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News & Announcements

Spring 2021 Envision Fund Awards

May 2, 2021

By Michelle White, Envision Board Member

Each year, the Envision Board awards grants to serve as seed money for projects that will enrich the ministry and life of the church. These projects serve a wide variety of people, from within the congregation here at CPC to the local, national, and international communities. We evaluate proposals for funding in the categories of Ministry Development, Service in Community, Social Justice Advocacy, and Capital Improvement.

The Envision Board is grateful to God for the life and witness of Robert Riley, whose generous bequest to CPC was used to establish the Envision Fund, as well as the support of Session (especially the Finance Committee), the congregation, and our church office staff who make these awards possible.

This year we had $164,555 available to distribute, and received four applications requesting a total of $127,995. At this time, the Envision Board under the approval of Session are pleased to be able to award funding to three projects for a total of $102,995, described inside.

ASYLEE WOMEN ENTERPRISE (AWE), Volunteer Coordinator

(Service in Community; Local Project, $30,000, full funding)

The project will fund a temporary Volunteer Coordinator to coordinate emergency COVID response activities including the food pantry and diaper bank. The AWE relies predominantly on volunteers to work with asylee families and individuals to connect to services while pending asylum status. Demand has grown tremendously, serving 250 adults and children in 2016 to over 2,200 persons in the food pantry (alone) in 2020. As referrals are multiplying, they are providing additional intensive case management for families, and the day program is virtual. Increase of services and decrease of volunteers due to COVID indicates a need for a temporary paid position to coordinate and build the volunteer base to meet the existing need. This project was submitted by Tiffany Nelms of Asylee Women Enterprise (www.asyleewomen.org), and sponsored by the Mission Committee members, Lee Van Koten, and Susan Krehbiel.

IMA WORLD HEALTH, Life-saving Equipment for COVID-19 Patients at Ilam Hospital

(Service in Community; International Project; $59,595, full funding)

IMA World Health (IMA) will provide support to Ilam Hospital located in Ilam, Nepal to improve their capacity to treat COVID-19 patients. Ilam Hospital does not have an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with ventilators and other necessary medical equipment to treat patients experiencing the most severe symptoms of COVID-19. Due to the isolated location of the hospital, it’s very difficult and costly for those living in these communities to seek medical services at other facilities. The project will purchase life-saving medical equipment; one of: Ventilator, ABG machine, External Defibrillator with Monitor (AED) Function, Sub-acute Patient Monitor, ECG Machine, Suction Machine, and Infusion Pump. The project was submitted by Jennifer Bentzel of IMA World Health (imaworldhealth.org), and sponsored by the Mission Committee members, Susan Krehbiel and Glenda Johnson (a liaison with IMA).

BRIDGES TO HOUSING STABILITY, INC. Transitional Housing for Survivors of Human Trafficking

(Service in Community; Local Project; $13,400, full funding)

In partnership with HopeWorks of Howard County, Bridges to Housing Stability will open a transitional home for human trafficking survivors within the next year. Bridges will purchase the home, provide property management services, and offer the Circle of Support to the home’s residents. This project will provide housing for one year for persons leaving emergency shelter at HopeWorks. HopeWorks will provide a full-time Case Manager who specializes in services to trafficking survivors. The Envision Fund will help establish the program in its initial phase to cover: repair costs (move in and move out), furnishings, costs of initial vacancy. This project was submitted by Dana Sohr of Bridges to Housing Stability (bridges2hs.org), and sponsored by the Mission Committee Member, Vickie Lord.

The Envision Board is truly excited to see God working through so many wonderful projects, and thanks all those who submitted proposals for their time and effort.