Summer has barely begun, and we are already in awe of our volunteers and staff! We believe that success starts when leadership leads, and that’s exactly what Courtney and Emily Simmons, board members for ACE, did to get our season going. The Simmons brought their own family as well as long-time ACE friends from Sugar Hill Church who have invested their time and muscle over the years to be the first team of the summer. Despite busy schedules, they made ACE a priority and, boy, did they get things done!
For starters, do you remember single mom LaToya from last month’s newsletter, our very own “Jamaican Cowgirl” who was learning to train horses to round up cattle? We mentioned that she and her children received a home a few years ago through our sponsorship program. Well, they’ve moved – their house moved – literally!
During the first week of June, the team and our staff helped LaToya dismantle her home piece by piece to store at Green Life Llanrumney Farms until our July volunteers are able to build it back for her on the Green Life Village property. It’s an unconventional way to move from one location to another, but it works! LaToya and her children will stay for free at the farmhouse on the property in the meantime until her home is rebuilt. It will be the first home placed at the village this summer, and ACE plans to build her an indoor bathroom in the new location.
The team also cleaned out our water tanks and got our farm one step closer to being made whole for future employment of local farmers. Not to be outdone, in week two, we had a small but mighty team that cleared out our 16’ cistern and worked hard on the farm. After several weeks of no volunteers, it was a joy to see so many accomplishments in a row!
Thank you all for getting things off to a great start, for giving up vacations and taking time to serve. We can’t wait for the rest of our teams to keep the ball rolling!
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TRIP COST
There is an old proverb, “If you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime.” History proves that lasting change in a poverty culture is achieved by empowering the people to reach their full potential and become self-sustaining. ACE is invested in our community long-term and in conjunction with our partners in the US, we are identifying the circumstances of those around us in order to find real solutions for their unique needs.