Archive for August 2010 | Monthly archive page
Last week, Nutrilite staff discussed Giving Children Hope’s “We’ve Got Your Back” program at their quarterly staff meeting.
As a way to recognize and thank staff members who frequently volunteer with Giving Children Hope, each member was invited to the stage to help fill a backpack of food. Watch the video here!
Thank you, Nutrilite, for your continued partnership and service to the homeless children in Orange County, “We’ve Got Your Back”, and Giving Children Hope!
GCHope is responding to the flood Pakistan. The scale of the disaster and the number of people this is affecting there is no hesitation on our part to prepare disaster relief to send.
But something is different this time.
Earlier this year, we responded to the devastating “earthquake in Haiti”:[~2064~]. About 250,000 people were killed and about one million were displaced. Most are still living in unstable living conditions, where sanitation and spread of disease is a concern. Hundreds of NGOs responded and continue their work there (GCHope is no exception) and many Americans gave millions of dollars to help with these efforts. It’s been communicated that it will take a long time to not only rebuild Haiti, but to develop an infrastructure that is more sustainable and successful than before the quake.
Now back to Pakistan. The massive disaster is the greatest “flooding in Pakistan”:[~2085~] in over a century, with a fifth of the country under water. About 20 million people have been affected by the monsoon rains, whether it’s through displacement or the elimination of their crops and clean water. More than 1,400 people have died, two million people are homeless, and 3.5 million children are in risk of cholera. Pakistani livelihood has not been threatened; it has already been taken away. Yet the response to this humanitarian crisis has been minimal. The size of this disaster is greater than the one in Haiti (if you compare how many people have been affected each of the disasters). **UN officials have even reported that the Pakistan crisis is greater than the Haiti earthquake, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. Combined.**
Although I cannot come up with a good reason why this is happening, I know that it’s our organization’s responsibility to respond to a major disaster despite the public response or media coverage. We depend on the generosity of the public to help us send out these relief containers full of supplies, but we know that even if this disaster never receives the coverage that Haiti did, God will provide a way to help us send relief.
I encourage you to read more about this devastating flood and move into action as you see fit. One way to respond is by giving to “Giving Children Hope’s Pakistan Relief Efforts”:[~2085~].
__The monsoon rainy season is only half way over. There will only be more devastation.__
Last Saturday, the Giving Children Hope facility swarmed with volunteers from Bank of America for the Phyllis Vanderpool Volunteer Day.
More than 100 Bank of America employees came to Buena Park ready to serve in honor of late co-worker and dear friend, Phyllis Vanderpool, who was known as an avid community advocate and volunteer.
“She never liked the attention to be on her so I’m sure she’d be upset we named the day after her,” said a Bank of America colleague on Saturday. “But I also know she’d be inspired and moved to see everyone come together for this cause.”
Volunteers lent a hand to as many as six projects throughout the day, including moving the We’ve Got Your Back program to its new warehouse home, building shelves, sorting medical supplies, sorting items in the Giving For Living area, moving the Mission Store into a new room and general maintenance and upkeep of the facility.
Also in attendance for the Saturday Volunteer Event were employees from Owens & Minor, graciously giving their time to help in the various projects.
Giving Children Hope is grateful for all of the enthusiastic men and women who came to give their time last weekend. Thank You!
