Ongoing Support

Making a Difference and Living Our Values

By putting faith into action, we believe the world will be a better place.

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington is an active collection of people working together to foster justice, equity and compassion in our lives, in our communities and in the world. Volunteers are welcome regardless of membership status.

Some ways of participating are simple and brief. Others involve training and an ongoing commitment. Please contact the office to see how your generous spirit can make a difference.

Split Plate

Every Sunday, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington proudly gives away one half of all anonymous cash donations plus checks or cash specified for split plate. The Charity of the Month practice supports a variety of causes and groups within our community and beyond.

Split Plate/Charity of the Month Application (2013-02-01)

Split Plate Beneficiaries

June, 2013 Beneficiary

Sofia Fahs Camp is a Unitarian Universalist camp located on beautiful Shelter Island, NY for approximately 115 campers and 45 adult staff. Children and youth from grades 3-12, gather from the Long Island Area for one week in August each year with adults from UU Congregations serving as staff.

The mission is to provide enjoyable, practical and spiritual experiences in a safe, beautiful and natural  environment that will inspire children, youth and adults to explore their identities: personal, communal and Unitarian Universalist.  All monies collected will be used to provide financial assistance to children and youth from UUFH who would otherwise be unable to attend camp.

May, 2013 Beneficiary

Smile-in-a-Bag was founded by two Syosset brothers and their parents to create and deliver activity bags to children and youth in Winthrop and Cohen’s Children’s Hospitals. They founded the charity in memory of their uncle, who passed away from leukemia when Adam and Ian were just 8 and 11 years old. Ten years later, SIAB has delivered 15,000 activity bags, and needs your help to keep going. Please give generously to fund this wonderful, local effort to comfort hospitalized children on Long Island.

April, 2013 Beneficiary

Rev. Fulgence Ndagijamana in the Bujumbura Market, November 2012.

Micro-Loan Recipients in Burundi in east-central Africa

A huge fire on January 27, 2013 in Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura, completely destroyed the Central Market and the inventories of all the small market people we had previously funded.  Together with other UUs, we have re-funded about 60 of the 90 original micro-loan recipients.  Thirty more await our help to get them back in business so that they can provide for their families.

February and March, 2013 Beneficiary

CERG UU Disaster Relief Fund

“Hurricane Sandy is a cascading crisis.” (Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, Fourth Universalist Society, NYC)

Now that we can assess the extent of the damage created by “Sandy.” it’s obvious that it will take lots of money to aid the afflicted.  While UUs, as individuals and as groups from many congregations, were both “hands on” and generous financially in the relief efforts in November that was only “first aid.”  Sandy is not a crisis du jour. It will take years to rebuild – buildings and lives. It wasn’t just flood water and downed trees – there are lingering effects. As of January 23, the Times reported that in NYC 1,893 buildings are without heat and hot water.  Also, the Senate has not yet voted on the $50 million relief bill. Mold is rampant.  Many small businesses have been destroyed. Marginalized people suffer most.  Undocumented people can’t apply for any government relief. “Faith communities are trying to work against that.” (McNatt)

Our UU Central East Regional Group (CERG) established the CERG UU Disaster Relief Fund to collect donations to assist fellow UUs with storm damage clean up, members’ immediate needs and in rebuilding efforts. Funds are used to provide the basics needed for UUs who have been displaced or are in need of emergency support, to assist congregations in rebuilding damage, to assist our own Murray Grove conference and retreat center, and to support congregations who are working in their larger communities. By  early January the fund had received $306,000; much, much more is needed

January, 2013 Beneficiary

The micro-loan program in Burundi, one of the poorest places in Africa, is the January, 2013 split place recipient. Through our association with Rev. Fulgence, the only UU minister in that country, we can do something to help its people in very basic ways. A $100 loan to start a small business, properly used, can help feed a family of five for a year. When repaid, the lives of another family can benefit also. Please be generous when considering these very vulnerable people.

December, 2012 Beneficiary

The Split Plate charity for December will be the Family Service League’s Food Pantry at Manor Field Family Center. Throughout the year, we give to the Food Pantry at the Manor Field Family Center through our food donation box. Donations will help the Family Service League purchase additional food for the pantry, which is especially needed during the holidays and the cold, winter months which follow. Your generous support, as always, is greatly appreciated.

November 2012 Beneficiary

The h2 Empower-sponsored library in Hosanna, Ethiopia. The library that Helen Boxwill’s non-profit has worked so hard to build is finally complete, with significant help from Fellowship folks along the way. The building is on the grounds of a primary school and at present will be open only during the school day. The need now is to fund staff so that the library can serve older children and adults on the weekends and evenings. Then the library can benefit the whole community.

October 2012 Beneficiary

Through the “Every Child is Our Child” program, all Unitarian Universalists can help turn UU principles into action by fostering the hopes and dreams of children who have suffered from the devastating consequences of HIV/AIDS.

“Every Child is Our Child” is a UU-UNO program established to provide education for AIDS orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS in Eastern Ghana. The program has been designed by professionals with significant experience in African community development, and works in partnership with a traditional community organization, the Queen Mothers Association.

The “Every Child is Our Child” Program resulted from meeting directly with the Queen Mothers, learning about the community issues and having joint planning session to prioritize their requirements. School fees and health care were designated as the highest priorities.

The Queen Mothers play a vital role in combating the spread of HIV/AIDS in the district. They have established various programs to prevent the spread of the disease. These include counseling, feeding, clothing and some vocational training for AIDS orphans. Through “Every Child is Our Child”, the Queen Mothers are also currently enrolling the children and their foster families in the National Insurance Plan.

“As in the rest of Africa, young people between the ages of 10 and 24 comprise more than one-third of the total population of the country. By 2025, young people will number 12 million. Teenage pregnancies are a continuing problem for the Government. Girls in the 15-24 age group account for approximately one-third of all births every year. These high rates are a result of early marriage, sexually active youth, lack of knowledge of reproductive health and lack of access to youth friendly reproductive health information and services. Adolescent childbearing is twice as high in rural areas as in cities.” Though the Ghanaian government spends over 22% of its budget on education, school fees are still required. With the high cost of living and inflation, many of the families who take in additional children are not able to provide the required school fees and access to sports, book bags, school uniforms, notebooks, stationery supplies and science resource centers. Funding school fees is critical to provide the education required by this vulnerable group of children.

All of these contributing factors make our continued support of this worthwhile endeavor of paramount importance.

June, 2012 Beneficiary

The Split Plate Recipients for June, 2012 were Tri Community and Youth Agency and the UUFH. Tri Community and Youth Agency is a private not-for-profit community based agency dedicated to supporting the growth and development of youth and their families. Tri CYA has been providing services, such as our current offerings of after school drop in, homework help, a mentoring program, a reading program, dance, knitting, and cooking, and even karate and sewing, for over 34 years. During the summer, offerings also include Summer Field Trips to Robert Moses Beach, movies, parks, and educational and cultural trips. Tri CYA provides support to people who live in our community, and helps them identify all the available resources the Town of Huntington has to offer. Money collected from this split plate collection will be used to support the programs that provide a positive, healthy place for the youth and families in our community.

Additional Ongoing Support:

The Gateway Community Garden Project

We are excited to announce that we have made the shared vision of a community garden in Huntington Station a reality! You are welcome to visit this amazing site anytime.

Long Island Community Agriculture Network

Interweave

Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender members and friends of the UUFH communicate with one another and socialize via Interweave. Occasional newsletters promote relevant events and support efforts to create justice, freedom, and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. The Interweave group coordinates the annual Gay Pride Service at the UUFH every June, as well as a week long set of programs.

Helping Hand Committee Resources

The UUFH Helping Hand Committee has put together a list of phone numbers and websites. The topics covered in the list are Emotional Support, Jobs, Transportation, Health Care, Legal Advice, Food, Clothing and Housing. Copies of the lists, with numbers and websites, can be found in the front lobby.

Todd Stutzman/Joan McWade Memorial Blood Drive

9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Sunday, February 10, 2013. All welcome!

Blood donations are collected in memory of our beloved former members.

UU United Nations Office (UU-UNO)

Unitarian Universalists may learn more about the work of the United Nations as the “world’s parliament” by participating in UU-UNO to advocate for international peace, justice, and well-being. You are invited to join any of the weekly briefings at the UN. The Fellowship’s “Envoy” is our connection to the UN.

As cultures of our world continue to come into contact at an ever-increasing pace, UUs, through the UU-UNO, have a chance to meet with and observe members of the UN community.

Our UU-UNO works for human security and development. The current work at the UU-UNO is focusing on four projects. These are:

• “Every Child Is Our Child” Project in Ghana
• Worldwide LGBT Human Rights
• Women in Peace and War: Security and Peacemaking
• The Challenges of Climate Change

Partners

The UUFH is proud to partner with other community religious groups. Activities range from a choir exchange with our local AME church to participation in an annual interdenominational Thanksgiving Eve service.