RECOGNIZE SOMEONE SPECIAL WHILE SUPPORTING LIFE-SAVING PROGRAMS AROUND THE WORLD
For More Information, Contact: Janis D. Shields, Director Media and Public Relations,(215) 241-7060; AFTER HOURS 302-545-6596
ATTENTION PHOTO EDITORS: PHOTOS FROM HAITI AND AFGHANISTAN ARE AVAILABLE
PHILADELPHIA - Do you have too much "stuff?" As the holiday season approaches, perhaps you are thinking about others in your life you want to remember - but they may have an abundance of life's material possessions, too.
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) offers a way to recognize your loved ones while supporting worthwhile and life-saving programs around the world through Gifts with Heart and Hope.
Your contribution, made in the name of a friend or loved one, supports families who often lack even life's basic necessities. A gift of $100 can buy four female goats in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. AFSC has been introducing community goat rearing into Haiti's isolated Grand'Anse region as a way to revive the rural economy. AFSC's work in the region also includes reforestation, fisheries and other economic projects, and the organization supports the only health clinic and training center for some 40,000 people.
A gift of as little as $45 can purchase desks and chairs for three students in Afghanistan. AFSC has built or repaired nine schools in Afghanistan, a country where up to 80% of schools were severely damaged or destroyed during decades of conflict.
A contribution of $115 can provide five Vietnamese families with 22 fruit trees to bolster their diet and income. Other gift ideas include tools and seeds for community peace gardens in Bosnia/Herzegovina and cows and carts for the remote village of Dengalenga in Mozambique.
The American Friends Service Committee uses a holistic approach in its international development programs. Your gifts made to these projects will be used in this spirit.
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HOLIDAY GIFT CARDS, page two
This year, when you make a $25 gift to the Service Committee in the name of a friend or relative, they will receive a beautiful note card designed by Oregon artist Ann Altman. The card depicts a lovely woman - arms cradling the earth, surrounded by vibrant rays of light.
The artist uses rich red, blue and gold colors to adorn the greeting card image. The inscription inside reads: "This card represents a gift made in your name to the American Friends Service Committee to alleviate suffering, promote human dignity and work for reconciliation and peace." The 5x7 note card also features an inspirational message from Quaker activist George Fox:
"I saw also that there was an ocean of darkness and death, but an infinite ocean of light and love, which flowed over the ocean of darkness, and in that I saw the infinite love of God."
Backed by an 89-year history working for peace, justice and reconciliation in troubled areas of the world, the American Friends Service Committee is a faith-based organization grounded in Quaker beliefs respecting the dignity and worth of every person. In 1947, The Service Committee and its European counterpart, the British Friends Service Council, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for its humanitarian relief efforts.
For ordering information, visit www.afsc.org. Contributions may be tax deductible. See your tax advisor for details.
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The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice.