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Following is a list of
ten ways local units can support the United Methodist
Women's mission to serve children and youth at Cunningham
Children's Home.
1. Participate
in the monthly prayer calendar program.
Each district receives a calendar for a month of
the year in which the local units are asked to pray
for the children, staff and board of Cunningham Children's
Home. Local presidents receive a copy of the prayer
calendar prior to your district's participation month.
Or you can download a prayer calendar from the Prayer
Calendar page of this site.
2. Collect Box Tops for Gerber School and CIRCLE Academy
UMW units from the entire IGRC collect thousands of General Mills Box Tops which are redeemed for cash for our two schools!
You can find more information on products and brands that are part of the Box Tops program on the Box Tops for Education Website. If you'd like to help us spread the word, click
here for a printable flyer.
3. Make a quilt for a newcomer basket.
It is a Cunningham tradition
that on his/her arrival at Cunningham, each child receives
a hand made quilt of their very own. The quilt is a
visible reminder that the women of the Illinois Great
Rivers Annual Conference are responsible for the care
and nurture of every child and youth served by Cunningham.
Quilt sizes and instructions can be found here.
4. Bring items for the "Kids'
Needs First" boxes at district meetings.
Each spring and fall, Cunningham distributes
a list of needed items to local units. Each local unit
is asked to bring one or more of these items to the
district meeting. Each of the 12 districts is given
a different item to collect. For our most recent list,
see the Wish List
page of this site.
5. Promote
the Guardian Parent Giving Program within your local
congregation.
The Guardian Parent Giving Program is a regular
giving program that raises funds to help Cunningham
bridge the gap between the reimbursement for services
from referral sources and the actual cost of caring
for a child or youth. This is a wonderful program for
involving youth groups, Sunday School classes, men's
groups and individuals in the mission work of the United
Methodist Women. For more information, click
here.
6. Encourage
your Pastor's participation in "A Day with Cunningham."
In the spring, Cunningham offers an opportunity
for confirmation classes and youth groups to visit the
campus and experience mission on a very personal level.
This is a full day visit that includes experiencing
some of the activities Cunningham youth participate
in regularly, the Cunningham Chaplain, current residents
and former residents of Cunningham are all involved
in the days activities. For more information, click
here.
7. Plan a
visit of your unit to Cunningham.
Tours of Cunningham take approximately 90 minutes.
Tours are available year-round for any size group but
must be arranged in advance by calling Stephanie Lynge,
Cunningham Church and Community Relations Specialist,
at 217/367-3728 or by contacting her via this
form.
8. Nominate
a member of your local unit to serve.
Members of local units can reach out in mission
by serving on the Cunningham Board of Directors, by
serving on special ad hoc committees of the board and
by serving as District Representative
for Cunningham. To recommend someone for this mission
service contact your district's nominations team or
the nominations committee chair of the Cunningham Board.
9. Invite
a Cunningham speaker to address your unit or congregation.
Each district has two Cunningham representatives
who are well versed in the Cunningham mission and ministry.
To arrange a visit from one of your Cunningham representatives
you may contact them directly. If you are interested
in having a staff person from Cunningham come to share
with your unit or to provide pulpit replacement on a
Sunday morning, that may be arranged by calling Stephanie
Lynge, Cunningham Church and Community Relations Specialist,
at 217/367-3728 or by contacting her via this
form.
10. Financially
support the Cunningham mission.
Each unit is encouraged to support Cunningham
through the channels of the United Methodist Women.
The local treasurer sends a gift for Cunningham to the
district treasurer clearly identified as a national
supplementary gift for Cunningham Children's Home. Treasurers
should indicate how the gift is to be used. The categories
to stipulate are:
1) Annual operating support:
This includes the daily expenses of the children,
birthday gifts, Christmas, school supplies, camps,
etc. and the Guardian Parent Giving Program.
2) District
Project: Each year, each district selects
a major project from a list of suggested needs.
These projects are usually capital improvements
or new building projects such as the cabin at Lake
Mattoon or the Boys' Group Home. District presidents
will notify local units once a project has been
selected.
3) Chapel Fund:
A Chapel on the grounds of Cunningham Children's
Home will serve as the heart of our community of
faith. It will be a sacred place for joy and worship
where we can hold weekly prayer services, Sunday
worship, and spiritual guidance counseling for our
children. It will be a place where our children
and youth can go to find the strength and peace
they need to continue the hard work of healing from
past hurts and find hope for the future. For more
information about the chapel, click
here.
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