Arkansas Catholic’s Lenten project returned far better results than any financial planner could ever hope for.
Arkansas Catholic established its first Pay It Forward Campaign on Ash Wednesday. Three groups were given $100 and challenged to grow their investment during Lent.
As of Easter, the groups reported getting $6,773.69 in donated items and money.
Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in North Little Rock (Marche) is using its funds to support a mission in Peru. The Ladies of Charity chose to give their money to various local projects they already are associated with, including an urban garden in North Little Rock and cookies for the homeless. St. John School in Hot Springs is giving its money to a sister school in Haiti.
Ladies of Charity of Arkansas, Little Rock
Through donated items and funds raised, the Ladies of Charity of Arkansas turned its $100 grant into $2,908.79, according to Sandy DeCoursey, executive vice president.
DeCoursey said the Pay It Forward project helped its members make Lent more meaningful this year.
“The project helped each member and indeed our entire group focus on the LCArk mission of serving others,” she said. “Throughout Lent, it has been amazing to see all the fruitful seeds sown.”
Among the projects that the women chose were:
Layettes: Money and knitted and handmade items were donated to the Layette and Quilt Project. More than 40 baskets have been distributed.
Art camp: Six foster, immigrant and homeless children will receive a full sponsorship to attend the Ladies of Charity annual art camp.
Urban garden: A garden at St. Joseph Home in North Little Rock was started to benefit the elderly.
“Through the generosity of many, we now have a garden planted with winter vegetables using a donated tiller, hand tools and seeds,” DeCoursey said. “A fruit tree and flower beds have also been planted.”
Cookies: More than 300 homemade cookies were delivered each month to Stewpot in downtown Little Rock. The bag of cookies also contains an inspirational Scripture or quote along with a prayer.
“God has truly blessed this project with gifts of resourcefulness,’” she said.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, North Little Rock (Marche)
Elizabeth Thomas coordinated the Dollar Challenge at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. Participants were given $1 and challenged to “see it grow by giving up food items or fun-type gadgets or events and put the price of that with our dollar over the course of Lent.”
Over the Easter weekend, the final total was tallied and the parish collected $2,488.25 and will send it to a Columbian mission in Peru.
“It truly was an enriching experience as we tried to relate what it was like to live in poverty, even in a small way,” Thomas said.
Parishioner Paul Strack and his wife Lisa typically visit Starbucks at least once a week and sometimes on the weekends they would take their children. During Lent the Strack family gave up their gourmet coffee.
“During the six weeks of Lent, we estimated that we ’saved’ $15- $20 per week by not going to Starbucks,” Paul Strack said. “On Easter Sunday, we were pleased to turn in an envelope with $121 to the church as a result of the Pay it Forward program. I was an eye-opening experience to learn how much we often spend on the things we think we need and to learn more about the things we can do without if we just put forth a little effort.”
St. John School, Hot Springs
Teacher Linda Good said her eighth-graders collected $1,376.65 by baking cupcakes and making trail mix and selling them at school on Mission Mondays and by selling the treats at weekend Masses at St. Mary and St. John churches in Hot Springs and Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Hot Springs Village.
“Selling at just 25 cents apiece, that’s a lot of cupcakes,” Good said. “It was a wonderful experience for my eighth graders and I was so proud of their dedication and devotion to this project.”
The students also expanded their bake sale idea to include making and painting their own religious items.
The entire amount will be forwarded to Father Banive Peralte, pastor of St. Andrew Church in Colladere, Haiti. The parish recently adopted St. Andrew Church and School.