Co-Founders of the social enterprise startup Handtoheart, an online border-less market allowing refugee women free access to sell their handicrafts to an international audience, paid a visit to the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation May 5. HandtoHeart gives refugee women the ability to work from their homes or community centers in Istanbul. The non-profit organization was the recipient of Istanbul’s first Borderless Hackathon prize, an award sponsored by the U.S. Consulate and Kolektif House. They were in Fort Wayne to learn more from area non-profits who help refugees.

HandtoHeart was invited to the United States under the auspices of the Department of State’s International Visit Program. The group ranged from age 19-29, and are from all over the world. They are united by their humanitarian effort to help Syrian refugees in Turkey

St. Joseph Community Health Foundation in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, is a ministry sponsored by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ. 

When I asked my brother-in-law for some old jeans to use for a project, my sister quickly put together a bagful that I brought back to Donaldson from a weekend visit with my family. Collection bins were placed near the serving line of our dining room for people to contribute their old, clean jeans.

Maria Center residents, Sisters, co-workers, friends from the area who had read about the event in the local newspapers, joined on March 30, 2016 and worked for two hours cutting apart the jeans and then cutting parts traced on the denim that would be assembled as shoe parts for children in Uganda.

Those who gathered watched a video from the Sole Hope organization that explained how people in Uganda usually wear flip-flops, but there are no flip-flops small enough for the very young and growing children.  As a result, children often get jiggers in the soles of their feet that cause infection and health-related problems.

Using cut up tires, the actual sole is made of a piece of rubber and the denim parts are sewed to that piece of rubber as the upper part of the shoe and the heal.  The shoes are assembled by local people in Uganda and given to the children.

This project made all of us aware of how we can help people we have never met by just giving a few hours of our time to work together on a project that helps people to be healthy.  Some of the women attending from local churches were going to take the project back to their churches. 

Another afternoon will be scheduled so that people continue this project here at The Center at Donaldson.

An Earth Day celebration and award presentation will be held at The Center at Donaldson, 9601 Union Road, on April 22, 2016 from 3-5 p.m. EDT.  All are invited.

Multiple activities are planned for the day in honor of Earth Day.

Bring your plastic bags and stuff Baggin' the Dragon - the Earth friendly dragon. One reusable cloth bag per family will be exchanged for your plastic bags.

Learn about worm composting and enter to win a yard sized compost bin! Also enter to win a rain-barrel, so you, too, can conserve water.

To help protect your identity and eliminate some waste from going into the landfills, a shredding event will be available. Bring your personal documents, clean out your files, and get ready for spring.

Also part of this celebration is the presentation of the Bicentennial Green Legacy Award to The Center at Donaldson in recognition of its important contribution to Indiana’s Bicentennial Green Legacy for leading the way to a safer and more sustainable future.  The award, presented by Sustainable Indiana 2016, will be held on the front lawn at The Center at Donaldson at 4 p.m. EDT. 

The Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ and their ministries’ belief that all life on the planet is sacred and deserves respect and protection is confirmed by their endorsement of the Earth Charter. The Earth Charter is an ethical framework for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. (earthcharter.org/)

Some of the practices adopted by The Center at Donaldson that live into this belief and which made The Center eligible for the award, include: installation of rain gardens, green houses, geo-thermal heating and cooling, and use of hybrid cars, earth-friendly cleaning solutions and recycling.  The Poor Handmaids also have put land into three classified forests, protecting the land from further development.

The strong belief in recycling has led the Poor Handmaids to hire a full-time recycling person. A recycling demonstration will be offered during the celebration.  A new Land Manager position is also currently being filled.

During the event, visit Earthworks, an environmental education center, and meet Luigi, Donté, and Sweet Annie, Earthworks’ resident goats. Tour the greenhouses where food is grown to feed the residents, co-workers and visitors at The Center.

Take a tour of MoonTree Studios, which has achieved LEED-Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.  The 10kW wind turbine located on the property generates power from prevailing winds for use in meeting MoonTree’s electrical load and demonstrates MoonTree’s energy consciousness.

Come celebrate the Earth with the Poor Handmaids on April 22.  Learn ways you can help protect the natural communities, visit the PHJC ministries, and enjoy the beautiful grounds at The Center.