Children

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  Children Church Activities Mentoring

  THE PURPOSE PROJECT

  In 2011, God gave me a heart and vision for middle and high schoolers. I wanted to open a center for youth that met them just where they were. So with only five teen interns and only a few hundred dollars to work with, the Catalyst Teen Center was born. In the beginning, Catalyst appeared like a regular youth group, but it quickly transformed into something never seen before. We began offering classes, everything from Forensic Science, guitar lessons, home economics, Japanese and more. The Teen Center provided a community the teens were starving for. All of them had gifts and… Read More

  August 2, 2023
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  Children Hospital Loss Of Loved One

  Jessie’s JoyJars

  Our daughter, Jessica Joy Rees, was 11 when doctors discovered she had an inoperable and incurable brain tumor. They told us we would have 12-18 months with her. We were all devastated. We entered her into a very difficult clinical trial where she was subjected to 30 rounds of radiation and a daily dose of chemotherapy. Despite this grueling regimen, Jessie maintained an incredibly positive attitude. After her treatment one day, we were driving away from Children’s Hospital Orange County and she asked about all the sick children in the hospital that didn’t get to go home each day like she did.… Read More

  July 12, 2023
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  Adoption/Foster Care Children

  THE SINGLE FOSTER MOM

  In the depths of my heart, a fire burned—a calling that could not be ignored. As a single mom, life had dealt its blows, but my faith in Christ remained my anchor. With trepidation and trust, I opened my home to foster children, answering God's whispered invitation. Jamal and La' Velle were the first, their laughter filling my once-empty rooms. Together, we journeyed—a dance of laughter, tears, and victories. In doubt, I turned to prayer, finding solace in God's unchanging love and His call to care for the vulnerable. More children came, each carrying their own stories of shattered dreams. In our… Read More

  June 28, 2023
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  Children Labor

  HELPING PREVENT CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

  After teaching personal body safety to over 1,000 kids, I was inspired to write the Say NO! and TELL! books. Child sexual abuse is prevalent and increasing nationwide. I know too many friends and family who have experienced this trauma. The intervention, sharing a survivor story and recovery parts are growing strong in this movement, although I saw a gap in prevention education. Almost instantly, I had a vision about the butterfly telling her story plus scenarios to role-play. I wanted to create something light, bright, colorful and positive with an animal character delivering this prevention message. I realized that children… Read More

  June 14, 2023
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  Children Labor Special Needs

  GIVING MORE THAN A HAIRCUT

  What an incredible blessing it is for me to open up my barber shop once a month and spend my day off giving children with special needs a free haircut. This has become the day I always look forward to! And I can certainly see God's hand in how this all started. I’ve been cutting hair for 20 years and am now fortunate enough to have my own shop. I've always tried to provide a supportive environment for my clients, where they feel comfortable sharing stories of struggle and triumph, stories about good days and bad. We’ve been blessed to have… Read More

  May 24, 2023
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  Children Hospital Overcoming Obstacles

  OUR CHERISHED GIFT FROM GOD

  “Your baby is missing his left eye.” With that one sentence, my life was forever changed. This was supposed to be a routine ultrasound where I would have the chance to finally see my precious baby and perhaps take home a picture. My husband and I had previously welcomed a little boy into our life and were looking forward to our second child. This news completely blindsided us but we prayed. Our family prayed. Our friends and their friends prayed for a miracle, that God would heal our baby, but sometimes God’s answer is “no” as it was for us. Our… Read More

  April 5, 2023
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