FATHER CHUCK’S CHALLENGE - A CHARITY YOU CAN TRUST
For
good reason, we are not always sure that our donation to charity will be used
for the purpose the organization has advertised. For many of them the overhead is high, even
up to 35% of donations dedicated to administrative expenses. It is not unusual for larger charities to
have executives who make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. I stay away from charities who aggressively
advertise. With all that costly radio
and television time, I wonder how much of my donation would really go the cause. How much of it is motivated by the
self-interest of those who run it? More than one person has done very well for
himself by doing good.
One of the
reasons I am an avid supporter of Father Chuck’s Challenge is because I have
100% confidence in its integrity and its mission. Everyone who works for FCC is a
volunteer. It was founded by Monsignor
Frank Schmidt, pastor emeritus of St. Augustine Parish in Bridgeport, PA where
I was a pastor for two years. Monsignor
named the ministry after Father Chuck Pfeffer, a priest who died in 2004 at the
age of 53. No one is more dedicated to
the poor than Msgr. Schmidt. He started
the ministry after his retirement with the help of parishioners of St.
Augustine. It has born tremendous fruit
and helped many families in Nicaragua and Haiti by building homes for
them. They also build wells, latrines,
and community centers, which are sometimes used for worship and learning. These families live in poverty and receive no
support from their governments. Father
Chuck’s Challenge, working with Food for the Poor, in the name of our merciful
God, uses the money they raise to move families from shacks with porous “roofs”
to safe, sturdy homes.
Father Chuck’s
Challenge sponsors trips, when the political and environmental conditions
permit it, to allow donors to meet those whom they help. They see the good work firsthand and
sometimes participate in a dedication ceremony.
Everyone with Father Chuck’s Challenge pays his or her own way – no
donations are used for the trips. I have
not yet been able to join them, but I have spoken to donors who have come back
with beautiful stories.
Father
Charlie Kennedy is the president and chaplain of Father Chuck’s Challenge. It is our privilege to welcome this dedicated
servant of Christ and the poor to our parish this weekend. I am grateful that he is celebrating our
weekend Masses while I am on retreat.
Please be generous in response to his appeal for support of Father
Chuck’s Challenge. Volunteers will be
handing out a pamphlet regarding the mission along with an envelope after the
Masses. You may drop the envelope with
your donation on any Sunday in the collection basket or mail it to:
Father Chuck’s Challenge
c/o Theresa Gilmore
1020 Lake Lane
Pennsburg,
Pa. 18073-1610
You may also donate through
the web site at www.fatherchuckschallenge.com
and see some videos to learn more about their wonderful work. Father Kennedy visited us a few years ago and
your response was very generous. Thank
you for your prayers and donations to Father Chuck’s Challenge! Because of cheerful givers like you our
brothers and sisters in the villages where FCC builds are living in healthier
and more dignified homes.
FATHER SCOTT
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