Paddle Power Donates Kayak

Thanks to Steve Early—owner of Paddle Power in Chillicothe, Ohio—Sojourners has a snazzy red kayak for our Sojo Splash Canoe and Kayak Education Program.

Red Cross Blood Donors Could Win Saturn Vue or Gas Card

Summer has arrived. And with the hot weather comes an urgent need for blood donations. The Vinton County June bloodmobile will be held on Wednesday, June 18 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Vinton County Community Building.

Blue Ribbons Highlighted National Foster Care Month

May was National Foster Care Month and the Foster Care Program of Sojourners s celebrated by joining thousands of foster care networks across the country in honoring the twentieth anniversary of Foster Care Month.

AmeriCorps Members Get Things Done in NOLA

The Appalachian MentorCorps and Ohio Outback Conservation Corps, of Sojourners, traveled to New Orleans recently to take part in a week of Katrina recovery work.

Sojourners AmeriCorps Members Head for New Orleans

Members of the Appalachian MentorCorps and the Ohio Outback Conservation Corps, AmeriCorps programs of Sojourners are planning a service trip to New Orleans the last week in February.

Despite Frigid Weather MLK Day 2008 Draws Many Participants

Over 150 people from the Vinton County community and around Ohio came together Monday to celebrate Martin Luther King’s birthday through a variety of service opportunities sponsored by Sojourners.

Over 30 volunteers from AmeriCorps programs from around the state joined Sojourners to assist with the day camp.  Members from AmeriCorps associated with Habitat for Humanity in Cleveland, the Ohio State University Nisonger Center and Columbus Housing Partnership in Columbus, and the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine ComCorps joined volunteers from Athens and Vinton County to create an awesome volunteer force.

The Vinton County High School was buzzing with activity by 8 a.m. as volunteers and children arrived and began signing in for the Dream Camp, a full day of supervised activities which explored diversity through a series of arts and crafts and games.  Members of Sojourners’ conservation corps, the Ohio Outback Conservation Corps,  braved the cold to refurbish the Village of McArthur welcome signs.

Members of Sojourners Youthbuild program gathered discarded Christmas trees and prepared them to become wildlife habitats in Lake Rupert. Everyone taking part in the MLK Day 2008 activities enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Diversity Deli, which featured traditional Mexican cuisine. Several community members joined the volunteers and participants for the free meal. For the second year, teams of Dream Camp participants took part in an American Idol styled marching contest.  David Graham, Jim Woodell, and Terri Prater served as judges.

The celebration culminated in a march from the Old Vinton County High School to the Vinton County Courthouse where a ceremony of reflection ended the day.  Close to 100 day campers, volunteers and community members took part in the march. 

At the courthouse the marchers were greeted by Tom Morgan, a member of the Vinton County Board of Commissioners.  Keynote speaker for the ceremony was Leon Forte, pastor of Grace Christian Center in Athens, Ohio.

Forte grew up in Columbus Ohio, but as a young boy used to go back to Mississippi during the summers to help his grandfather pick cotton.  He shared with the audience his unpleasant memories of segregation in the south.  One particular experience held special meaning for Forte.  His family had gone into town and stopped at a local dairy stand for ice cream.  Forte walked up to the window to place his order, only to be told to move away. Being from the North, Forte didn’t realize that blacks were not served from the front, but had to go to the back door to get their food. 

“When I became upset, my grandfather got right down on his knee to look me the in the eye, and he had tears in his eyes.  It was the first time I saw my grandfather cry.  He looked right at me and said ‘You have it in you to do something about this’,” Forte said.  “You all have it in you to do something about the things that matter,” he told the audience.  Forte also spoke about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy. 

“If Dr. King were alive today, I am sure this is the kind of celebration he would really be proud of.  I am sure he would be more happy about this one here in Vinton County than all the big celebrations in places like Washington D.C, and Atlanta, because you are really trying to do something here,” Forte said.

The MLK Day 2008 celebration was made possible through funding from the United Way of Vinton County, the Vinton County Commissioner’s Office of Fair Housing and Molina Healthcare.  Other community partners include the McArthur Village Council, Mayor Jim Woodell, McArthur Police Department, the Vinton County School District, Standard Hardware, McArthur Super Valu, and Spring Street Sports.

Vinton County to Celebrate Fifth MLK Day on January 21

 

Sojourners invites Vinton County to celebrate the community’s fifth Martin Luther King Day celebration on January 21, by taking part in several events throughout the day.

A Trio of Projects Makes A Difference

Staff and program participants of Sojourners joined over 3 million other American citizens on October 27 to celebrate Make A Difference Day 2007.

Sojourners Welcomes New YIS

Sojourners welcomes Shayla Caudill-McNally, to our staff as a new Youth Intervention Specialist (YIS).

Sojourners Receives New Youthbuild Grant

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao recently announced the award of $47 million to 96 groups that will provide education in construction as well as leadership training to at-risk young people across the United States who will take part in building affordable housing in their own communities. Sojourners, one of the award-winning organizations from hundreds of competitively screened proposals, will receive $380,92.

“Sojourners is very pleased to have been chosen from so many applications to receive this funding. Our Youthbuild program has been successfully helping young people become productive citizens,” said Marcus Games, executive director of Sojourners.

“Young people in YouthBuild can take pride in the fact that they are not only improving their own lives, but also making a positive difference for their families, friends and neighbors,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco. “Their participation in this creative program will help them take the first steps toward a variety of rewarding educational opportunities and careers.”

For more information on YouthBuild grants and other Department of Labor youth employment programs, visit www.doleta.gov/youth_services.