Christ Church Springfield, Springfield Peace Center Peace Camp: Out of 178 evaluations returned ALL said their child enjoyed Peace Camp. Here are some of the comments:

• Peace Camp is a wonderful way for children to learn how to treat others and grow to be wonderful adults.
• I love seeing all the kids come out at dismissal so happy and full of caring language
• When my daughter's class sat in a circle and said nice things about each other, she had a smile on her face all day - we can all use that sometimes!
• I like the parent group because we get to meet all kinds of people and share ideas
• My son sang the feelings song and we're all a family under one sky for two hours in the car yesterday
• Peace Camp is a wonderful program, my child has been involved for three years and I see positive improvements in his development every year.

Our children collected almost 500 cans of food for a community service project this year(some of the campers who donated used their allowance to buy cans) and the food was divided among two food pantries. I am so gratetul for the 118 volunteers who gave up a week of their time to help teach these children conflict management skills and for funders like yourselves who enable us to purchase more curriculum and art supplies.
Thanks so much.
In peace, Nanci Keller, Springfield Peace Center

Caring Connection, St. Luke’s, Marietta: Melissa had prescriptions for $1400.00 worth of medication, some that she needed on an emergency basis and some on a long term basis. Due to serious family issues, she and her children were residing in the local domestic violence shelter and had no insurance or income. With the funds provided by ECSF and other contributors, Caring Connection was able to prove Melissa with the emergency medications she needed. Her doctor required $3.00 per prescription to sign applications and provide prescriptions for free-drug programs. Caring Connection called a doctor with whom we have worked in the past and he agreed to examine Melissa on a deferred payment basis and provide prescriptions for the medications she needed on a continuing basis. Melissa has completed the shelter's transitional housing program and she and her children are now living on their own.

St. Paul’s Logan: Hocking-Adams-Perry Meals on Wheels: A MOW driver gets to know clients’ pets—dogs, cats, birds and fish (but not necessarily in the same household!) Once the dogs are properly introduced, they are usually amiable. On the other hand, the cats (being cats, after all) are sometimes friendly and sometimes aloof (as in “What are you doing in my home?!) The birds are generally neutral, as long as the driver doesn’t get too close to their cages. The fish don’t have much to say at all. MOW volunteering does indeed have a unique Noah’s Ark element at times—which makes volunteering all the more rewarding.
The Rev. Katharin Foster

From St. Mary’s Hillsboro, Samaritan Outreach: Karen is 60 years old and lives alone. She receives a small disability check each month for vision problems. She is listed as blind. Karen can see enough to take care of her basic needs, but she can no longer drive a car. To help stretch her income she plants a large garden each summer. She cans and freezes her vegetables to stock her food pantry for winter use. Karen also shares excess vegetables with others who come to Samaritan Outreach. She comes to our food pantry for basic needs such as cereal, peanut butter, crackers, and bread. Karen cooks on a gas stove. She recently came to us requesting help to pay for bottle gas; her supply was gone and she didn't have the money to purchase any more. Without her stove she could not continue to can the remaining vegetables in her garden. We were able to help her purchase the bottle gas for her stove, and propane gas for her hot water heater and her furnace. She left our Center praising the Lord for His blessings.

St. Philip’s, Cincinnati, Churches Active in Northside: Ms. A came in one evening for food and talked to an intake volunteer about the fact that she has been repeatedly physically abused by her boyfriend. She felt that she was at the point to get out and away from him. CAIN was able to give her some appropriate referrals for shelters, support, etc. She has called CAIN a few times since then to report back that she did end up leaving the abuser and was in a shelter and just beginning the process of starting over. She said, "CAIN gave me the courage and resources to break away and start over."

St, John’s Columbus, St. John’s Community Ministry: Jerry collapsed on the sidewalk. His damaged knees had finally given out under his substantial frame and months of living on the street. The ambulance picked him up and took him to the hospital in our neighborhood. Jerry is alone in the world except, that is, for his Street Church family. When he wasn't seen for several days some of his homeless friends came to St. John's for help. We made some phone calls and found him in ICU with a serious infection from untreated wounds and he was in need of a knee replacement. He couldn't remember the name of the church, so the hospital hadn't called.

Thanks to ECSF funds for Street Church ministries to the homeless in St. John's neighborhood, that won't have to happen again. Any member who desires one now can wear a "dog tag" around his or her neck which says, "In case of emergency call St. John's Episcopal Church, 221-9328". Now hospitals, jails, even family members will have a place to call and a concerned person to minister to the individual in need. We are also asking Street Church members to complete Living Wills and Health Care Power of Attorney forms to be filed at the church for safe keeping. The Vicar has agreed to take on responsibility for making medical decisions for Street Church members if the need should arise. The homeless in our midst need no longer be alone in times of crisis thanks to the generosity of those who have donated to ECSF.
The Rev. Lee Anne Reat

St. James Zanesville Friendship Dinner: During our October dinner where we served another large group of people172 meals were served! A man in his early 40's came up to the servers at the kitchen window and said " to whoever prepares and serves this meal, I want to thank you. I haven't eaten in two days. It’s wonderful to be welcomed, to eat until you are full and leave knowing someone cares". This is what the Friendship Dinner at St. James Church is all about.
- Beth Burton

Epiphany, Nelsonville Food Cupboard: As Winnie-the-Pooh always said, "It's always more fun with two"--and often more profitable as well. When an organization has only a few dedicated members, putting on a fund-raising drive can be the straw that breaks the camel's back. But if another organization joins forces....
The Nelsonville Elks Lodge #543 has made the Nelsonville Food Cupboard a beneficiary of their benevolent efforts for a number of years. Looking for a different way to raise funds, they discovered the Empty Bowl project, and were gearing up even before notifying the Cupboard of their intentions. In the process, the organizers, Keith and Letha Conner, are involving many different groups in the Nelsonville community.
On "Souper Saturday," Oct. 27, 2007, from 4 pm to 7 pm, the Elks served supper. For $10, attendees received their choice of a handmade ceramic bowl filled with soup (one free refill), salad bar, homemade dessert, and beverage. The bowls were created by Trimble School District art students, as well as city residents, using the facilities of Nelsonville Pottery Supply, whose owner, Jennifer L'Heureux, gave pottery classes. Local celebrities were recruited to make bowls, which were auctioned following the supper. Kroger's donated all the items for the salad bar.

St. Edward’s Whitehall, St. Edward’s Preschool: As the 2006-2007 school year was coming to an end there was a small group of parents who were interested in a summer program. After careful consideration and planning, a 6 week summer program was offered, for the first time in the history of the school. The class was offered Monday – Thursday from 8:30 – 12:00. Classes began June 11; we took the week of July 4th off, and then finished the summer session on July 28. The class of twelve was comprised of a nice mixture of students ranging in age from three to five, two who turned six during the summer. Seven of the students had just completed the school year at St. Edward. Five of the students were new; their parents inquired about the fall program and ended up enrolling their children for both the summer and fall. This new venture was a success. The children had lots of fun and learned about the beach, insects, picnics, and other summer fun. I had a parent come to me for the summer program. She stated her son had gone to an all day preschool and he was eventually taken out because he cried and did not want to go to school. His parents were worried he would not like school but somehow wanted to give him a positive experience. She enrolled him in the summer program and by the end of the six weeks he was happy and wanted to stay in school. His parents have enrolled him for the fall.

This was also an opportunity to train a teacher who is moving from an assistant role to a lead role; this gave her confidence with planning, leading and working with the children in the classroom setting as she prepares for the fall. The new school year begins Monday, September 10 with 55 children enrolled.
The Rev. Carolyn Keck

Trinity, Troy, Dr. Torrence Medical Fund: Even if one is fortunate enough to have insurance, major medical problems can create a seemingly hopeless situation. Margaret has always been a hard worker, raising five (5) children alone with an eighth-grade education. She had recently been able to obtain stability with her finances by turning over her check to her daughter-in-law each week; which managed to resolve outstanding bills and allowed her to be free from harassing bill collectors. That was prior to a routine colonoscopy which raised concern with a suspicious mass. She underwent surgery and the mass was removed from her liver. The biopsy resulted in a good diagnosis. However, even with an 80/20 medical policy, she accumulated over $4,000 in medical bills - more debt than she could handle on her $175 per week wage and tip income from Waffle House.

The major balance was with the hospital in which she is making small monthly payments. In addition she had four support billings that totaled just under $1,000. Torrence Medical Fund contacted each service and for $790.45 was able to make payment in full. Meanwhile, she has applied for patient assistance from the hospital and her minimal payment of not less than $10 per month is acceptable. Margaret wrote to “please extend our thanks to everyone who has made this assistance possible. You have all been a huge help in a true time of need.”

Church of the Advent Open Door: Open Door has been blessed with two Parish nurses who help us with the health issues of many of our clients. One of our nurses has become an expert on Healing Touch. Healing Touch is an energy-based therapy in which a variety of hands on techniques are used to facilitate energy balance for wholeness within the individual, supporting physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing. One of our visitors came into Open Door with extreme pain in her leg. She was having a hard time walking. Our parish nurse did healing touch with her several times and she said her leg pain had totally stopped. She walked into Open Door like a new person. Open Door has found that support from caring individuals and the community can be very healing. . Our program strives to offer friendship, compassion, and encouragement within a Christian context.

Our Saviour, Cincinnati, Cincinnati Episcopalians for Educational Empowerment: What do you do when the judge says to you, "I want you to take this 14 year old in your program, otherwise she'll have to stay in 2020, (the Juvenile Detention Center", and your program only accepts youths as young as 16? If you are Adele Craft, Director of the East End Adult Learning Center, you welcome the young woman, who'd been abandoned by her parents and was living on her own.

Any teenager needs lots of love, attention and guidance. With no parents in the picture, the girl looked to Adele and her staff to provide the encouragement and support she so desperately needed. Her unpromising start was made more difficult by pregnancy and the stresses of being a teenage mother while she was still a child herself. Nevertheless, Adele kept the faith, providing her with a personal loan, transportation help, etc. when things got really tough.

Determined to succeed, the young East End student continued studying while working at Fritsch's and later at a nursing home. Seven years later she has her GED and is enrolled at Cincinnati State while holding down a job and taking care of her child. She still finds time to stop in the East End Adult Learning Center to visit the folks who helped her turn her life around.
Nancy Sullivan

Trinity, London, Ministry for Community: MFC has spearheaded several important programs to strengthen the safety net in Madison County, including a free clinic. This spring MFC partnered with ECSF to begin offering the Benefit Bank service . A 5-minute check indicates if they are eligible for public benefits such as food stamps or Medicaid. The client then makes an appointment, brings documentation, and fills out applications.

Recently, Ministry For Community’s (MFC) Executive Director, Twyla McNamara, did eligibility screening at the clinic and was able to provide assistance to a young woman who has a chronic illness. The woman is renting a room for $50 a week as she was kicked out of the house by her parents. She truly needed to get away from them because she was enduring domestic violence by her father. The patient doesn’t have children, therefore there are not a lot of services that can assist her.

The 5-minute check on TBB’s site revealed that this young woman could receive food stamps. The income of the couple she is boarding with did not have to be included in her application because the couple is not feeding her - just giving her a room to stay in. She remarked to Twyla, “I don’t know what I’ll do if they make me move out. I’ll be homeless.” The food stamp application was filled out and she was able to get $110 worth of food stamps per month. She is only working part-time and trying desperately to save enough money to buy a car.

In the course of filling out the application, Twyla learned that the young woman had over $1,000 in hospital bills that she was unable to pay. The hospital had begun collection proceedings. Knowing the woman’s income and the income guidelines that require non-profit hospitals to write off a patient’s bill if they cannot pay it, Twyla referred the patient to the proper office at the hospital to get her bill problem cleared up. The young woman was able to follow up and got 100% of the bill written off, which made her very relieved.

The woman was also referred to an AmeriCorps opening at the Red Cross. If she is hired, she will receive a stipend totaling $11,100 a year, plus more than $4,500 credit towards college tuition in exchange for her year of service. The trainings and certifications that are provided for these Red Cross volunteers are invaluable, especially the CPR Instructor Certification and leadership classes.

St. John’s Cambridge, Operation Dry Bottoms: We have our Operation Dry Bottoms on the last Friday of the month. On the Sunday preceding that day, we have a blessing for the diapers, and those children who will wear them. This past Friday, the 28th, we included a copy of this prayer with each packet of diapers. Out of the 67 children we helped that day, one young mother asked for the time of our Sunday services.
Marilyn McKim

Christ Church Springfield/IHN: A single lady, who has been a guest in our family shelter and now resides in our transitional housing, is a success story that warms the heart. She is in her mid-forties, was in an abusive situation with both her husband and children as the abusers, and has never been employed. All of these issues were monumental to work through. The case manager realized that even though she had no work experience, she was willing to learn and a very hard worker. Sometimes her patience grew thin while waiting for employment but her case manager continued to work with her. She proudly has at last become employed. It is amazing to watch the transformation of a life and gratifying when the result is positive.
Dixie Schmidt