Social Responsibility Council

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Welcome to Social Action

The Council recognizes four basic facets of social action:

Education/Awareness
Service
Action
Dialogue/Reflection

First Parish has always held social action to be one of its most important values. In a recent survey of activity, parishioners reported involvement in nearly sixty organizations, local, regional, and global. Social action programming is coordinated by the Social Responsibility Council which was funded by a vote of the semiannual Parish Meeting held in October, 2001; monies flow to the Council through First Parish’s endowment. The goal of the Council is to act on behalf of the parish to coordinate and fund projects that express Unitarian Universalist values within our community. A by-law establishing the Council was voted at the 2002 Annual Meeting of the parish, and seven members were elected to serve terms ranging from one to three years.

An important initiative of First Parish's Social Responsibility Council

is a program of grant-making and donations to agencies and organizations that represent our core values.

Grants Awarded For 2011-2012 Program Year
Bedford Community Table - up to $895 This money goes to church participating in providing our share of a dinner for people in Bedford every Thursday. We usually serve five times a year, this year they may be a surplus due to a reduced number of serving days. AIDs Quilt - $200 We hang parts of the AIDs Quilt in our sanctuary every year to remind people of the human suffering from this disease. This grant provides shipping to the traveling quilt's next destination. See page 4 at the above link Milk for Lowell Transitional Living Center - $150 The church serves dinner in Lowell once a month and provides the milk served on those evenings Lowell Iraqi Families Team (LIFT) - $1,750 LIFT provides support and friendship to Iraqi refugees in Lowell. As part of that process, they buy winter footwear for Iraqi families who are coming from a place that is never cold. This program also enables families to receive mattress encasement and other inexpensive rememdies to an ongoing bed bug infestation. Also provided are needed bicycle locks. . Bedford Transistional Families - $500 This grant provided some funds along with other donars to buy and install a commercial washer and dryer for families housed at Bedford Plazza. Occupy Boston Supplies - $500 This grant provided ten much needed sleeping bags.. Youth Service Opportunities Project - $750 This assisted chaperone expenses on the YSOP trip.to NYC. See page 6 of the Parishioner link provided in the title above. UUSC Just Works Project Expenses - $2000 This grant provided partial expenses for Revenend Megan Lynes and Ali Hon-Aderson to spend a week on this Haitian UUSC project. Bedford High School Tenacity Project - $500 The SRC provided scholarship funds to a Lowell student who qualified by being part of a winning team. The program encourages minority students to improve upon their academic performance. Woodie Guthrie Concert - $1000 The SRC provided this support for the concert whose proceeds went to the Huntington's Disease Society of America and to the American Federation of Musicians, Local 1000, which supports traveling musicians. .

Grants Awarded For 2010-2011 Program Year
Wulang Village Health Clinic in South Sudan - $500 Thank you for your contribution of $500.00 toward our mission to build schools and provide opportunity to remote villages in South Sudan. You are making a difference in the lives of many young people who are the future of their communities and their country. Brazilian Immigrant Center - $450 support office needs Founded in Boston by immigrant workers in 1995, the Brazilian Immigrant Center has always functioned as a worker’s center, designed to support and defend workers’ rights under current Massachusetts and US labor laws. In 2008 BIC also absorbed the smaller Brazilian Workers’ Center of East Boston. Our programs center on organizing, advocacy and training designed to reduce marginalization of immigrants, and promote their empowerment as workers and civic participants. Peace and Justice Committee Film License - $199 This allows our peace and Justice Committee to show documentaries on Social Justice at First Parish. Bedford Community Table - up to $850 This money goes to church participating in providing our share of a dinner for people in Bedford every Thursday. We usually serve five times a year. AIDs Quilt - $200 We hang parts of the AIDs Quilt in our sanctuary every year to remind people of the human suffering from this disease. Milk for Lowell Transitional Living Center - $150 The church serves dinner in Lowell once a month and provides the milk for that night. Wish-List Tree Project - $25 This for materials covering the stars that go on the tree every year for parishioners to provide items for the Lowell Transitional Living Center. LIFT - Footwear program - $1,000 LIFT provides support and friendship to Iraqi refugees in Lowell. As part of that process, they buy winter footwear for Iraqi families who are coming from a place that is never cold. LIFT - Bedbug program - $1,000 This program enables families to receive mattress encasement and other inexpensive remedies to a bedbug infestation. The Faces of Mental Illness in your Classroom - $450 This grant allows educators to see former students who struggle with mental illness and hear their stories. UUSC grant for emergency work in Pakistan - $500 This work was for families in Pakistan displaced by floods. From Here to Hue - $500 This assists the An Hoa Social Caring Center in Hue, Vietnam. This center is part of an orphanage and assist children with disabilities. Film Race to Nowhere -$150 This film was supported by the local pfa's in Bedford as well as SRC. It is a documentary regarding our children and their levels of stress. UU Urban Ministry - $650 The SRC provided two camp scholarships for urban children for the upcoming summer. Generations Incorporated - $300 The SRC provided two camp scholarships for urban children for the upcoming summer.

Grants Awarded For 2009-2010 Program Year
Aids Memorial Quilt Anti-Racism Workshop Bedford Community Table Curry Kitchen FP Bedford Partner Church Summer Day Camp From Here to Hue Habitat for Humanity Iraqi Families Milk for Lowell Transitional Living Center FP Peace & Justice Film Series Running Water To Rebuild Hand Pumps in Haiti Shakespeare In Love fund raiser to reduce homelessness UU Mass Action UU Urban Ministry Welcoming Congregation Wish-List Tree Project

Grants Awarded for 2008-2009 Program Year
First Parish Habitat Krewe John Glenn Middle School Anti-bullying FP Peace & Justice Film Series International Convocation for UU Women Aids Memorial Quilt Bedford Community Table Milk for Lowell Transitional Living Center Spiritual Journey Home from War Global Neighbor series Progress Fund Bedford Youth Services FP RE Trip to Koinonia Farm DVSN High Risk Response Team Reunification of Sudanese refugee w/ family UU Mass Action UU Urban Ministry Explorer’s Club UU Urban Ministry Summer Appeal

Attachments:
First Parish Social Responsibiity Council Awards 2008-09	[List of recipients during this calendar year]	20 Kb
[SRC 2008 - 09 Annual Report]	[ ]	27 Kb

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