wfn.org | Rincon UCC youth make sweet gesture to Haiti

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> Rincon UCC youth make sweet gesture to Haiti

> Written by Jeff Woodard
> March 3, 2010

When "The Fire" starts in the desert at Rincon United Church of Christ
in Tucson, it can spread quickly. The Fire ? aka the youth group at
Rincon UCC ? fed its desire for service by participating in February's
Souper Bowl of Caring. They raised more than $700 and nearly 100 cans
of food for their local food bank.

But they were just getting warmed up. Faster than you can say "Cupid's
arrow," the group was planning, producing and selling Valentine candy
as a fundraiser for victims of the Haiti earthquake.

"Originally, we were going to sell Valentine cards," says John
Angiulo, director of Christian Education at Rincon. "But the cards
proved to be too expensive. So we sent the card prototypes we had made
to our elderly and homebound members as greetings."

The Fire, comprising 15 middle- and high-school students, then donned
its collective apron, rolled up its sleeves and set its sights on
sweets. "Since this was our first year doing this, we were not sure
how much candy would be needed or how it would taste," says Angiulo.
"We had to eat some of it, of course, just to make sure it was a
quality product."

A few sprinkles of adult supervision and a dash of
professional-looking packaging completed the effort. The group sold
more than 50 boxes containing chocolate truffles (mocha, raspberry,
orange and rum extract) and chocolate nut clusters (pecans, macadamia
chips and walnuts). Church members and visitors bought the candy
during a youth-organized coffee fellowship in the church's prayer garden.

Proceeds for Haiti totaled $219 ? though The Fire might have
underestimated the congregation's sweet tooth. "We had a line of
people wanting to buy when we ran out of boxes," says Angiulo.

"We had a lot of fun coming together and getting messy making the
candy," says Angiulo. "And we tried to demonstrate what true love is
on Valentine's Day, as opposed to the artificial, consumer-driven love
that usually defines the day."