Photo courtesy of Sozo Children.
Chelsie Hogan, Abby Clayton, Cara Mann and Mary Tate Thomas work with children in a Ugandan village where Sozo is purchasing land and plans to plant a church, build a children’s home, and open a medical clinic and school.
Sozo Children
Featured in October 2012
The back story
Following college graduation, 2005 Oak Mountain graduates Alan Nunnally and Jay Clark, along with their youth minister from Asbury United Methodist Suzanne Owens, started a children’s home in Uganda.
The update
Sozo now houses 70 children and supports 30 others in a boarding school.
Currently they are in the process of closing on 62 acres of property and fundraising to build a church then a children’s home and other community buildings on the property, hopefully starting construction by the end of this year.
This past summer, 10 teams of people worked alongside 20 summer interns from all over the Southeast to build relationships in the community where the land is in hopes that the people there will embrace the children who eventually move into the home they will build on the property.
The need
Sozo is currently looking for people to participate in what they are calling an “overflow partnership” to cover expenses for their indirect expenses such as vehicles and electric bills; currently child sponsorships cover the direct needs of the children. Nunnally describes the relational-style partnership as something where people can “give out of overflow of the heart for needs overflowing for children.”
In the spring, Sozo will be looking for people to participate in a Mud Run on April 27 and Golf Tournament at Greystone Country Club on April 7 to help support their work in Uganda.
For more
Visit sozochildren.org.
Community of Health Clinic
Featured in July 2012
The back story
Since 2008 Community of Hope Health Clinic has offered free medical care to uninsured residents of Shelby County. It operates as a medical mission, providing non-emergent medical care to adult patients whose household income is at or below 200 percent of the poverty level.
The update
As a result of 280 Living’s story, two 280 area doctors started volunteering at Community of Hope: Dr. Ike Ijemere and Dr. Jody Ortega.
In 2012, the clinic oversaw 1,815 patient visits, and it is now booking appointments about four weeks into the future.
“There is a growing need for our service,” executive director Chris Monceret said. “When we started clinic in 2008, 7 percent of Shelby County adults did not have healthy insurance. Now that’s 12 percent. That’s not going away. There are more people out there who need to be seen.”
Currently the clinic sees patients during the day on Monday and on Thursday evenings in its clinic located in the Shelby County Health Department building off County Services Drive.
The need
Community of Hope is looking for physicians to volunteer three hours one Thursday evening a month as well as nurse practitioners and physician assistants who are with a collaborate agreement with a medical doctor.
“You don’t have to go out of the state or country to do mission work,” Monceret said. “We are doing it right here in Shelby County. The more doctors we have, the more patients we can see.”
For more
Contact Director Chris Monceret at 685- 4154 or chris.monceret@adph.state.us.al.
Angel Pillowcases
Featured in November 2012
The back story
In June 2012, Brook Highland resident Harry Arnold and classmate Grace Carroll founded of Angel Pillowcases, a charitable operation organized that crafts handmade pillowcases to donate to patients at Children’s of Alabama.
The update
Over the past year, Angel Pillowcases made and delivered more than 350 pillowcases to Children’s for patients to help comfort them during their treatment at the facility.
With private donations and a grant from PNC Bank’s Banking on Youth competition, the cases are now produced with Michael Miller Fabrics from New York through a partnership with local businesswoman Ann Piper and her husband, Doug Carpenter. The couple saw a way to help lower material and production costs while furthering their own initiative to help provide work for women in Haiti.
Through Theona’s Girls, they teach young women how to sew and to learn a trade to ultimately provide them with hopes and dreams of a better life for themselves and their families with sustainable employment.
In August Carroll along with Spain Park High School freshman Naomi Pitts, the 2013 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Alabama Champion, joined family and friends to deliver 81 pillowcases patients on the hematology/oncology floor of the new Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children.
The need
The organization is looking for donations to cover the cost of the pillowcases.
Each pillowcase costs $25 and is fully tax-deductible. In addition, $10 from each pillowcase purchased is donated to the SEANStrong Fund at Children’s for local pediatric cancer research.
For more
To order a pillowcase or for more information, visit angelpillowcases.org, email angelpillowcases@gmail.com or mail a check to: Angel Pillowcases c/o Children’s of Alabama, 1600 7th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35233.
The Red Barn
Featured in August 2011
The back story
Spirit of Hope Youth Ranch, located near Chelsea, was founded in 2006 to serve at-risk and disadvantage youth by allowing them to work with rescue horses. Starting in 2012, a sister organization, The Red Barn, saw individuals that could not be served at Spirit of Hope as well as students with physical disabilities to help Special Equestrian’s alleviate its two-year waiting list.
The update
The Red Barn, located in Leeds, continued to grow, and in 2012, it merged with Spirit of Hope after DHR implemented changes that affected the participation of foster care group homes in the program.
“The real heart of Spirit of Hope’s programs was to allow children to improve their communication, team-work and problem solving skills by working with horses so that their personal relationships could improve, as well as giving them hope for the future God has for their lives,” executive director Joy O’Neal said. “Our programs absolutely still do that, but the demographic is slightly different because we work primarily now with individual referrals rather than group homes.”
This fall The Red Barn is offering a History of Horses through Literature program where students will learn about how different horse breeds have helped shape history and practice the social skills they've learned while working with the horses.
The organization is also expanded its Take the Reins program, which works directly with veterans and their families.
The need
O’Neal noted that donations are appreciated to continue their programs for all who need them.
The Red Barn has an open house scheduled on Sunday, Oct. 7 from 2-4 p.m. and invites people in the community to visit us to learn more in person about how they “share faith, hope, and love with all those God sends to our door.”
For more
Visit theredbarn.org or call 699-8204. The Red Barn is located at 2700 Bailey Road, Leeds, AL 35094.
