Submitted by Howard Jackson (newsletter 2-20-09)

Your sponsored Charis Community Aktion Club has been quite busy the last few months providing service to our community and getting ready for more fun times and service ahead.

The Aktion Club Christmas project this year followed a tradition of the past five years and returned to the Craycroft Children’s Center located on the grounds of the Poverello House. The center houses up to 35 children who are homeless for various reasons, some because their parents have abandoned them and others because they have been removed from their home for neglect, Child Protective Service issues, parents addiction problems, or their parents are in jail. It is always a moving experience to visit and bring a little joy to the children of Craycroft at Christmas. Aktion Club members donated 30 pairs of tennis shoes, brought games to play, and Christmas cookies to decorate this year.

The Aktion Club also donated $100 to the Cal-Nev-Ha First Lady for the District’s Pediatric Trauma Prevention Program. They attended the Governor’s visit in January at the Chukchansi Casino.

A couple of weeks ago, Aktion Club members spent Saturday morning loading about 200 wheelchairs onto a Fed Ex truck. The used wheelchairs will be delivered to a local prison for refurbishing. When fully reconditioned, they will be shipped by an organization overseas to countries in need of wheelchairs. At a recent meeting, the members learned from a speaker from Joni & Friends that there are many folks around the world who are disabled adults who have never experienced the use of a wheelchair. They viewed a film showing people getting wheelchairs for the first time in their lives and the absolute tearful joy in not having to crawl anymore to get around. 
    

Come join the joy of Aktion and attend a meeting of one of our two sponsored Aktion Clubs. See Howard or Bud for details.