Brandon Price, Find-A-Friend Community Liaison at Fayetteville Urban Ministry, echoed Maya Angelou's sentiment (inset) as he described the community assistance Fayetteville Urban Ministry provides during the holiday season.
Fayetteville Urban Ministry manages four community development programs: Emergency Assistance, the Nehemiah Project, Find-A-Friend and Adult Literacy. The emergency assistance program, which offers food and clothing for families in need, and the Nehemiah Project, a volunteer program to provide emergency home repair for elderly and low-income homeowners, are particularly essential during the winter months.
As a non-profit organization, Fayetteville Urban Ministry supports these programs through volunteer contributions, private donations and fundraising events. According to Price, 2012 has been one of the toughest years in the history of Fayetteville Urban Ministry. “Part of how we keep our doors open,” said Price, “is through our individual donors and the Honor Card.”
The Honor Card, in which Fayetteville Urban Ministry has participated for the past several years, is one of the Ministry’s largest fundraisers. During this season of giving, households across the region, nation and world will exchange countless holiday cards with family and friends. The Honor Card is a holiday card with giving in its grain.
The outside of each Honor Card portrays a winter scene designed by North Carolina artist, William Mangum. The 2012 Honor Card design, titled “The Climb,” depicts a traveler, bundled against the bitter cold, climbing a hill toward a small chapel.
This year’s Honor Card theme focuses on veterans burdened with the unexpected challenge of reintegrating into an economy unable to support their transition to civilian life. “The Climb” speaks to the uphill battle that many face everyday and offers the reassurance of hope and strength.
Honor Cards are available at the Fayetteville Urban Ministry Office, located at 701 Whitfield St., and the Marquis Market, 116 Person St., in downtown Fayetteville for a minimum donation of $5. They are also available online at www.fayurbmin.org, or over the phone by calling 910.483.5944.
Donations for Honor Card purchases will support Fayetteville Urban Ministry and provide for families in need through the emergency assistance program and the Nehemiah Project. The Honor Card is an opportunity to bring hope to those for whom the holidays are merely another season of hardship. “A donation to Fayetteville Urban Ministry,” said Price, “is really a donation to Fayetteville. Whether it’s $1, $100 or $1,000, every brick matters when you’re building a community.”
Another way to give back during this holiday season is to adopt a child in the Find-A-Friend program. Fayetteville Urban Ministry can provide sizes and wish lists for children in the program or, with a general donation, a member of the Find-A-Friend program will take the child shopping for must-have items such as clothing and personal hygiene supplies. Price explained, “For some children, even getting a new pair of socks that didn’t already belong to their brother or sister or father or mother — something just for them — is the best present ever.”
For more information, to make a general donation or to purchase an Honor Card online visit www.fayurbmin.org, or call 910.483.5944.
