educating them toward better understanding of world conditions and needs
telling their peers ad encouraging them and others in the congregation to get involved with global health needs
gathering supplies needed for global health care
raising funds for overseas projects through special activities

Youth might also plan a career in a care-giving profession with a focus toward helping the needy in the U.S.A. or in developing countries.

Publicity for your Event

Publicity is very important for your event. More people in your community, congregation, and within your youth group will become involved with good publicity. Send news releases to newspapers and radio stations, put signs near the area of activity and notices in bulletins and newsletters -- and well in advance of the activity. Use experts with the congregation to help organize publicity.

Education

Understanding the health care needs and cultures of the world is an important component to being effective workers toward making a change in those needs. Through better understanding, youth can become spokespersons on behalf of others so congregational members can know and respond as well.

Educational Resources

Resources for education are available through the public library and through international agencies (e.g., the World Health Organization of the United Nations). A list of diseases common in developing nations is available from Global Health Ministries. These diseases can be researched in libraries, or from other sources.

Interviewing a returned missionary or a medical doctor in your own community would be a good part of education. Individuals could be assigned special topics to research or individuals to interview. The information could be compiled into charts, posters and summaries. A presentation could be made to the congregation along with a write-up for the church newsletter.

This information might also be useful in preparing reports for school activities. Each community has many resources, and it would be up to the creative nature of the young people in the youth group to extract as much as possible from the community.

Telling Others

Most people in the United States are not aware of the great health care needs around the world. Most of us are greatly concerned with ourselves and our own well-being and, perhaps, the well-being of the people in our own smaller community. There is a great need to help youth and others in the congregation to see themselves as a part of the entire world, and to see the needs of others far distant from ourselves. The education process described above provides a foundation for telling others.

First-Hand Experience

Travel to visit a foreign country or to help out a disadvantaged group of people within the U.S.A. requires much planning. Traveling great distances can also be expensive. However, there is no better way to identify with the needs of the poor of the world than to spend some time walking with them. Opportunities also exist for pitching in to help paint the house of someone in need in your community. Your group may wish to organize a cross-generational group from your congregation to help someone in your own parish.

Gathering

Global Health Ministries sends surplus, but useful, medical supplies and equipment normally discarded in this country to those in need overseas. While the youth may not be able to gather supplies because it is more effectively done by health care workers, the youth can be a catalyst toward the locating and gathering, packing and shipping of supplies to Global Health Ministries or directly overseas. More information is available from Global Health Ministries regarding the locating and gathering of the selected items needed overseas.

Matching Funds

Matching funds may be available through the local Lutheran Brotherhood, AAL or other organizations. Be sure to explore the possibility of multiplying funds for projects in this way.

Activities toward Funding Projects

The activity that attracts the most attention is the gathering of medical supplies and equipment. Because it helps return to use something that was going to be discarded, it is a popular way to give. There is also a great need to help fund special health care projects (a list of current projects is available from GHM). Funds are also needed to ship the donated supplies overseas.

Listed below are activities and events than can be fun and provide a way for people to contribute their time, talents and money.

Aluminum Can Collection

Aluminum can collection is an easy, yet ongoing, way to raise continuing funds toward a special project. A gathering box can be provided at the church where all the people can be encouraged to place crushed and bagged aluminum cans. Periodically, the cans are taken to the recycling center for receipt of funds.

One congregation raises more than a hundred dollars a month on the recycling process, provides a service to the members of their congregation and encourages general recycling.

" A-thons"

"A-thons," as in "walk-a-thons," have become a popular way of raising funds. Other "a-thons" include "bowl-a-thons" or "bike-a-thons." Perhaps the youth group can think of other "a-thons," such as a "study-a-thon!"

For each of these "a-thons," commitments are received from friends and family of the participants to pay a certain fee for each step, each milestone in the progress of swimming, bowling, walking, biking, studying or whatever the activity is designed to be. One youth group had a bowl-a-thon where each pin they knocked down would be worth a certain money value. It is a great way to have a youth activity and to raise funds at the same time!

Serving Food

A variety of opportunities exist within a congregation or community to serve food and raise money through contributions or through the sale of tickets. Examples include the Sunday morning coffee hour, a special supper at a particular celebration, a special breakfast such as the Easter breakfast or a banquet celebration. Often food is contributed for these events and the "profits" are high.

A food stand at a county fair or at other celebrations is also a source for fellowship and fund-raising.

International Dinner

Find 25 or so individuals who would be willing to prepare a foreign food. An international food fair fest "Taste of Nations" would be held and admission charged. The prepared foods should be served at 25 different tables in the facility. People would move from table to table and serve themselves a meal of international cooking, sampling whichever foods they thought were of greatest interest. Appropriate decorations, handicrafts from the countries featured and games or ethnic dances and costumes could also be added.

A food fest provides a good experience in sensing international cultures, a time of fellowship for the members of the congregation and a source of funds.

Worker Auction

Yard work, house care/repair/painting and other services are often needed by members of the congregation and the community. Youth can provide those services and earn money for a special project at the same time. The offering of services may be done in a variety of ways. A chart could be posted showing the cost of mowing a lawn or raking the leaves or an auction held where people would bid for the services of the individual. The individual assigned the work to be done understands it is to be done in an agreed amount of time.

The opportunity to serve others in this way raises needed funds, provides a benefit to those receiving the service and provides a new understanding of serving for those giving the service. Providing service may also foster relationships between young and old in a congregation, either on a friendship basis or "call-back" jobs for youth.

Entertainment

Providing a drama, musical concert, carnival or athletic event such as a golf tournament can be a source of entertainment for the participants as well as a source of funds. A drama or musical concert can be presented by the members of the youth group or by an outside group where admission is charged or a free-will offering taken.

Sales

Bake sales, craft sales and garage sales are often popular where people can contribute items to what is being sold and buy what is available.

Car Wash

A car wash at the local congregation or at a cooperating service station provides a fun, recreational experience for the members of the youth group.

Commodity Sales

Commodities such as candy bars, pizzas, decorator items, popcorn and other things can be purchased through a service company or wholesale supply house and sold to members of the congregation and others for a price higher than the price paid for the product.