Q4 2024 Funds go to Saint Francis Manchester!

River City Givers met on Tuesday, Oct 15th at the Wyndham Swim and Racquet Club with 22 members in attendance and 1 guest.
Three members enlightened us with the history & mission of the following 3 local charities.

1. Sheila Callear & Diane Schriewer again shared information  about  St. Francis Manchester, an assisted living facility located on the south side whose mission is to  provide an affordable, loving home and quality-assisted living care for older adults with limited financial means.  This facility is one of only a few Virginia communities who welcomes seniors unable to fully pay for their care.  On average there is an approximate $2000 per month, per resident gap between what residents are able to pay and the cost of operating this facility.  The board has to be very creative to bridge that gap. 
St. Francis has been the answer for affordable assisted living care for the past 50 years and continue to make that happen through all their efforts
Learn more about  St. Francis Manchester at  https://saintfrancisrva.org/
 
2. Janice Louge presented information about Destination Church at Southpark Mall Outreach. 
The Hopewell church is hoping to help rejuvinate a Colonial Heights shopping mall with its new coffee shop. 
Legacy Coffee and Cream got its start 14 years ago in the very mall its new venture calls home. 
The hope is to revive the South Park Mall location and make it the center for all of the Tri-Cities. 
The church wants the shop to be a place for the community to gather & plan to hold special events in early 2025 to bring multicultural groups together. It would earmark a possible donation for that effort.  
Read more about Destination Church at their website. 

3. Emily DeLucca provided insight to a new organization L.A.U.N.C.H. for Life.
It is a FREE 12-month Mentorship Program for young men ages 12-16.  This non-profit was created to enrich the lives of young men in need of a positive mail role model.
Mentees and Mentors are paired together for 12 months, throughout the entirety of the program, during which the participants are exposed to a wide range of leadership & ambassador opportunities to aid with personal & developmental growth. 
There are 25 participants in the program each year & LAUNCH works closely with mothers and guardians to provide necessary resources to make life just a little bit easier. 
One highlight of the program is the annual Thanksgiving celebration where these young men join together with their families, mentors & the mentors' families. 
Another big event is the 3 day camp held annually and is one of the larger expenses.
All mentors are volunteers from the community.  
Find out more at the Launch for Life Website
 

As the votes were tallied, Anna Ibrahim from Shalom Farms shared with us a deeper understanding of the importance of their 2 farms.   Through Mobile Markets & other distribution efforts, Shalom Farms have provided 200,000 pounds of produced!
The funds provided by River City Givers allowed Shalom Farms to purchase cold storage units, desperately needed to support the growing needs of our community. 

Balloting  Results:
Congratulations goes to Saint Francis Manchester! River City Givers is proud to help support the great work happening at their non-profit Assisting Living Community. 

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