Eatontown, NJ – This year in recognition of the International Lasallian Days for Peace, the Office for Mission and Ministry awarded $500.00 grants to three projects that creatively engaged this year’s ILDP theme of Blessed Are the Peacemakers. We are pleased to announce the following DENA ILDP Project Awards:
- Lasallian Youth of Christian Brothers Academy Albany, NY (Ms. Jenifer Kish)
This project will create opportunities for “sharing our spirit and charism” by partnering with La Salle School, Albany for a series of interactive dialogue, prayer, fellowship and sports activities. One such event will bring the students together to participate in the La Salle School Culinary Arts program. The students will share their culinary skills that will conclude with a Lasallian fellowship meal.
- La Salle ENACTUS, La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA (Brother Ernest Miller, FSC)
La Salle University’s ENACTUS team will be traveling to northern Lebanon in the spring of 2016 to work on a project with Gestures from the Heart, a non-profit organization that seeks to bridge divides through educationally based micro-business opportunities. The particular project will take place in the town of Zgharta, where a culinary program will bring together Maronite Catholic and Muslim women, to develop skills that can assist them in creating self-sustaining careers. This partnership will be the first to offer the opportunity to gather women of these two faiths to work together on a specific self-empowering project. (ENACTUS is an international nonprofit that works with student, academic, and business leaders on community empowerment projects around the world)
- Hohola Youth Development Center, Papua New Guinea (Brother Ken Kalinowski, FSC)
Hohola Youth Development Center is an agency school of the Catholic Church in Paupa New Guinea. The Center was established in 1973 to cater to the poorer students of Port Moresby who wished to continue their education but because of various obstacles they were prevented from doing so in the public educational system. As PNG celebrates 40 years of independence, the country remains very diverse, it has been called the “the country of 100 languages.” There are many “tribal groups” that attend the school. The grant funds will be used to create a Cultural/Traditional Celebration Day. The event will bring together the various talents, dancing and traditions of the many cultures that exist in the school. It is the hope that the Celebration Day will deepen mutual respect and engage the students in a greater awareness of each other’s culture. By having this celebration “our goal is to bring about an experience of unity and peace in a nation that is still quite regional.” We are pleased to support this initiative offered to us by Brother Ken who is currently serving in Papua New Guinea.
The ministries and stakeholders of DENA, faithful to the Lasallian mission and values of service of and with the poor, will, together and by association, deliver sustainable models for education and treatment and advocate for those we accompany and support, especially the poor, that they “may have life and have it in its fullest.” (John 10:10) (Service with the Poor through Education, Directional Statement, Mission Assembly and District Chapter 2015)