The Arc of Appalachia Nature Preserve has launched an emergency fund-raising campaign to prevent Fern Gully from falling to development.

Fern Gully is a tributary of Clear Creek. Located in the Hocking Hills region of Ohio, it touches the 5300 acre Clear Creek Metro Park, Ohio's largest dedicated state nature preserve and Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks' second largest park. 

Fern Gully's beautiful hemlock-shrouded ravine is filled with unfurling ferns, both on the valley floor and crowning its rocks. There are 43 species of ferns, abundant wildflowers and majestic rock formations. There are over 100 species of breeding birds, including Ohio rarities such as the blue-headed vireo, blue-grey gnatcatcher, hermit thrush, magnolia warbler and occasionally even the Canada warbler.

For our May community gift, In Spirit made a generous donation toward this emergency conservation effort. 

For more information, go to:  info@arcofappalachia.org  

From donations at the April 7th Chant, In Spirit made a donation  to the Arc of Appalachia Nature Preserve System in support of their work acquiring and stewarding wildlands in Ohio.  

Since its inception in 1995, the Arc has been able to purchase and steward over 5000 acres.  They currently oversee 14 preserve regions (including Serpent Mound, Fort Hill, and Highlands Nature Sanctuary), maintain three visitor centers, and teach nature literacy and stewardship ethics. For more information about the Arc, go to:  arcofappalachia.org  

Local resident and good friend Marian Jacques is off on her sixth tour of volunteer service with TAFCOM, a non-profit working in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania, an area hard-hit by HIV/Aids.  Marian works closely while she's there to support the needs of women and children, particularly in TAFCOM's Children's Center and Women's Tailoring Group.

Your generous donation at the First Saturday Chant on March 3rd will help some of the most vulnerable children in Tanzania through TAFCOM. We appreciate your support in this effort. For more information or to donate directly, go to:  http://www.tafcomtz.com/ 

Our January gift went to the important work of the Community Shelter Board to end homelessness in Columbus. The CSB serves 8,000 people a year, providing emergency shelter, housing, counseling, and other support services. Partnering with  other local agencies, the CSB has become a national model for how to address homelessness. We're pleased to support this important work. For more information, see:  https://www.csb.org/

In Spirit Ministries makes a generous community gift out of each month's donations. Our September gift went to the Community Shelter Board in support of its mission to end homelessness in Columbus.  

The CSB serves over 8,000 people a year, providing emergency shelter, housing, couselling, and other support services. Partnering with many other local agencies, the CSB has become a national model for how to address homelessness. We're pleased to be able to support their important work.    

For more information, go to:  www.csb.org 

In Spirit's August community tithe went to the Clintonville Beechwold Resource Center to support their important work in our community.

For more information about the many  supportive activities of  CRC, go to: ClintonvilleCRC.org 

Our July charitable gift went to support a service project (SEVA) in India sponsored by our guest musician, Karl Anthony, which provides funds for two schools and one orphanage. Every year, Karl and a group of volunteers from the US, visit schools and orphanages in India, making music, bringing smiles, and providing much needed financial support.  For more information about this worthy project and the many children it is helping, go to KarlAnthonyMusic.com.  

In Spirit's May community tithe went to the Clintonville Beechwold Resource Center, to help keep their community Food Pantry stocked for the summer months and support their important work in our community.

For more information about the many  supportive activities of  CRC, go to: ClintonvilleCRC.org 

n Spirit's April community tithe went to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. Our special guest this month, Bill Cohen, has held numerous fund-raisers for this organization doing such important work in our community. In Spirit is grateful to participate. to: http://www.midohiofoodbank.org

Our February community tithe went to Faith Mission, to support its ongoing mission of providing shelter and food for homeless residents of Columbus. For information about the many services Faith Mission provides, go to: faithmissionofohio.org.  

In Spirit's January 2017 community tithe went to the Clintonville-Beechwold Resource Center, to help their efforts to support our neighbors in need. For more information about the valuable work they're doing in our community, go to:  Clintonvillecrc.org. 

In Spirit Ministries' December tithe went to the Community Shelter Board in support of its mission to end homelessness in Columbus.  

The CSB serves 8.000 people a year, providing emergency shelter, housing, counseling, and other support services. Partnering with  other local agencies, the CSB has become a national model for how to address homelessness. We're pleased to support this important work.

In Spirit gives a generous community gift out of each month's donations. November's gift went to Faith Mission to provide Thanksgiving meals for the hungry and homeless. They can provide a complete hot meal for $2.25. We aim to cover the cost of at least 100 meals. We hope you'll help us by giving generously at the First Saturday Chant on November 5th. For more information about how Faith Mission is helping the homeless of central Ohio, go to: Faith Mission of Ohio. 

Operation Smile is an organization that provides free surgeries to children born with cleft lips and cleft palates.  

A child's cleft lip or palate can be repaired for as little as $240 and in as few as 45 minutes, but billions of people around the world lack access to surgical care  Since 1982, Operation Smile has provided hundreds of thousands of free surgeries for children from more than 60 countries. Currently they are conducting medical missions in Pueblo, Mexico and Sogamoso, Colombia. 

For more information about Operation Smile and the thousands of facial surgeries they perform on children each year, go to:  OperationSmile.org

People in Need's annual School Shoe Program provides children with a new pair of shoes to begin the school year. The program is available to children of Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) families who reside in Delaware County and attend Delaware county schools.  It has been going on since 1999.

The program is successful in part because of a partnership with the Payless Shoe Corporation.  Gift cards are provided by Payless at a 10% discount. Parents are given a $25.00 Payless gift card to purchase a pair of shoes for their child to begin the  year.

Last year, 700 pairs of shoes were provided to schoolchildren of Delaware County through this People in Need program. We are delighted to support their good work with our monthly community tithe.

For more information about People in Need's school shoe program and other initiatives, go to: delawarepeopleinneed.org. 

From donations at the Solstice Chant on June 20th, In Spirit will make a generous gift to the Arc of Appalachia Nature Preserve System in support of their work acquiring and stewarding wildlands in Ohio.  

Since its inception in 1995, the Arc has raised over 10 million dollars. They currently steward 14 preserve regions (including sites like Serpent Mound, Fort Hill, and Highlands Nature Sanctuary), maintain three visitor centers, and teach nature literacy and stewardship ethics. For more information about the Arc, go to:  arcofappalachia.org  

This month In Spirit's community tithe will go to the Khmer Child Foundation, a non-profit founded by minister/musician David Ault. The mission of this org is "to provide non government regulated education to the orphaned and disenfranchised children of Cambodia as well as to establish sustainable solutions for high-quality living."

Currently they serve 385 children annually, and they have constructed 212 water wells. 

Donations help fund salaries for an administrator and eight rotating teachers, offering hands-on classroom instruction in three different daily shifts. The current curriculum consists of Mathematics, English, Computer and Sewing Training as well as a blossoming fine-arts program, providing instruction in music and traditional Khmer dancing.  

For more information about the life-changing work of the Khmer Child Foundation, visit their Facebook page or their website: Khmer Child Foundation  

This month In Spirit's community tithe will go to Mercy Ships. 

Mercy Ships is the world's largest civilian hospital ship providing first-rate care to those in desperate need in the poorest parts of Africa -- free of charge. We're grateful to be able to contribute to their efforts.  For more information about the important healing work of Mercy Ships, go to:  MercyShips.org 

In Spirit's community gift for March will go to Children's Hunger Alliance, which works throughout Ohio to provide children with access to nutritious food.

In Spirit's community gift for February will go to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio to support their mission of mentoring, inspiring, and empowering kids.

By partnering with parents and caregivers, schools, businesses, community organizations, and volunteers, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio helps kids facing adversity in our community achieve success. Since 1933, they have made a difference in the lives of over 100,000 kids.  

For more information about their important work in our community, go to:  www.bbbscolumbus.org  

It's the start of a new year, and the beginning of our coldest months. So it's the perfect time to support the efforts of Faith Mission, which provides shelter and food for the homeless of Columbus. Faith Mission is the only organization in Franklin County that provides three meals a day, every day of the year, to the homeless and hungry. In Spirit is happy to support the efforts of this worthy organization with our community tithe funds for the month of January.

For information about the many services Faith Mission provides Columbus residents in need, go to: faithmissionofohio.org.

In Spirit Ministries makes a generous community gift out of each month's donations. This month that gift goes to the Community Shelter Board in support of its mission to end homelessness in Columbus. 

The CSB serves 8.000 people a year, providing emergency shelter, housing, couseling, and other support services. Partnering with many other local agencies, the CSB has become a national model for how to address homelessness. We're pleased to be able to support this important work.   

In Spirit gives a generous community gift out of each month's donations. This month's gift will go to Faith Mission to provide Thanksgiving meals for the hungry and homeless. They can provide a complete hot meal for $2.25. We aim to cover the cost of at least 100 meals. We hope you'll help us by giving generously at the First Saturday Chant on November 7th. For more information about how Faith Mission is helping the homeless of central Ohio, go to: Faith Mission of Ohio. 

This month In Spirit's community tithe will go to South High Harmony, an after-school music and arts program fostering creativity and responsibility among 7th-12th graders at South High School in Columbus. An outreach initiative of the Harmony Project, South High Harmony involves students in community service, and encourages them to find and share their voices in the world.   

For more information about the Harmony Project's program for teens at South High, go to:  

South High Harmony   

This month In Spirit's community tithe will go to Mercy Ships. In the poorest parts of Africa, children suffer and die from treatable causes. Mercy Ships is the world's largest civilian hospital ship providing first-rate care to those in desperate need -- free of charge. We're grateful to be able to contribute to their efforts.  

For more information about the powerful healing work of Mercy Ships, go to:  www.mercyships.org    

September's gift helped fund musical instruments for students at the A+ Children's Academy, an arts-centered charter school on the south side of Columbus. 90% of students are socio-economically challenged. Musical instruments are expensive, but add so much to a school arts program. In Spirit was honored to be able to help with this project. We received the following thank-you note from the music teacher at the school:

"I cannot express how thankful and grateful I am for your donation to fund our music program. I am so happy that there are this many people who truly appreciate music education in our public schools.

The students are eager and excited to start playing their new instruments. These instruments will enable my students to learn how to compose, improvise, work in a group, and many other worthwhile skills.

I can't wait to start teaching with these instruments and I know the students can't wait to start playing!"

With gratitude,

Mrs. U.

For more information, go to:  apluschildrensacademy.org/ 

Your donations at the Chant in December helped us give a generous gift to Franklin County Children's Services' Holiday Wish program. Holiday Wish just celebrated 50 years of helping to provide gifts at Christmas for thousands of children under its care. Last year Holiday Wish was able to provide gifts for over 5,000 children, and in the 50-year life of this organization, they have provided gifts for over 150,000 children.

We thank all those who help support In Spirit Ministries so we can give back to the community in meaningful ways.

Thanks to your donations at the November Chant, we were able to gift Faith Mission with funds to cover 100 Thanksgiving meals for the homeless folks they'll be serving later this month. Thank you for your support that is making such gifts possible!

The charitable gift from donations received at the Saturday Chant on Sept. 7th will go to Mercy Ships.  The Africa Mercy, a floating hospital ship, is now in Pointe Noire, Republic of Congo, a country where there is only one doctor for every 100,000 people. During the ship's 10-month stay, thousands of people will receive life-saving surgeries. The timing couldn't be better for us to make a generous gift to the healing work of this wonderful organization. 
For more information see:  Mercyships.org.

The Coming Home Project is a non-profit committed to improving the lives of returning veterans and their families. Through retreats, educational programs, and psychological treatment, the CHP builds a community of trust, safety, and compassion that helps alleviate the unseen injuries of war.  CHP's services help prevent the chronic, disabling  post-traumatic stress, isolation, family dysfunction, homelessness, and other related problems faced by so many veterans. 
For more details about the important work the Coming Home Project is doing, see its website:  www.cominghomeproject.net

The charitable gift from the donations received at the June 1st Chant went to the Community Resource Center, located at 14 W. Lakeview, in the Clintonville-Beechwold area. The CRC has been providing food for the hungry of Columbus for 42 years. With schools closed for the summer, your donations will help replace many of those school lunches many kids and families depend on. As a result of your generous donations of money and food items, In Spirit was able to deliver a large box of food items and a sizable cash contributiuon to the CRC.

The community gift from the donations received at the May 4 First Saturday Chant was given to South High Harmony, an after-school music and arts group started by the creative director of the Harmony Project, David Brown. Members of South High Harmony not only sing together--they also do community service  together, as in the photo above, doing a little spring clean-up along Livingston Ave.

These energetic, creative, musical high school kids are earning a trip to Washington DC with their service projects, and with your help, In Spirit will contribute to the expenses associated with this trip. Most of these kids have never traveled away from home and don't have suitcases or other travel necessities. Thanks for your generous gifts.

You can learn more about South High School and the kids involved in the South High Harmony project in the following Youtube video:  South High Harmony