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| Outreach Opportunities Fund
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About OOF
The purpose of the Outreach Opportunities Fund (OOF) is to involve the congregation in active outreach and support to community projects, both those that are independent of the church as well as those that have some connection to the work of church committees. Monies in the fund come from a portion of each Sunday's open collection.
OOF Grants June 2008
Fund activities were in hiatus during 2009 while its goals were revisited.
Burns Bog Conservation Society, Education Programs for Youth and Children- Summer Day Camps
Nominators: Mary Lage, Karl Perrin / Project Coordinator: Eliza Olson
Project: The children ages 6 to 12 years spend five days, 9:00 am to 3:00pm, in summer camps , learning about the plants and animals found in the Delta Nature Reserve, the only part of Burns Bog open to the public. Funding will help children who otherwise would be unable
to attend.
Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House , Short Tales
Nominator: Leslie Kemp / Coordinator: Joyce Rock
Project: This project will engage 15 residents of the Downtown Eastside in learning writing, film making, audio project development and performance skills; enhancing collaborative communication skills; and deep sharing with agreed upon parameters of privacy and confidentiality. This will foster participants’ self assurance with sharing stories and provide an opportunity to share their stories within the broader community.
Enterprising Women Making Art
Nominator: Elisabeth Geller / Coordinator: Janice Abbott Atira - Women’s Resource Society
Project goals: a) to offer women who are marginalized socially and economically with immediate alternatives to street engagement or other risk-bearing activities for income generation; b) to encourage personal and professional growth including self-confidence building and development of skills and techniques for creating art and artwork.
Metro Vancouver Safe Spaces Bullying Prevention for Young Children Project
Nominator: Diana Ellis / Coordinator: Maria E. Ressel
Project goal: To extend access to Safe Places, a bullying prevention program for preschool aged children, to at least 250 young children attending up to 10 early childhood programs in Metro Vancouver that face financial barriers to participation in Safe Places training and acquisition of the Safe Spaces kit.
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| Helping Refugees
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Sponsorship and much more
For many years the Refugee Committee has been helping refugees in profound ways. These dedicated individuals sponsor refugees, support them while they are proceeding through red tape in order to leave their current untenable homes, and help with all aspects of getting them settled once they arrive in Canada.
more about the committee
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| Thanksgiving Dinner
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In the past two years, volunteer UCV members took great pleasure in providing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for 200 downtown eastside women and their families. They donated and cooked turkey with all the trimmings, delivered and served the food, and took care of the cleanup. We expect this will become an annual event.
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| Social Justice Advocacy
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Personal Involvement
UCV has embarked on a new approach to social action. Proposals are invited from members to form working groups on issues. Groups are formed with a minimum of five members who commit to working within the group. Each project must have a clearly articulated purpose, objectives, and a plan of action that engages congregants and focuses on concrete actions toward systemic change. Each project will run for one year.
Examples of social justice action groups include Economic Justice Action Group, Peace Action Group, Mental Health Action Group, Freedom for Choice Action Network, Unitarian Pride Group. Already established at UCV is a Homelessness/Housing Action Group.
Social Justice Committee
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| Environmental Activism
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Focus on Burns Bog and BC rivers
Environment Committee co-chair Karl Perrin organizes the annual pilgrimage to Burns Bog, and with Dave Steele, co-chair, has been active in bringing to our awareness the consequences of the provincial awarding of licences to private companies to develop power projects.
Environment Committee
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