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IOCC Volunteer Update – August 2009
“If you give something to one in need, let the cheerfulness of your face precede your gift, and comfort his sorrow with kind words. When you do this, by your gift the gladness of his mind surpasses even the needs of his body.” — The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian
August Bulletin Announcements
United States — Last year, about 1,000 women and their children received some form of help from Penelope House, a shelter for battered women in Mobile, Alabama. The shelter has a 24-hour crisis hotline available 365 days per year to provide counseling. A woman is accepted into the shelter if she is in imminent danger and she and her children are provided with a room, food, clothing, and hygiene supplies. IOCC recently provided a $19,000 grant to Penelope House’s Prevention Education program for grades K-12. Penelope House counselors teach Mobile schoolchildren to cope with stress at home, learn what safety measures to take when there is violence, and know where to go for help. More than 20,000 children and their mothers were reached with messages of prevention and information on where to get help. Help IOCC provide more assistance to people like this in the U.S.
To make a donation, call IOCC toll-free at 1-877-803-4622, send a check or money order payable to “IOCC” and write “US Emergency Response” in the memo line to: IOCC, P.O. Box 630225, Baltimore, Md. 21263-0225; or give with confidence online at www.iocc.org.
 FREE CHILDREN’S
PRAYER JOURNALS AVAILABLE
Order now IOCC’s My Prayer Journal, an exciting tool to teach your Sunday School kids and youth groups the importance of praying for children in need around the world. Each month, children learn about what life is like for kids in a different country: their traditions, the games they play, and what IOCC is doing to support kids their age who are in need. My Prayer Journal is a great tool for Sunday School lessons and Youth Group activities for children aged 7-12. Pre-order copies of the 2009-2010 edition today. Use the order form found here to order single copies. To order in bulk, please contact the Department of Religious Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America at 1-800-566-1088.
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UPCOMING IOCC EVENTS:
Please pray for our volunteers and the upcoming events this month:
- August 8th – Denver, CO – 3rd Annual Bike/Walk
visit www.iocc.org/denver for more information or to make a donation.
- August 22nd – Washington, D.C. – Wine Tasting
visit www.iocc.org/washington for more information or to make a donation.
- August 29th – Pittsburgh, PA – One In Spirit Dinner
Contact Nick Terezis for more information at 740-282-5198.
To learn about other upcoming events, visit www.iocc.org/events for further details.
THANK YOU GULF COAST VOLUNTEERS:
IOCC would like to say a special “thank you” to the 130 volunteers who braved this summer’s heat and humidity to help build 16 new Habitat for Humanity homes on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana. These dedicated volunteers, representing 44 Orthodox parishes across the U.S., donated a total of 5,200 hours of labor. Since 2006, over 500 supporters of IOCC have volunteered for development projects within the U.S. on short-term mission trips. For more information on the Gulf Coast Project or other U.S. programs, please contact Pascalis Papouras at PPapouras@iocc.org or 1-877-803-IOCC (4622).
SPREAD THE WORD
Local Media:
Do you have any radio,TV, or newspaper contacts? IOCC would like to send them our press releases and email announcements and provide them with pre-produced radio programs. Contact Amal Morcos at amorcos@iocc.org or 1-877-803-IOCC (4622).
Facebook:
Learn more and teach your friends about IOCC’s worldwide activities and upcoming events through Facebook, MySpace and OrthodoXcircle.
Metropolitan Committee Events:
You can multiply your fundraising efforts for IOCC through effective publicity of your special events. Here are a few quick and easy steps:
1) Compile a list of your local newspapers and find out how to submit an announcement in their community calendar. Submit a one-paragraph description of your event that includes name of event, date, location, ticket price, and “for more information”;
2) Write a press release for the event and submit it to the newspaper’s editor;
3) After the event, write another press release detailing how much money was raised and details of what happened (i.e. how many people attended, who spoke, etc); submit the release with photographs and email to the editor of the newspaper. For more information on publicity, contact Vasi Jankovich at vjankovich@iocc.org or 1-877-803-IOCC (4622).
Hygiene Kits:
Please assemble a hygiene kit for people in need around the world. In places like Gaza, Georgia and Iraq, refugee families are in great need of things like a washcloth, toothbrush, comb, nail clipper, soap and Band-Aids. This is a great project to help kids learn how they can help people in need. To learn more please visit www.iocc.org/kits!
| NEW STAFF MEMBER AT IOCC:
We are happy to announce a new staff member who will be working directly with many of our dedicated volunteers like YOU. Megan Carniewski joins the IOCC team as Assistant Outreach Coordinator. “It is an honor to work with an organization dedicated to helping those in need,” said Megan. “I am excited to work with IOCC volunteers and Metropolitan Committees to help raise awareness on IOCC initiatives and assist in planning fundraising events to raise money for IOCC’s humanitarian efforts worldwide.” You can learn more about Megan by visiting www.iocc.org/faithinaction. |
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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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