in Lyons, and two in Jesup, Georgia.  For the current residents of Macon and St. Marys, Wesley Glen Ministries also provided programs and services, such as Individual Service Plans and supported employment.  For more information about Wesley Glen Ministries, you can visit their website at www.wesleyglenministries.org.

Nonprofit Highlight: Cord of Three Counseling Center

Cord of Three was established to provide professional, Christian counseling services to families and individuals within Southeast Georgia in need of mental health and spiritual counseling. Specifically counseling services are designed to help with:

 

• Abuse in the Family
• Adolescent Living
• Anxiety / Stress / Depression
• Bereavement and Grief
• Drug and Alcohol Abuse
• Family Enrichment
• Relationships

For more information about Cord of Three you may contact their office at 912-282-0992.

 

MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

Nonprofit Highlight: Camden Children’s Center

The Camden Children’s Center, located in Woodbine, Georgia is a satellite facility of the Golden Isles Children’s Advocacy Center. The center was established in September 2002 provides support services to child victims of abuse and their families who reside in Camden County.  The center is a safe place for the evaluation of child abuse and also provides follow-up services such as therapeutic counseling, and personal, medical, legal and financial advocacy.

 

Support services provided by the Camden Children’s Center include child forensic interviews, child and family counseling, medical referrals, advocacy and court related services, parent education programs, mentoring programs, family support programs, community prevention education and child abuse training for child protection professionals in southeast Georgia.

 

For more information about the Camden Children’s Center, you can contact their office at 912-554-0609.

 

APRIL IS CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH

 

Nonprofit Highlight: Society of St. Andrew

The Society of St. Andrew is a Christian ministry dedicated to gleaning America’s fields and feeding America’s hungry, by providing healthy, nutritious produce to society’s most vulnerable through innovative, cost effective programs. 

The Society of St. Andrew was established in 1979 to introduce people to God’s grace in Jesus Christ through meeting their hungers, both physical and spiritual.  Today, they are one of the most effective organizations in the United States in gleaning America’s fields and work in all 48 continental states.  With the help of thousands of volunteers and through the generosity of hundreds of farmers, the organization distributes about 28 million pounds of food annually to food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, churches for local distribution and individuals.  Through the gleaning process, food that would otherwise be wasted is used to feed thousands of hungry Americans.

To find out more about the Society of St. Andrew, please visit their website at www.endhunger.org.

Nonprofit Highlight: MAP International

 

MAP International (Medical Assistance Programs) was founded as a Christian, non-profit, global relief and development organization serving people living in 112 of the world’s poorest communities. MAP International works in these areas with over 300 organizations, agencies and missions throughout the world providing medicines, treatment programs and health training programs. Their mission is to promote the Total Health of people living in the world’s poorest communities by partnering in the

• PROVISION of Essential Medicines
• PREVENTION and Eradication of Disease
• PROMOTION of Community Health Development

For more information about MAP International visit their website at www.map.org.

Nonprofit Highlight: Church World Service and “Giving Children Hope”

Founded in 1946, Church World Service is the relief, development, and refugee assistance ministry of 35 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations in the United States. Working in partnership with indigenous organizations in more than 80 countries, CWS works worldwide to meet human needs and foster self-reliance for all whose way is hard.

 

Within the United States, Church World Service assists communities in responding to disasters, resettles refugees, promotes fair national and international policies, provides educational resources, and offers opportunities to join a people-to-people network of local and global caring through participation in CROP Hunger Walks, the Tools & Blankets Program, and the CWS Kits Program.

 

One of Church World Service’s initiatives, supported by the St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation, is Giving Children Hope.  Giving Children Hope, began as a small pilot program of the Rwanda YWCA in 2003.  During that first year, 220 child-headed households were organized into small working groups that first sought to provide a nurturing social framework for children who faced similar devastating challenges. Recognizing the effectiveness of the initial program, Church World Service decided in 2004 to expand the program into other areas of East Africa and with the support of a partnership with the St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation, Giving Children Hope was launched in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The program has further expanded into Kenya and is currently serving over 8,500 child headed households in the four country region.  

Giving Children Hope is focused on five critical areas:

1. Hunger and poverty alleviation
2. Durable solutions for the displaced
3. Water for all, Water for life
4. Peace building and conflict resolution
5. HIV/AIDS

Giving Hope works with faith-based organizations to transform their programs of compassion into strategies that empower children to speak for themselves, plan for their future, and care for themselves and their siblings. Child headed households can plan and execute livelihood implementations, contribute significantly to the social and economic development of their communities, and responsibly manage the welfare of their families.

You can find out more about Church World Service by visiting their website at www.churchworldservice.org.

 

Nonprofit Highlight: The Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation

The Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation is a collaborative effort to increase the philanthropic capacity of coastal Georgia.  Established in December 2004, their concept is to be a creative, cost-effective and tax efficient way for people to invest in the local community.  They serve as a grant maker, a convener, an educator, a researcher and an investor of community endowment to name a few.  The Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation supports charitable activities focused primarily on the local needs of the region and builds resources from a broad cross-section of the public.  You can find out more about the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation by visiting their website at www.coastalgeorgiafoundation.org.

Nonprofit Highlight: The Georgia Center for Nonprofits

The Georgia Center for Nonprofits was established in 1990 to provide management support service to local nonprofits and, in 2005, a satellite center was established to serve nonprofits in southeast and coastal Georgia.  Their mission is to serve, strengthen and support the state’s nonprofit community providing them information, training, consulting, technology, insurance and employment services.  You can find out more about the Georgia Center for Nonprofits by visiting their website at www.gcn.org.