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IOCC Volunteer Update – April 2010
“This is the Day of Resurrection, let us be illumined for the Feast and let us embrace one another. Let us say: 'O brethren' even to those that hate us and let us forgive all things on the Resurrection and thus let us cry: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs, he has bestowed Life!” — Doxastikon for Matins of Great and Holy Pascha
April Bulletin Announcements
Christ is Risen! Christos Anesti! Hristos a Inviat! Hristos Voskrese! Al Maseeh Qam! Kriste Aghsdga! Christo ha Resucitado!
 Ethiopia
IOCC is addressing sexual and gender-based violence against female refugees living in the capital of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ethiopia is home to an estimated 120,000 refugees and asylum seekers representing 16 nationalities, including the Congo, Eritrea, Somalia and the Sudan. IOCC has provided workshops for 20 refugee women who are representatives of their communities to raise awareness regarding sexual and gender-based violence prevention and support. Also, 50 police officers in Addis Ababa were provided training on preventative measures, available assistance for victims, and applicable protective laws. IOCC and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church will also provide psychological counseling and medical support to victims, skills training for economic self-sustainability and public awareness raising activities. IOCC's program is made possible through a partnership with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's Refugee Affairs Department and with funding from the U.S. Embassy Julia Taft Fund and the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. |
 IOCC Prayer Journal is Online!
This year the 2009-2010 IOCC Prayer Journal was received with an enthusiastic response! Thank you to those who requested a prayer journal or ordered them for your youth group or Sunday school class. While we are currently out of hard copies of the Prayer Journal, you can access the interactive online version at www.iocc.org/kids. There is a personal story from an IOCC beneficiary, an online activity and ideas on how to get involved each month, with April featuring Uganda! The 2010 Prayer Journal will be released in August of this year. Get them while supplies last by ordering them early with the Department of Religious Education by calling toll-free at 1-800-566-1088 in mid August.
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Mark Your Calendars!
Thank you to those of you who have already set dates for 2010 IOCC event(s). To find an IOCC event close to you, please visit www.iocc.org/events for more information. Have you wondered how you can make a difference in the lives of those in need worldwide? If so, ask your priest for an available date to host an IOCC event such as a coffee hour, charity cook-off, concert or dinner. For more information, please contact Megan Carniewski, mcarniewski@iocc.org or 1-877-803-IOCC. |
Reminder: Gulf Coast Volunteers Needed!
Spaces are being filled to volunteer in the Gulf Coast! For 2010, teams will be running from 11 April through the last week of July. This year the cost is $800, which pays for your room, board and airfare. To volunteer, fill out and submit our online form at www.iocc.org/gulfcoast or contact US Program Coordinator Pascalis Papouras at ppapouras@iocc.org. Encourage your parish to take advantage of this life-changing opportunity! |
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APRIL VOLUNTEER HIGHLIGHT
National Volunteer Appreciation Week is April 18-24 and IOCC would like to thank all of the dedicated and hardworking volunteers who spend the time and energy to help IOCC fulfill its mission. Whether you are serving as an IOCC parish representative, on a Metropolitan Committee, spent time in the Gulf Coast, or have assisted at IOCC Headquarters, we want to say THANK YOU! This month, if you are asking yourself, "What can I do to help?" contact Megan Carniewski, IOCC Assistant Outreach Coordinator, at mcarniewski@iocc.org to discuss ways in which you can volunteer with IOCC. Happy Volunteering! |
UPCOMING IOCC EVENTS:
Please pray for our upcoming events and forward details on these events to friends you have in these areas!
- April 10, 2010 – Cherry Hill, NJ – Jump with J.O.Y.
- April 17, 2010 – Atlanta, GA – Annual 5K Walk
- April 17, 2010 – Denver, CO – 2nd Annual IOCC Dinner
- April 24, 2010 – Baltimore, MD – 4th Annual Orthodox Taste of Baltimore
- April 26, 2010 – Cleveland, OH – 18th Annual Banquet
- April 29, 2010 – Chicago, IL – 16th Annual Banquet
- May 10, 2010 – Castro Valley, CA – Golf Tournament
- May 16, 2010 – Buffalo, NY – Taste of Orthodoxy
- May 22, 2010 – Boston, MA – IOCC Picnic
- May 22, 2010 – Phoenix, AZ – 5k Walk
To learn about other upcoming events, visit www.iocc.org/events for further details.
Daily Prayer for IOCC Volunteers
O Heavenly King, Comforter, who grants all blessings, we thank You for Your abundant grace and mercies. Help us to be good stewards of Your treasury through the ministry of IOCC.
Help us to strip ourselves of our earthly adornment, so that the poor may be sufficiently clothed and fed. And, by so loving our neighbor, adorn us with the everlasting pearls of virtue instead.
Where there is suffering, help us to bring Your mercy. Where there is despair, Your hope;
Where there is war, allow us to present You who are the Prince of Peace;
Where there is pain, You who are the Comforter; Where there is hatred, You who are Love;
Where there is death and destruction; You who are the Resurrection and Life.
Daily guide our work in IOCC, so that we may do all things, in every place and at all times, for Your glory. Amen.
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