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Get Involved!
There are many Cursillistas that get involved in various community ministries. Some of these are listed below.
Community Outreach eventsThere are many outreach events such as Clothing drives (see below for a great example!)Volunteer at a soup kitchen
Hold a fund raiser for a good causeSpaghetti dinners
Bowling Tournaments
Bike Rides
Runs
Volunteer Opportunities:
St. Martin CenterSt. Martin Center needs volunteers. St. Martin Center, Inc., a Catholic Charities organization, is seeking volunteers for a variety of positions. Our Food Pantry needs help in packaging and distributing food.
Also, we need volunteers in our various fundraising committees. This would involve meeting attendance as well as event participation and other duties. Meetings are monthly.
Contact David González, Chief Executive Officer at dgonzalez@stmartincenter.org for more information -
Community Outreach Group
The Community Outreach Group is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, caring group of stewards dedicated to being of service to our less fortunate neighbors in our community. We seek nothing for ourselves, only to provide for the needs of our brothers and sisters as best we can. We seek to share coats, clothing, a hot lunch, and a contagious smile.
Our volunteers collect clothing throughout the year and on the first Saturday in December we host a Clothing Distribution Party to give it all away. Toys have also been available for distribution by Santa and/or some of his special helpers. We are supported through donations and generous businesses. We make use of everything we receive. All leftover clothing and food goes to charities who serve the less fortunate.
The Community Outreach Group (COG) began as a small effort in Ripley, New York, in which our founders worked with their neighbors, the local Kiwanis Club, and the New York State Trooper’s Toys for Tots to gather coats, clothes, and toys which were distributed in the local school gym to 30-40 individuals per year. Cookies and Welch’s drinks were provided as were (pre-arranged) gifts from Santa.
The Clothing Distribution Party as we know it today was started by a group of men who had participated together in a Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie Cursillo retreat program in April 1998. The gentleman who along with his wife began the efforts in Ripley, NY, was among the men who made that Cursillo together. After he shared about the efforts in Ripley, the other gents were inspired to recreate the same event in the Erie area. The scripture passage “Matthew 25:40” best sums up our motivation to answer the call of Jesus to assist those in need: “…truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” Please like us on Facebook: “Community Outreach Group of Erie, PA”
Participate in this rewarding ministry by contacting
Tim Nowakowski | TimWWJD@AOL.com | 814.566.6435