Dear Editor:
I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to this community. As the founder/executive director of The Redeem Project, a faith-based, non-profit, I never dreamed the response to our Christmas project would be so great.
Last fall, we decided to help 12 families. Each had suffered a traumatic loss in the past year, (ie parent, a child, etc.). All were referred to us by churches, organizations, etc. By the time Christmas rolled around, we had multiplied to 34 families with 123 children. This was much more than I could've imagined. A call for help was listed on our Facebook page: facebook.com/theredeemproject, website: www.theredeemproject.org and various media outlets, including the News Tribune and many of you came forward.
In the end, it was like the Bible story of the loaves and fishes - we had items left over. God worked in and through this community to provide a beautiful Christmas for these families, then gave us more than we needed so we could help others throughout the year.
I was blessed to be a part of this project. It was a wonderful feeling to share the love of Jesus through something as simple as a doll or basketball. Because of you, they received a family Bible and each child received an age-appropriate Bible, along with other gifts you made available. Many of their stories were shared on our website throughout this project; I hope you were able to read them.
The Redeem Project is dedicated to helping others with recovery, re-entry, empowerment, and education. When you donate to us, 100 percent of it goes directly to programs to help those in need. I am even here at no salary! We have a board of advisors from various faiths and backgrounds who guide the programs through fervent prayer and advice based on their expertise.
Everything we offer is free to anyone. We offer life and job skills, GED tutors, and much more!
We are located in the basement of Calvary Baptist Church, 1436 Hough Street. Hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Thank you again to those who participated in our Christmas project - Jefferson City is indeed a very caring community.