Catholic Charities USA Follows Francis’ Lead in ‘Providing Hope’
At its annual conference Sept. 10-12 in Omaha, Neb., Catholic Charities USA focused on its mission to end poverty and hunger in the U.S., a topic in line with their recently launched campaign #End45, which aims to raise awareness about the 45 million individuals living in poverty in the U.S. According to the National Catholic Reporter, more than 400 people attended and heard keynote speakers who highlighted issues of poverty and hunger as well as hope for a new future, bolstered by the Pope’s visit to the U.S. that was still to come. Other topics included the wage gap across racial lines and the introduction of Prepares, a pregnancy and parenting support program launched by bishops in Washington.
World Vision pledges US$3 Billion to Help End Preventable Maternal, Child Deaths
World Vision announced it has committed to invest $3 billion in efforts to end child and maternal deaths from preventable diseases over the next five years, an unprecedented pledge in the organization’s history. A news release reports the dollars will go toward providing aid to prevent malnutrition, HIV transmission, unsafe water, and diseases like diarrhea and malaria. World Vision International’s Director of Public Policy Chris Derksen-Hiebert says efforts will increasingly be concentrated in places that are unstable, remote or conflict-affected, as most of the 16,000 children who die from preventable causes each day live in those areas.
Fellowship of Christian Athletes Welcomes Tony Dungy to Kansas City Event Nov. 2
Former Colts coach Tony Dungy is slated to speak at a “Night of Hope” event in Kansas City hosted by Fellowship of Christian Athletes Nov. 2, according to the Buffalo Reflex. Dungy, now a New York Times bestselling author, led the Colts to a Super Bowl victory in 2007 — the first African-American head coach to do so. When he joined the Colts in 2002, he had established himself as the most successful head coach in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ history. The event is open to the public and will also feature worship from musician Marvin Mumford. Proceeds will go towards the organization’s efforts in the inner city to offer hope in Christ by bringing people together through sports.
Worldventure Announces Denver Area Hackathon for Faith-Based Technologies
Faith-based technology organizations WorldVenture and Code for the Kingdom are hosting the first ever Rocky Mountain Hackathon Nov. 6-8 at Colorado Christian University, a conference that will bring together coders, designers, marketers, entrepreneurs and technologists to discuss and tackle global issues from a Christian perspective. Director of Communications at WorldVenture and event organizer Chris Wynn explains via news release that often “techie” individuals aren’t able to utilize their skills to their full potential in Christian environments, often sidelined to running slides during worship services. The conference will highlight four main areas of challenges for attendees to address and improve through technology, advancing Christian initiatives forward: social justice, evangelism, generosity and mission movement. Speakers include industry thought leaders from Google, StumbleUpon and Global Media Outreach.
