|
|
|
Outreach Committee Member Profile: Kristin Queen Shaffer |
| Print |
|
E-mail
|
|
Written by Kristin Queen Shaffer
|
|
Friday, January 26, 2007 |
|
The amazing thing about writing a profile such as this is you are offered a rare opportunity to reflect on how and why you started volunteering your time and energy towards a project or an organization. When I began attending St. Thomas' six years ago I was looking for a church and community I could call my own. New to D.C., I moved to here right after college and growing up in the Episcopal Church I naturally gravitated towards the familiar. St. Thomas' offered a progressive, Christian community one could easily want to be a part of, but honestly it was hard to find my place at first. Simply attending services on Sunday wasn't going cut it - wasn't going to build the community I was looking for.
Face it, it is too easy to slip out the door and avoid people and conversations at coffee hour. So how did I finally meet this desire to build my own community? I joined a committee. The Outreach Committee to be exact. I know, I know. It doesn’t sound glamorous. But you know; it worked. By joining a committee I joined a community and found a group of people I could laugh with, greet on the street and approach every Sunday. On top of that, through my work on outreach I was introduced to two amazing organizations that have since then enabled me to meet more people and truly build a community I can call my and give back to community in which we live, work and play everyday. So take a moment to learn a little about the organizations below and may be you can find a way to build a community at St. Thomas’ and beyond.
>>Transitional Housing Corporation
>>Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington
|
|
Episcopal Relief & Development Stories from the Field
|
|
Read true stories of success and triumph from some of the countries where we work. You will receive new and featured stories from our partners in the field as they are published. |
-
A Boat of Her Own
Elena is a food vendor in the community of Uros-Chulluni, Peru, where the only mode of transportation is by boat. The expense of renting a boat to sell her food limited both her business growth and mobility. Although Elena dreamed of owning her own boat, she had no collateral to secure one. Through a micro-finance program supported by Episcopal Relief & Development, the Ecumenical Church Loan Fund and the Anglican Diocese of Peru, Elena and her neighbors formed a community bank. She was then able to obtain a small loan without traditional collateral, enabling her to buy her own boat. Now Elena’s business has expanded to include not only the sale of food, but also handicrafts and candy. She’s thankful to Episcopal Relief & Development for showing her how to improve her income, continue her children’s education and strengthen her family.
-
Building Access to Clean Water
Maria, her husband Juan and their five children knew the harmful effects of dirty, contaminated water in their village of Bijagua, Nicaragua. They used to bring the household water for cooking, bathing, drinking and washing in buckets from a stream 10 minutes away from their home — the same stream where cattle roamed. The children were constantly sick with diarrhea, and getting the water each day was a real burden. “Our daughter spent so much time carrying water, she was falling behind in her school work. We always worried about her walking alone in the dark of the early mornings and evenings. There are poisonous snakes around here,” said Maria. Episcopal Relief & Development partnered with El Porvenir, an organization that works in Nicaraguan communities to develop water, sanitation and re-forestation projects. The program also provided Maria and her community with education and training on properly maintaining the water system, water hygiene and protecting children and families from preventable, water-related diseases. Instances of water-borne illnesses were also tracked by local health monitors. Now Bijagua has safe water and residents can stay healthy. “Our daughter is excelling in school now that she doesn’t have to carry buckets of water. And the children don’t have diarrhea anymore,” Maria stated.
|
|
Join the Parish Mailing List
Stay up-to-date with parish news and announcements, sign up to receive emails from the parish today.
»
Sign up now!
|
