How We Can Work Together

Service Opportunities

Use your imagination! There are many different ways to help get other people involved in donating time or materials. Involve as many people as you can. The whole church, school, scout troop, family and relatives, men’s group, or ladies' group. Here's a list of some ideas you might use to gather a group of people.

  • Penny Competition; only pennies count!!
  • Collect toiletry bags
  • 12, 24, or 30 hour food fast
  • Donate shoe boxes for Christmas
  • Bake sales
  • Collecting change during Lent
  • Collecting used clothing to be donated
  • Arrange a dance
  • Hold a dinner or pancake breakfast
  • Spiritual or outreach part of a lock in

Once you gather a group of people, we will be happy to deliver a presentation to the group. Our presentation will include a slideshow about all the projects we are involved in. This means your group can see exactly how any supplies and financial donations are being used. The presentation can also include open discussion on outreach in your everyday life (family, school, and neighborhood), as well as an opening and closing prayer (at your discretion). Here are some details on the ideas we talked about:

If your group wants to participate in a Penny Competition

The challenge can be between grades, home rooms, youth groups, church clubs, virtually any groups. In a Penny Competition, two or more groups compete to win the fundraising competition. Each group has a bucket for collecting coins or dollar bills. The value of any pennies collected by a group count positively toward that group's point total, while the value of other coins or dollar bills are subtracted. Hence, in a competition between Group A and Group B, a contributor who wants Group A to win will place pennies into Group A's bucket and nickels, dimes, quarters, or dollar bills into Group B's bucket. At the end, a winner among groups is declared, and 100% of the proceeds are donated to the needy.

  • In the Penny Competition only pennies count positively to a group's total!!
  • Dollar bills, quarters, dimes, or nickels are subtracted from that group's total.
  • If Group A has 500 pennies in their bank bucket, and Group B puts a dollar into Group A's bank bucket, 100 pennies would be subtracted and Group A would now only have 400 pennies to their credit.

If your group chooses to donate toiletry bags

Pass out large ziplock bags and have your group fill the bags with the following donated items. These bags will then be distributed to families and children that are in need in the Detroit metropolitan area, as well as the Dominican Republic. These simple items we often assume everyone has, but many people need your help!

  • Personal size soap
  • Personal size powder
  • Comb & Brush
  • Washcloth
  • Travel size lotion
  • Travel size shampoo
  • Travel size tooth brush & toothpaste
  • Travel size deodorant
  • Vitamins

If your group chooses to donate shoe boxes for Christmas

We will provide you with shoe boxes that you can pass out. Each shoe box will have the picture and story of one of the children we are helping. The group members will take the shoe box home and fill it with Christmas presents and then return them.

  • If the shoe boxes are going to the needy in the Dominican Republic, please keep in mind all of the items you are putting in them must be transported in our luggage. So keep the items on the small side so we can move a lot at once. If you find a small bag that your items can be put into before we give it to the child, that would be great too.
  • If the shoe boxes are for children here in our area, then we can be more generous with size and space.

If your group is a 12, 24, or 30 hour food fast, have your group

  • Collect school supplies to donate
  • Collect over-the-counter medical supplies to donate
  • Get pledges of money from family members, friends, teachers, and neighbors. These people can pledge to donate a certain amount of money for every hour you and your group go without food!
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