World Ark Magazine - March/April 2009 - (Page 4) letters readers respond I poverty in the u.s. just read your July/august 2007 issue, scrounged from my local library. my compliments on a very fine magazine. i was a non-volunteer tourist in Vietnam in the late ’60s and early ’70s. i’m glad the citizens of that nation are prospering. i would like, though, to direct your attention to the domestic rather than the international poverty that exists here at home. i am a 100 percent disabled veteran living on a pension of $931 per month. — groV er k aSSel Gillett, Wis. Editor’s note: Heifer has 102 U.S. projects in 26 states, including in Wisconsin. In fiscal year 2008, 1,064 families received livestock, training and other resources, and 7,353 additional families were helped as beneficiaries passed on the gift. To find out more about becoming a project partner or donating to domestic programs, contact the USA Country Program of Heifer International at 25 Sterling Way, Suite A; Mt. Sterling, KY 40353 or at info-usa@list.heifer.org. heifer heroes provide the money for the laps walked. each time these seniors reached $100, they held a meeting and voted on which life-sustaining gifts they wanted heifer to provide for a needy family. Thus far, the charity walkers have earned $300 to support heifer international. Unfortunately, because of budget cuts, the senior center can no longer pay the money for the seniors who walk. Tom and lavonna agreed to use their own money to keep the program going. dedicated individuals like Tom Buske, lavonna Silveria and the charity walkers are true heifer heroes. —k areN l. lippSmeY er Ukiah, Calif. W Editor’s note: The following are just a few of the Heifer Hero nominations we received. To read more, visit www.heifer.org/worldark and view top selections on Pages 32-36. T om Buske of Ukiah, calif., read some literature about heifer international and was inspired to create the charity walkers at the Ukiah Senior center where he works. Tom explained the heifer approach to the seniors in the adult day health care program. he laid out a couple of walking courses and offered to pay walkers 25 cents per lap. These seniors were motivated to exercise both mind and body to help others around the globe. when lavonna Silveria, director of the center, heard about the charity walkers, she said the senior center could hy is Beth moll of guilderland, N.Y., a heifer hero? Through her initiative, two dozen violin, viola and piano students participated in her play to feed program. That translates to two dozen students aNd their families aNd their friends who learned about the work of heifer. in addition, Beth and her students were profiled in the local newspaper, further spreading the word about heifer. in Beth’s play to feed program, students charted their practice hours. To earn a sticker—equivalent to $1—students were required to practice five out of seven days a week under their parents’ supervision and were also able to earn bonus stickers. “after five months of practice and compiling charts, the studio accumulated 500 stickers, or $500 as the weeks went by, ‘i thought they would stop at a water buffalo, but they kept going straight through to a heifer.’” (Albany Times Union, July 1, 2008) — carol aNderSoN founded outreach africa, a volunteer organization that recruits sponsors for Southern Sudanese refugee children (many of whom are orphans). The program sponsors 80 children to keep them safe in boarding schools in Uganda or kenya and away from the perils of hunger, poverty, slavery and death by murder or disease. Their prospects in rough refugee camps were bleak. forced repatriation returned them to still devastated and dangerous homelands in Sudan with little hope for a decent life and no protection. Julie hill puts 100 percent of her energy into helping the lost boys and girls of Sudan in hampton roads, Va., and their families in africa. i look forward to the day that heifer international is able to start a program in southern Sudan. These beautiful young adults whom we have come to love did love their favorite cows so much that they would sing songs to them. The lost boys and girls of Sudan are sweet, poetic, hardworking people. —BeTSY egaN Smithfield, Va. W Albany, N.Y. I would like to nominate Julie hill and outreach africa: lost Boys foundation e would like to nominate our teacher and friend, mrs. mary Taylor, as a heifer hero. She is also our leader of california Junior Scholarship federation, an organization that is very dedicated to helping our community and world. one of our main commitments each year is to raise money for heifer international. mrs. Taylor has supported heifer for many years and has raised more than $20,000 for your organization. She has many wonderful traits, and we know that many students at hillview middle School look up to her. She is caring, kind and has a definite passion to help the world, especially through heifer. She most definitely deserves the heifer hero title. —mrS. TaY lor’S 8th grade advisory class of 2008-2009 for your heifer heroes. i have known Julie and her work for two years. Julie Palmdale, Calif. www.he i f e r .o r g 4 m arch / ap r i l 2 0 09 | world ark http://www.heifer.org/worldark http://www.heifer.org
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