IT"S NOT TOO EARLY - GIFT IDEAS FOR THE MISSIONS

TIRED OF GIVING PRESENTS TO PEOPLE WHO ALREADY HAVE TOO MUCH?

I would like to offer some alternatives.  Take your pick. 
You can designate your help to a variety of causes.

"How wrong we would be to stop helping anyone because we cannot help everyone."
Charles Swindoll

IT TAKES TIME TO GATHER THINGS UP!
I have some toys I bought last January and February while they were on sale.  

IT TAKES TIME TO BUNDLE THINGS UP! 
I have some more special requests to fulfill. 

IT TAKES TIME TO SHIP THINGS DOWN! 
I would like to send most of the items no later than  November 15,  if possible. 







Santa (fellow volunteer Fergal from Ireland) and Carmelite Sister Nyra Anne, Administrator of the Saint Benedict Home for Children.



Scrubbed and combed and ready for last year's Diocesan Christmas Party! 
It doesn't hurt to pray and be grateful! 




One of several severely handicapped and abandoned children in Sister Nyra Anne's care whom we try to help! 



One of the beautiful kids in the Saint Benedict Home for Children (Princeton is his name).  There are needs for everything from diapers to food to basic health care. 



OTHER POSSIBILITIES 

We will operate our second summer Computer Camp for Kids this coming summer. We are looking for five more usable laptops. There is a need for snacks and some transportation. 



Louisvillian, Beth Kolodey, Camp Director and Teacher, will return this coming summer with two more Louisvillians, hopefully, to assist her, Tim and Karen. This is truly life-changing for some kids who are learning to access a world of information beyond the islands.  

Badly Needed Phone and Security System 

I have been doing priest retreats and parish missions, inviting my friends to join me,  to upgrade the Pastoral Centre (Bishops home, Catholic Chancery, Retreat House, Diocesan meeting rooms seven retreat rooms and my headquarters). We want to upgrade this building to be able to attract more adult professional volunteers. We are almost there with the renovation.
One of the last major needs is a new phone and security system. I hope to have it paid for by this Christmas. 


Mary, Star of the Sea Church

This is Mary, Star of the Sea Church in Sandy Bay, one of the poorest areas of the diocese. I have been collecting used church furniture and furnishings to try to make it a little more inviting for church services. Below is the artist sketch of what we propose to do. 

It is expensive to get even used furniture down there. 
You can underwrite all, or part, of the total expenses of $17,000.00. 

Besides the used furniture (chairs, Mary and Joseph statues, a crucifix, an altar and Stations of the Cross), we hope to ship down some used paperback hymnals, add some ceiling fans and give it a new paint job. 

JUST THINK, YOU CAN UNDERWRITE A WHOLE CHURCH RENOVATION FOR JUST $17,000.00!

If you do the whole thing, we will make sure a plaque and photo of your family will hang in the back to remind the people to pray for you! 

This could be a project for a large extended family? Maybe in memory of their parents or deceased family members? 

Saint Mary's School

The Catholic School system on Saint Vincent is very effective on a shoe string. 
You can sponsor a child in need for only $250.00 a year tuition. 
You can choose a child being raised by a grandparent.
You can choose a child being raised by a single parent.
You can choose a child selected by Sister Carmen, Sister Martha or Sister Jacinta.



Other Needs for the Two Homes for Children

This is only one of the sweet little children being raised in one of the two orphanages.  Her name is Kayla. 



Here's another! Her name is Kelsee. 

You can help sponsor some of their basic needs for $150.00 a year.  

EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE MONEY TO GIVE, 
YOU CAN ROUND UP SOME
 FREEBIES!

I had a USED BALL POINT PEN DRIVE a few months back, before school started. To my complete surprise, I ended up with almost 3,000 pens. The drive continues. Maybe everyone in your family could be invited to gather up used ball point pens and bring them to your Family Christmas gathering? 

I just brought home from Canada about 100 pens left on the table after our Study Days ended. 
I also brought back a 10 pound bag of mints left in small jars  on the tables. 
The candy mints will go in my Christ candy shipment to the orphans. 

Since I travel a lot, I take my own shampoo but I come home with many of those small bottles of hotel shampoos, conditioners and body lotions. These are very useful in many places down in SVG. Recntly, I sent down a huge bag of about 75 shampoos, 75 conditioners and 75 body lotions to be shared by the orphans, the nuns and the Pastoral Centre staff. 


FREEBIES. WE LOVE FREEBIES
If you get into collecting, and get your friends and family to help collect for you, there is no telling how many "freebies" you can gather up: pens, candies, toiletries, usuable ipads, useable iphones, usable laptops, new toothbrushes and small toothpastes (the dentist always gives you some) and even small desk calendars. 
Freebies are everywhere if you keep an eye out for those who can use them. 

It costs money to send things down to the islands. I can always use money to help defray shipping costs. 
I take things to Forward Air out near the Louisville airport They are flown to Amerijet in the Miami airport and them flown on to Kingstown in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. 

I pay my own travel expenses, typically $1200.00 per trip. I give all the money I make from priest retreats in Canada and the US to my work in the the Caribbean Missions. If you want to sponsor one of my trips, I will have more to give the missions. 

Some of the orphans enjoying some of the snacks I sent down in September - in this case oatmeal pies. I buy a lot of snacks by the case at the local DOLLAR TREE. Besides cookies, crackers and candy, a big hit are cases of tuna fish and Vienna Sausages.

a case of OREO cookies - $24.00
a case of crackers - $12.00
a case of tuna - $24.00
a case of Vienna sausages - $24.00 
a case of grape jelly - $12.00
a case of peanut butter - $12.00

*DOES NOT INCLUDE SHIPPING TO S.V.G.



SPECIAL REQUESTS FROM BISHOP COUNTY

FOR SAINT JAMES CHAPEL IN THE PASTORAL CENTRE

- a small chapel size Blessed Sacrament monstrance
- a hanging sanctuary lamp






MAKE CHECKS OUT TO:

Saint Bartholomew Church - SVG Mission Fund

SEND THEM TO ME:

Rev. Ronald Knott
1271 Parkway Gardens Court
#106
Louisville, Kentucky 40217

FOR QUESTIONS, CALL ME:

1-502-303-4571