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    The Pottery Project

    Dear Friends and Benefactors,

    Today I write with a new request. I ask you to become active partners in our newest campaign. We need your help to spread the word, and to get your family and friends involved as well.

    After weeks of careful planning, the Pottery Project has arrived! Sandra, Jane and Miranda have been working hard to plan the opening of a pottery studio and shop at the Children’s Center, which will help the orphanage become more financially self sustainable, and less reliant on fluctuations of private donations.

    The children will be involved in decorating mugs, bowls, plates, vases, jewelry, etc. which will be sold in Haiti and throughout the United States! 100% of profits from the sales will be used to support the orphanage, so that the Children’s Center will be more financially sustainable and independent!

    The promotional video and donation page are available here: The Pottery Project

    In this all-or-nothing fundraising campaign, you can pledge any amount you wish, and you will receive a small gift of appreciation, such as a hand written thank you note from one of the children, or a hand crafted mug! Your pledge will not be charged, and we will not receive any money for the project UNLESS we hit our $8,000 goal by the end of the campaign on June 14th.

    For this reason, we need everyone’s help. We ask you to donate, but we also ask you to spread the work amongst your family and friends. We cannot reach our goal without you. We will be working hard to get as many individuals involved as possible, but our staff and volunteers can only reach so many people. We need your help to extend our reach. Together we can make the pottery project a reality, and set the Children’s Center, and all of our children on the path toward a more prosperous future.

    Thank you for your help, your prayers, and your support. God Bless!

    Fr. Giordano Belanich

    Croatian Relief Services, Inc.

     

     

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    Introducing the 100 Club!

    This is Teresa Scanlan, Miss America 2011, writing to introduce Croatian Relief Services’ new fundraising campaign: The 100 Club.

    Croatian Relief Services funds the Cardinal Stepinac Children’s Center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The mission currently cares for 47 children from 2 to 15 years old, which requires about $10,000 per month for the bare necessities and operating expenses. That is roughly $200 per child a month for food, shelter, clothing, education, and medical attention. This financial challenge is where the idea for the 100 Club began. If we can find 100 mission partners willing to commit to a donation of $100 a month, we could reach this goal and provide the mission with the funds needed to continue serving these children.

    As I write, I remember holding my favorite 3 year old girl, Pierre Lynne. She’s at the orphanage because her mother passed away and her father abandoned her. Just three years old and she’s already known more pain and suffering than I have in my entire life. I’m reminded of James 1:27, which says, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

    Wish to join the 100 Club? Here’s where to begin…

    To sign up for the 100 Club, simply call our office [(201)745-1145] or email [croatianreliefservices@gmail.com] with the following information:

    1. Your Name
    2. Mailing Address
    3. Email Address
    4. Method of payment: Check, Money Order, or Paypal?
    5. Would you like to receive a tax deductible receipt via postal mail or email?
    6. Additional names and addresses of partner contributors.

    If $100 is too large of a commitment to make at this time, do not despair, you may still be able to joint he 100 Club! Within your community or family you can set up your 100 Club partnership by asking your neighbors, friends and co-workers to join you.  They can do this by donating $10.00 each month. If 10 people join you with $10.00 each month you will be able to send $100 each month and become a part of Club 100. If you your friends can only contribute $5 a month, you will need 20 contributors each. All your donors will receive a certificate of donation each month for every donation.

    For more details you can contact croatianreliefservices@gmail.com or

    Father Gio Belanich

    Croatian Relief Services, Inc.

    Apostolate of Mercy

    P.O. Box 355

    225 Anderson Avenue

    Fairview, NJ 07022

    201-745-1145

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    A Mission Transformed

    Most of you are familiar with Croatian Relief Services’ mission to help the poorest of the poor in our world. For over twenty years you have helped us fulfill this mission by shipping food, clothing, medical supplies, and so much more to dozens of countries in need across the globe. While we continue to provide these emergency humanitarian supplies to communities in need in the US, Croatia, Haiti, and beyond, our focus shifted when we opened the Cardinal Stepinac Children’s Center in 2010.

    Today, we are responsible – day in and day out – for the needs of 47 orphaned and abandoned children. We have made a commitment to these children, and just as a parent must put the needs of their children before those of their own, so too much we put the needs of these children before all else.
    We ask you to help us fulfill our commitment to these children by prioritizing their needs when you donate goods. Our children are in greatest need of food, clothing, medicine, and school supplies. These supplies are of utmost importance to their well being. In addition, we are working on plans to restore the facilities at the Children’s Center. The Children’s home is in poor condition, and is in need of many repairs. For that reason, we are also in need of construction and maintenance supplies.
    We urge you to take a look at the detailed list of items below, and prioritize these items over non essential items such as furniture, appliances, dishware, irons, blenders, bookcases, lamps, pots, pans, and other household items, as we are well supplies in those areas and cannot afford to sort, store, and ship the amount that we receive. Thank you for all the years of consistent support and generosity.
    Food
    • Rice
    • Beans
    • Children’s Chewable Vitamins (Non-Gummy)
    • Other non perishable canned food items
    Clothes
    • Boys & Girls Summer Clothes ages 1-15 (most common ages 3-8)
    • Sandals
    • Crocs
    • Black Loafers & Loafer socks, for school uniforms
    • Children’s belts, for school uniforms
    • Underwear
    • Towels
    • Twin and Toddler Sheets
    • Pillowcases

    Toiletries/Miscellaneous

    • Toothbrushes
    • Toothpaste
    • Soap
    • Shampoo &  Conditioner
    • Diapers (Toddler)
    • Deoderant
    • Handwashing Laundry Soap
    • Scrub Brushes
    • Laundry Detergent
    • Mosquito Spray
    • Batteries, all kinds

    Medical Supplies

    • Children’s Tylenol
    • Children’s Motrin
    • Pediatric Electrolyte
    • Band Aids
    • Neosporin
    • Hydrogen Peroxide
    • Antiseptic wipes
    • Gauze
    • ACE Bandages
    • Anti Fungal Cream
    • Cortizone Cream
    • Anti Bacterial Cream
    • Pepto Bismol
    • Anti-histamines
    • Latex Gloves
    • Tums, Alka-Seltzer, etc.
    • Laxatives

    School Supplies

    • Pencils
    • Pencil Sharpeners
    • Erasers
    • Pens – Black, Blue, Red
    • Durable Backpacks
    • Loose Leaf Paper
    • Crayons
    • Markers
    • Colored Pencils
    • Construction Paper
    • Sissors
    • Glue

     

    Construction

    • Sledge Hammers
    • Construction Hats
    • Workboots
    • Work Gloves
    • Wheelbarrows
    • Rod Irons
    • Tiles
    • Paint, Brushes & Rollers
    • Extension Cords
    • Cordless Drills
    • Hammers
    • Screwdrivers
    • Nails & Screws
    • Washers
    • Plywood
    • Framing Wood
    • PVC Piping
    • Garden Tools – Hoes, Soil Turners, Scissors, etc.
    • Garden Soil
    • Vegetable Seeds
    • Fertilizer
    • Bricks
    • Cement
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    Water purification system can stop Cholera

    solar purificator

    We urgently need to install Fresh Water Purification system to battle the cholera epidemic in Haiti. The mobile purification system which we desperately need in Haiti at this time is a solar-powered generator with a built-in system for the purification of polluted freshwater sources. This system can pump and purify an average of 30,000 gallons each day at a cost of less than one penny per gallon! This calculation includes capital costs and all consumables over the course of the first year. After year 1 the cost reduces to fractions of a penny per gallon because the capital outlay has been paid off. More…

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    ">CHILDREN’S SHOE-BOX PROJECT

    Shoe-Box-Gift-Project is simple and it may involve children, young adults, and senior citizens. The project can be introduced to prayer groups, Catholic schools, C.C.D. programs, and Principals of any school. The Shoe-Box-Project can be done as a Confirmation of First Communion project.

    Here is how it works. Each student or interested person is encouraged to make one or more shoe-boxes. A simple shoe-box or similar sized gift box can be used. A donor buys some school supplies such as pencils, pens, erasers, sharpeners, rulers, notebooks, candy bars, a t-shirt, tooth paste, toothbrush, non perishable food such as rice, beans etc.

    More…

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    Godparent Program

    With the terrible tragedy now in Haiti after a devastating 7.0 major earthquake hit the capital city of Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010, killing close to at least 120,000 people, wounding 250,000 and leaving million of families homeless.
    Croatian Relief Services has stepped forward in faith and has made a contract in Haiti to open an orphanage for the destitute and hungry street children. The orphanage is called “Cardinal Stepinac Children Center of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti.”

    More…

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