Mina Hampton, former member of the Board, contributed the following report about the women of St. Philip's:
In September our new Assistant to the Rector Arianne Weeks spoke to us about herself and her new responsibilities, two of which are the youth program and the nursery.
Our October meeting was very interesting because we had as speakers two of our own members who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Each told her story about life prior to the storm and how she came to live in Durham. They spoke about their physical health and emotional turmoil.
In November Lisa Towle, our Diocesan ECW President, gave a presentation about her recent trip to Botswana. She gave an informative history of the country, which has the second highest per-capita AIDS rate in the world. While there, she interacted with members of the Mothers Union which was formed to support and promote marriage. Lisa stressed that the primary way we can help address these problems is to support the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Eight St. Philips ECW members attended the Annual meeting in Winston Salem and these ladies reported on the meeting at our December gathering. Then we enjoyed a Christmas Luncheon.
Melinda Wiggins, Executive Director of Students Action with Farm Workers was our speaker in February. She noted that the Episcopal Farm Workers Ministry in Newton Grove was a recipient of a UTO grant. She described the main goals of the organization, which are (1) to educate communities and (2) to encourage young people to finish high school through group work with farm workers or their children.
Melissa Radcliff, Executive Director of Our Children's Place, told us about this interesting program, which is a residential initiative allowing young children (babies and preschoolers) to live with their mothers while the mothers are serving out their sentences for non-violent crimes.
Our March meeting was cancelled due to snow, but we hope to have Meg McCann speak to us about her six month stay in Haiti. Our next meeting will feature a member of the Durham Police Department who spoke about the Crisis Intervention Teams and what it does.
We are planning a Hymn sing in May.
St. Philips ECW offers opportunities for women to participate and contribute to our Outside and Inside Activities. We contributed to St. Philips’ Way Ahead Fund, Epiphany offering, Episcopal Relief and Development, Durham Literacy Center, Partners for Youth, and Threshold Discretionary Funds. We had a baby shower for Navajo babies and collected over fifty items for them. We support United Thank Offering, Church Periodical Club and Medical Supplies for Honduras.
Funds for our projects comes from our Pansy Sale, Fall Soup and Sandwich Luncheon, Bake Sale and sale of cutlery. This spring we will also have a Plant Sale and a Spring Salad Luncheon.
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Thanks, Mina for a wonderful "visit" with the women of St. Philip's, Durham.