US to Africa Project - 25 for 25

About two-thirds of the children in the West African country of Mali never finish elementary school, but Keeth Elementary School in Winter Springs wants to change that. This year, Keeth began a partnership with African Sky (http://www.africansky.org/ )to build a "Keeth Elementary" in Mali. Now, over half way to their $11,000 goal, they want to finish the project and start something beautiful. You can help. Through their "25 for 25" you can celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Keeth Elementary by helping them build another Keeth Elementary on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. By giving $25 to their US to Africa Project, you will expand the influence of this place they deeply love. How to donate: buy "bricks" for $1 each, or make a donation of $25 for 25 years . . .all to benefit the Mali project.

Keeth: http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/schools/schoolinfopage.cfm?schoolnumber=0661

Tickets Are Still Available for the "Night Of Champions" presented by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Danny Wuerffel, The Tebow Family, Kirk Herbstreit, Comedian Kenn
Kington, and Ritchie McDonald, lead singer of Lonestar will be at the Jacksonville Arena on May 8th from 7:00 - 9:30.

The Night of Champions is an event for the whole family that will focus
on "Building a Legacy Worth Leaving". This message will be conveyed
through comedy, music and inspirational messages from our special
guests. To purchase tickets for only $15, go to http://www.ticketmaster.com/ and search
Night of Champions.

Proceeds from the event will benefit three great causes:

1. The local chapter of FCA.

2. Desire Street Ministries - http://www.desirestreet.org/

3. The Bob Tebow Evangelistic Ass - whose mission is to take the Gospel to those who have never heard it in the Philippines - preaching the Gospel, planting churches, establishing a staff of Filipino national evangelists, and supporting their orphange there - http://www.btea.org/

Seeking Donations for Ugandian Children

Brandi M. of Westwood Church leaves for Uganda in a little over a week to minister to the children there. She is collecting pencils, pencil sharpeners, toothbrushes, toothpase paste, and underwear to take to them. She is also collecting money for other needs such as food for the child-headed households who are in the midst of a famine, mosquito nets, etc. .

You can easily donate via Paypal by visiting her site: http://www.brandisthoughts.com/.

Madonna Raising Awareness Of The Extreme Poverty of Malawi's Orphans and Children

Celebrity Madonna has produced and narrated a documentary entitled, I Am Because We Are, which explores the lives of children in Malawi who have been orphaned by the AIDS crisis. It is now available to view for free on Hulu (http://www.hulu.com/watch/64450/i-am-because-we-are). (Running time is two hours.)

Here is the documentary's official site: http://www.iambecauseweare.com/.

In addition to creating this documentary, Madonna also co-founded Raising Malawi, which is dedicated to bringing an end to the extreme poverty and hardship endured by Malawi's 2 million orphans and vulnerable children. It's website states, Raising Malawi supports community based organizations that provide orphans and vulnerable children with nutritious food, proper clothing, secure shelter, formal education, targeted medical care, and emotional support. In addition, Raising Malawi supports non-government organizations that offer impoverished families with innovative opportunities for sustainability.

You can find out more at https://www.raisingmalawi.org/whoweare09.php

Guardian Ad Litem program in Jeopardy due to Budget Cuts

Darryl E. Owens of the Orlando Sentinel tells how children will be the ones to lose as a result of state budget cuts.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-owens-041109,0,881728.column

Tom Davis Event

There was a terrific turnout for the CGC -sponsored event to hear Tom Davis.

Tom reminds us that:

- The apostle James wrote that caring for orphans and widows is the very essence of religion. (Pure and faultless [religion] is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress. James 1:27)

Christians have been remiss in their duty to care for the fatherless. He cites as proof:

There are 143 million orphans in the world today. Every 5 seconds a child dies due to hunger. More than 1 million children are trafficked every year as sex slaves and another 8.4 million are enslaved. There are over 2.3 million children living with HIV. Yet Evangelical Christians are less likely than are non-Christians to give money and assistance to AIDS-related causes. There are 2.1 billion professed Christians living on earth. In the U.S. 159 million claim to be Christians. If only 7% of professing Christians responded to God's call to care for the fatherless, all 143 million orphans would have a home.

You don't need to be rich or powerful to help the poor. There are many, many little things you can do to help the widows and fatherless. In fact, as a Christian, Gods expects this of you.

There's another chance to see Tom tonight (Saturday, April 4) at 6:00 pm
at Westwood Church, 4412 N. Apopka-Vineland Rd. in Orlando.

Africa A New Hot Spot For Western Adoptions

This is an AP story on NPR.org from April 1, 2009 -
Africa A New Hot Spot For Western Adoptions
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102616179

Blessings of a special-needs adoption

A moving account of a journalist's experience with a special-needs adoption from China, published in Christianity Today:
Taking a Chance on Fu Yang
A photojournalist discovers God's surprises through one special-needs child.
By Louis DeLuca

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/february/33.38.html?start=1

Alternatives to Orphanages

Here's an article by Roger Olsen in Christianity Today (Jan. 5, 2009) entitled, How to Help Orphans - Orphanages are not always the best answer.
http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2009/january/12.63.html

Child Trafficking in Liberia

Here's a story from Frontpage Africa about how international adoption has led to child trafficking in Liberia.
http://www.frontpageafrica.com/newsmanager/anmviewer.asp?a=8387&z=2