St. Brigid Roman Catholic Church
4735 Cass St. San Diego California 92109
(858) 483-3030

Mary Dawn Reavey's Mission Page

Quick Links Mission update Contact info How you can help Love and Mercy Coalition Objectives: To grow together in God's love and mercy as individuals, families and communities. To be a vehicle of God's love and mercy through personalized outreach, prayer, word and action. To develop programs and groups to encourage and implement works of love and mercy physically and spiritually. To recognize and honor the God given dignity and unique gifts of each child/person regardless of his/her individual circumstances. To collaborate and partner with individuals and groups that support and foster similar values and goals. To maintain open, transparent, honest and trusting communication in sincere, respectful and reciprocal partnerships. Projects: Emmanuel Bible Story Group: This group serves as an opportunity for all children to learn about the love and mercy of God through bible stories, songs and skits and is a chance for them to ask questions and express their feelings and views related to faith. Although Christian based, respect for all faith practices and tolerance for differing views/opinions is an important component of the group. Another goal is to provide some structure, support and positive attention for children teaching them values of sharing, concern, compassion, acceptance and cooperation in an informal way by creating a firm, nurturing and loving environment where all are welcome. The group also provides each child a cup of milk/uji and a multivitamin each day. Hygiene products and food staples are also distributed on occasion. Approximately 300 children attend each weekday evening from 5-6 pm. LMC Companion Group: The Love and Mercy Coalition Companions, formerly known at the "Team Leaders", is a cohesive group of teenagers from several faith backgrounds that evolved from the Emmanuel Bible Story Group. The mission of this group is to encourage concern and compassion for their brothers and sisters in need and to develop interest in service within and throughout the community by journeying with them in a personal and direct way. Participation is open to any adolescent age 11-18 who is committed to bettering him/herself and his/her community through positive behavior, leadership, education, and service. Although involvement in the group is voluntary, the individual teenager must attend a required amount of activities and formation sessions in order to maintain membership. Some of the responsibilities include organizing, maintaining child behavior, packing and passing out uji/multivitamins and cleanup of the bible story group each weekday afternoon, participating in home visits and tutoring local children. One Saturday of the month the LMC Companions go to a home for abandoned infants, children and senior citizens and severely disabled children run by Blessed Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity to visit, play with the children, provide comfort and companionship and entertainment with a drum and dance routine planned and performed by the group. The Companions also sponsor "Hang Out Time" one Saturday a month for a group of HIV positive AIDS orphan teenagers from PASADA where they play low key football, sing, drum and dance, debate and discuss, draw and play mind games and share common experiences. The goal of these gatherings is to give these adolescents some normalcy and contact with "regular" kids and to decrease the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. Every 6-8 weeks the group takes a field trip that focuses on a service and/or growth component which has included a visit to the Ocean Road Cancer Institute, an ecumenical walk sponsored by PASADA, a mass to celebrate the life and service of Pope John Paul II, mini retreats on service and volunteering and the importance of education. Each outing includes a formation/sharing component where the group reviews what they have learned and experienced. Intensive Day Therapy Program: Developed to benefit HIV positive orphans that lack the social support required to administer antiretroviral therapy in the home, this project provides care to these children for thirteen hours per day. In the future we would like to also extend care to children with physical and developmental disabilities. The children are brought to the project by an extended family member at 0700 am and total care is provided until they go home at 0800 pm-medications including antiretroviral therapy and vitamins, 5 meals a day, assessments for reactions to medication and opportunistic infections, personal hygiene, skin care and dressing changes, tutoring and accompaniment to doctors appointments. The project also serves as their advocate in the local government schools and works their treatment around their educational commitments-all the patients attend a full time educational program either at the project or in the community. On Sundays the children come for their medications and personal hygiene only. This allows them to receive complete, holistic, compassionate care while continuing to live with their extended family members. Care in an orphanage in not an option because of their age and lack of space. Psychologically it is not healthy for children to be cared for in an orphanage and many of them suffer neglect at home and are unable to receive the needed therapy to treat their disease. This project meets a significant need in the community of Tegeta and is currently being run out of the project office and the volunteer's living space. When funds become available, we would like to build separate quarters attached to the office building to provide their care-a room for them to nap and receive medications and personal care and a kitchen. Currently 14 patients are served in this program. Home Visit Project: Provide assessments, care, comfort, education, resources and referrals to sick and dying patients who are house bound. Also give limited medicines and material support based on economic need, access and budgetary constraints. Personalized Outreach and Advocacy: In line with our mission statement, Love and Mercy Coalition seeks to address the unique needs of children and adults who come to us for help and is dependent on the openness and generosity of a large number of donors. Often this means obtaining school transfers, advice, consultation and referral for unusual medical problems, seeking information and contacts for other missionaries and seeking help for treatment that is not offered in Tanzania. Currently three children have received open heart surgery in Sudan with the help of International Children's Heart Foundation and the Sudan Heart Center and one child has received surgery for a brain tumor in Uganda with the help of Cure Children's Hospital Uganda. Typically we ask donors to share non monetary gifts--prayer, expertise, frequent flyer miles, advise, skills, housing, treatment. Bibi Hulburt Tuition Program: Pat Hulbert, a former teacher and lifelong advocate of education and service, asked her friends and relatives to donate money to start this project instead of giving her gifts for her 80th birthday. Currently nursery, primary school, standard 7, pre secondary school and form 1-4 tutoring is offered. Lessons are provided to reinforce and teach material for specific grade levels and follows the curriculum for Tanzanian schools. There are also sessions for children with special developmental and social needs and in the near future literacy and English for adults who are not receiving formal education will be offered. The pre secondary school program targets students who have not had an opportunity to attend secondary school and provides 6 hours of teaching in a school like environment with the goal of building a strong academic foundation prior to students attending and excelling in the secondary school of their choice-a morning and evening session reflects the reality of many of our students allowing them to work to support their material needs while working toward their educational goals. We are also establishing a program for children who have never had the opportunity to attend primary school to complete this program in 3 years instead of 7. The tuition program also provides a safe place with lights for children to study until 9 pm when they are not participating in structured learning and will hopefully provide an area to practice computer/typing skills in the future. The project's preschool and playground area adjacent to the tuition program helps needy children less than 7 prepare for school and also gives an opportunity for illiterate mothers and house girls who are responsible for childcare the chance to attend tutoring and training sessions while their children are supervised next door. Currently 900 children receive educational assistance in the tutoring program each day. A community service based scholarship program using LMC funds also supports the educational needs of needy students in the community. Approximately 50 scholarships were awarded in 2005. Christian Foundation for Children and Aging Sponsorship Program (CFCA): Founded by Catholic lay people in the United States, CFCA is grounded in the Gospel call to serve the poor. This organization maintains its identity while collaborating with a partnering project (Love and Mercy Coalition) to build personal relationships and provide services to needy children and aged with the goal of creating a worldwide community of compassion through personal outreach. Currently they sponsor approximately 300,000 children and aged in 26 countries around the world and approximately 530 children in Tegeta. Children/aged are selected according to economic need, participatory attitude and involvement in their community and their families participate in the selection and design of services and benefits provided by the sponsor which may include tuition and school fees, school uniforms and supplies, health, nutrition, clothing, housing assistance, formation and help to families. The partnering project (Love and Mercy Coalition) advocates for the children/aging by assessing their unique needs through home visits and frequent communication and works to secure the maximum amount of services for them through various schools, clinics, hospitals, nutrition centers and agencies and is directly accountable to CFCA in assuring that these needs are met in an open, transparent manner. Children and their families apply for sponsorship and if accepted after an evaluation process, are required to participate in orientation, ongoing formation and to communicate by personal letter at least three times a year to their sponsor. The sponsor also receives a picture of the child they are supporting with love, prayer and personalized care and attention. Once adequate children are sponsored in the Tegeta/Boko/Mtongani area, CFCA will begin evaluating other projects throughout Tanzania that need this type of assistance and who agree with the organization's goals and vision and start sponsoring children at those sites. In the future, Love and Mercy Coalition will also be able to participate in CFCA's scholarship program which is available to youths with or without sponsorship for secondary school and university school fees as long as they have economic need and are involved in service work either in the project or in their community. Planned Project: Empower, Educate, Employ Program for Single and Widowed Mothers: This project planned to start in the summer of 2006 will employ women for a limited time that are without the skills and support needed to adequately provide for themselves and their children. During this period they will be taught and mentored by successful women in their community while they receive formation, learn small business skills and produce a product that will sustain the project providing them with a salary and enough capital at the end of the program to start their own small business. The initial classes will target women who have HIV/AIDS with children also infected with the virus. Currently two young Mothers who have AIDS participate in a limited version of this project. They attend the tutoring program full time while their children are cared for in the Intensive Day Program. They then assist with the evening care of all the children for four hours and earn a small stipend to help support a portion of their material needs.     Contact Info marydawnreavey@hotmail.com Mary Dawn Reavey   How you can help Click here for more details about the Primary Education Program for Street Children in Manyoni Sunday, June 17, 2007 - Dinner and Concert in Pacific Beach. Click for details. Contact: Catherine Barley at 858-945-3047 or barley.c@gmail.com