Bainbridge-Ometepe Sister Islands Association. Since 1990, the Sister Islands Association has imported fine coffee from our sister island of Ometepe in Nicaragua. They call it Café Oro de Ometepe and have jointly created schools and water systems together, sponsored scholarships for continuing education of students on Ometepe and helped improve health and education.

Grace Liason: Dallas Young; 206.780.8475; bosia.org

Bainbridge Schools Foundation ("BSF") exists to help bridge the gap between what the district receives to fund education and what it needs to adequately fund its programs to achieve educational excellence. Specifically, we work to achieve the following:

• Provide the community with opportunities to assure the continued excellence of public education on Bainbridge Island.
• Generate and distribute resources to maintain, enrich, and expand programs and staffing to meet global standards of academic excellence.
• Inspire parents, community members, civic organizations and businesses to partner with the District in enhancing education.
• Increase public awareness of the challenges of funding public education.

Grace Church's recent generous grant will be used to provide Autism Spectrum Disorder ("ASD") training materials for the Bainbridge Island Wings program. The Wings Program is a new program in the district which will deliver an effective education model to our increasing population of children with ASD. BSF is requesting money from individuals and other foundations to help fund the Wings Program.

Grace Liaison: Mark Kruse; 206.842.8910; bainbridgeschoolsfoundation.com

Bainbridge Youth Services
Provides professional, no-cost, confidential counseling and intervention for adolescents in our community, ages 12-19. BYS also works to create opportunities for young people to develop and exercise leadership skills and helps them to find part time employment through our Jobs Desk.

Grace Liaison: Julie Stone; 206.780.0968; bainbridgeyouthservices.org

Bhutan Cleft Care Project (BCCP) is an effort of international healthcare volunteers, in conjunction with the Bhutan Ministry of Health, to assist the achievement of self-sufficiency within Bhutan for holistic habilitation of their citizens with the facial birth defects of cleft lip and cleft palate. It is based on the assumption that geography should not determine the adequacy of care for an individual born with a cleft lip and/or palate. The BCCP began in 2001 and by 2003, Dr. Karma, the Bhutanese surgeon trained by the BCCP, began surgically repairing cleft lip and palates independent of the international team visits. Since initiation, 536 individuals have had surgical repair during the BCCP visits; Dr. Karma performs 1-2 cleft operation weekly on his own. The BCCP team now travels to Bhutan once a year for continuing education and introduction of additional cleft care services beyond surgery such as dentistry, in 2007, and speech therapy, in 2008. During the rest of the year, Dr. Karma is in e-mail contact with extra-national members of the BCCP team for patient-specific consultations. The BCCP is funded primarily by renewable annual grants from The Smile Train and from additional grants from philanthropic organizations such as Grace Church and donations from individuals. Repair of a cleft lip and/or palate allows a previously shunned individual to become educated and actively participate as a contributing member of society.
 
Grace Liason: Dorothy Guzzwell; 360.779.7671; medpro.smiletrain.org

Clear Path International's mission is to serve landmine and bomb accident survivors, their families and their communities in Southeast Asia. Goals include sponsoring medical and social services to survivors of accidental landmine and bomb explosions, including emergency medical care, surgery, prosthetics/orthotics and peer support activities.
 
Grace Liaison: Imbert Matthee; 206.780.5964; clearpath.org

Community Energy Solution's efforts are aimed at helping people turn towards a greater reliance on conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy. We realize that is not only necessary to raise people's awareness of the sustainable energy choices they have, but we also must provide the necessary tools for them to adopt.
 
Grace Liaison: Gary and Marcie Lagerloef; 206.842.8942

Earth Ministry is a nationally recognized, ecumenical, non-profit organization based in Seattle. Earth Ministry was founded in 1992 to engage people of faith in environmental stewardship. Its mission is "To inspire and mobilize the Christian community to play a leadership role in building a just and sustainable future." While Earth Ministry began as the voice of the environment into the religious community, it has matured into a strong and respected voice of the religious community in environmental advocacy. Earth Ministry is a member of the Environmental Priorities Coalition, a group of environmental organizations in Washington State that collaboratively works to pass key environmental legislation. Earth Ministry joins many religious leaders in recognizing climate change as the greatest moral issue of our time. Therefore, in 2008 Earth Ministry initiated a new project – Washington Interfaith Power and Light (WAIPL) – in conjunction with the national non-profit, Interfaith Power and Light (IPL). WAIPL is generating an interfaith response to global warming, through advocacy and providing congregations with the tools and information to assess their energy usage and increase energy efficiency, energy conservation and the use of renewable energy. Through the creation and distribution of curricular material, guides for "Greening Congregations", workshops, and other resources, Earth Ministry supports a network of over 150 congregational partners in encouraging both individual and congregational practices that honor Earth's limited resources and foster change to a more sustainable lifestyle. Eighteen congregations in the Seattle area, including Grace, have been recognized as "Greening Congregations" for their comprehensive approach to environmental stewardship.

Grace Liaison: Marcy Lagerloef, earthministry.org

Habitat for Humanity of Kitsap County is an ecumenical 501c(3) non-profit Christian ministry affiliated with Habitat for Humanity International. Our organization works with people from all walks of like to eliminate poverty housing in Kitsap County by building safe, decent, affordable homes in partnership with low and very. low income people in need. Our mission is to be a key participant in eliminating substandard and poverty housing in Kitsap County.

Habitat is not a giveaway program. In addition to a down payment and the monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest at least 400 hours of their own labor ("sweat equity") in building their home and the homes of others. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit and financed with affordable no. interest loans. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments go into the revolving Fund for Humanity that is used to build more houses.
 
Grace Liaison: Willa Fisher; kitsaphabitat.org

The mission of Hospice of Kitsap County is to provide comfort, dignity and caring for persons completing life's journey and for those who care for them. Hospice care is provided through an interdisciplinary team of physicians, pharmacists, nurses, social workers, health aides, spiritual counselors and volunteers who design a care plan that addresses each patient's medical, emotional, spiritual, psychosocial and educational needs and also strives to support the needs of the patient's family.

Grace Liaison: Carol Angel; 360.692.1893

At Housing Resources Board (HRB), our mission is clear:  to preserve the diversity and vitality of Bainbridge Island by providing and maintaining affordable housing opportunities in the community.

As an independent nonprofit community land trust, HRB depends on the entire community to make this mission a reality.  Our programs are structured to address the different housing needs of our community.  Whether it's providing low-cost rentals to a single mom, emergency rental assistance to someone who has just lost a job, equipping homes to make them safer for the elderly or disabled, or helping secure homeownership for local workers, HRB serves hundreds of neighbors through our various properties and programs.

As a community land trust (CLT), HRB owns and maintains land on Bainbridge Island specifically for the affordable rental and homeownership needs of the community. In keeping with this notion of holding land in trust, HRB now considers its donors to be members, on whose behalf it acts as stewards. Now everyone can become part of this movement to invest in our neighborhoods and neighbors. For more information on donating to HRB or to apply for housing please call 206.842.1909 or go to housingresourcesboard.org.

Grace Liaison: Carolyn Leigh; 206.842.1483; housingresourcesboard.org

Huruma Children's Home is an orphanage situated on the slopes of the Ngong Hills, some 25km outside Nairobi, the capital of Kenya in East Africa. It was founded in 1989 by Mama Zipporah (as she is called by nearly everyone) and her husband, the late Pastor Isaac Kamau. They opened their own home initially to a handful of children, but today Huruma is home to some 150 children, both boys and girls from infancy to 18 years old. In this very poor area the challenges are great: poverty, poor health, HIV/AIDs and massive unemployment. Many of the children are orphaned or become destitute after being turned away from families that are unable to care for them. At Huruma, they are given an unusually warm and nurturing home environment to help these children come to terms with their experiences. They are also educated to sit standard Kenyan national examinations, or otherwise to learn vocational skills that will help them earn a living. Thus, the mission of Huruma (which means 'mercy' in Swahili) is to empower children in need to become productive members of society through rehabilitation, education and building self-reliance skills, "for children are the heritage from the Lord and they deserve the best."

In the last few years, Huruma has achieved some significant milestones, in building a new school house, a new dining room with hot water, and recently, with the help of some major planning and donors on Bainbridge Island, a small health clinic. Huruma is also installing Bio-gas for fuel, thus becoming greener and more efficient. Currently, Huruma is undergoing an urgent fundraising project in order to build new dormitories to relieve the congestion, and lessen the incidence of transferable illnesses. Huruma is supported almost entirely by donations from non-governmental sources from around the world, primarily individuals, churches and some corporate. Huruma welcomes volunteers from around the world, and Mama Zipporah will gladly enable them to exercise whatever gifts they chose to impart to the children.

Grace Liaison: Lorna Belkin; 206.855.9611; hchngong.org

Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers (IVC) is a non-profit organization established in 1996 and originally organized by local faith communities. IVC provides help for the elderly, people who may be recovering from a medical condition or a mental or emotional stress, overburdened family caregivers, and people who live in skilled nursing facilities and need companionship and emotional support. IVC services include the following:
in-home companionship, respite care, transportation, advocacy and referrals, and visits to skilled nursing facilities. All services of IVC are free of charge.

Grace Liason: Kaycie Wood; 206.842.2315; ivcbainbridge.org

KEDS. Life is very difficult in Ethiopia for both male and female. There is little wage employment for most people and practically none for a female with limited education. Family members share their small resources with those who earn less, but the orphans have no family and those with a female headed household have practically no resources. KEDS and Grace church helping orphans and widows in Ethiopia since 1998 have become the family to provide them with the assistance needed to achieve a self-sustaining, productive life.

The KEDS program is now assisting 4 orphan young women to complete vocational training, a widowed woman with her five children to help all her children through school, two very young girls whose mother was orphaned by AIDS and is now working out of the country, twin sons of an Ethiopian physician/educator who died of AIDS and who (the sons) are now admitted to medical school, and a young woman who has cerebral palsy and without help from KEDS and GRACE would be sitting at home locked in her body.

Grace Liaison Beulah Downing or Dennis Carlson, 206.780.8008

KIDSUP will be providing a large play space for children to utilize fine and gross motor skills and will also have a broad base of support programs and educational tools to help parent and families empower themselves. We believe in preventative care where the Center will serve as a place for parents to grow individually and strengthen their parenting skills so that when problems crop up, they will feel better prepared to handle them.

Grace Liaison: Jenny Lange; 206.780.3864

The Mission Creek prison ministry helps support incarcerated mothers in their hope for a new life with their children. This year's grant provides the curriculum Parenting on Purpose, and includes books, reference and study materials for inmates to learn about development, communication, parenting and related information; and materials to support the program including glue sticks and construction paper so inmates can make cards for their children.

Grace Liaison: Michele Bombardier; 206.842.1631

Mountains to Sound. An Outreach grant from Grace Episcopal Church is supporting environmental restoration and tree planting in the Mountains to Sound Greenway, the 100 mile corridor that stretches from Seattle to Central Washington.  With Grace's support, the Mountains to Sound Greenway offers volunteer opportunities to young people who restore natural areas for wildlife and salmon habitat, remove invasive weeds such as English ivy, holly, knotweed and laurel, and then return to plant native trees and shrubs. Native trees are critical to the health of the Pacific Northwest. Trees reduce greenhouse gases and improve air quality, reduce erosion and filter pollutants, and they shade creeks, improving water quality and cooling the water for threatened salmon. Over 40 project sites this year include Lake Sammamish State Park, Issaquah Creek, Mercer Island parks and along the Snoqualmie River.

The 100-mile Mountains to Sound Greenway connects natural areas, trails, working farms and forests, historic towns and communities, wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities along Interstate 90 between Seattle and Central Washington. The Greenway provides easy access to recreation and nature for millions of people in the Northwest, helping to ensure the quality of life in the region.

Since 1991, the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust has been the driving force behind the protection and enhancement of this landscape. The Greenway Trust works to promote public land acquisitions, connect a continuous regional trail system, teach people of all ages about the importance of conserving forests and wildlife, improve recreation access, create new parks and trails and mobilize thousands of volunteers.

Grace Liaison: Wendy Tyner; 206.382.5565; mtsgreenway.org

The Netza Project supports equal-access inclusive quality education for over 500 native, migrant and street Latino and Aztec children grade K – 6 in Zihuatanejo, Mexico and in select related village outreach and health care delivery programs in the State of Guerrero, Mexico. It assists with books and materials, campus expansion and repairs, scholarships for advanced education beyond grade 6, women's economic and community empowerment programs, and the coordination of visiting international volunteers and educators. The Netza Project also links US, Canada and other schools and classrooms in engaged learning and cultural exchange projects, and helps coordinate dental, vision and other visiting medical clinics or volunteer service teams that wish to serve the Netza School or region.

The Netza Project is a registered 501-C3 public charity and donations are tax-deductible as allowed by U.S. law. Federal Tax ID # 20-3275108

Grace Liaison: Lisa B. Martin; 360.697.5467; or info@netzaproject.org; netzaproject.org

PeaceTrees Vietnam is a humanitarian non-governmental organization (IRS 501-C3) founded on Bainbridge Island and operating in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. Our vision is to create a safe and healthy future for the children of Central Vietnam by working alongside the Vietnamese people to reverse the destructive consequences of war. In 1995, PeaceTrees became the first US non-governmental organization to be permitted by the Government of Vietnam to support humanitarian mine action, to remove landmines and unexploded ordnance and to provide survivor's assistance and Mine Risk education.  Since that time PeaceTrees Vietnam has cleared more than 405 acres of land, removed more than 33,000 ordnance items, trained 16,000 children in Mine Risk Education, planted more than 40,000 indigenous trees, assisted 640 mine accident victims and their families and hosted over 450 citizen diplomats building bridges of friendship with the Vietnamese.

PeaceTrees VietNam's 15th Anniversary Project

Grace Liaison: Jerilyn Brusseau; 206.842.8451; peacetreesvietnam.org

Peacock Family Services' mission is to promote the healthy social and emotional development of children by providing nurturing child care, open play and enrichment within a community of support for parents and caregivers. Peacock has developed programming in response to identified needs for local quality child care and family support. Because the health and well-being of children is directly linked to the health and well- being of their caregivers, our center will offer programming to nurture both children and adults who care for them. Specific programming includes perinatal depression consult, breastfeeding support, and a grandparent volunteer program named "Loving Arms" that will be spearheaded by Grace Church members Jerilyn Brusseau and Mickie Stowell.

Grace Liaison: Sarah Townsend; 206.790.2849

Grace Church has held Streets of Seattle near the center of its Outreach program for many years. Streets of Seattle (SOS) is a program that offers hot food and warm drinks to the homeless of Seattle. Grace's participation began with Jim Piper many years back and continues on through the generous contributions of time and energy from Grace folk and others in our community. Streets of Seattle offers much that is great about the community in action. It brings together people on our island including high school students who prepare a meal and drink in the kitchen at Grace and then transport it to Seattle and serve the feast to upwards of 200 needy and appreciative men, women and unfortunately, sometimes children. This meal fills not just pains of hunger but it also fills a gap in awareness and understanding that can occur between those of us who have and those of us who don't have.

Grace Liaisons: Rose Goodhue; 206.842.8607 and Barb McAllister; 206.855.8437

Suquamish UCC's Community Kitchen Program is a new program offering free dinners monthly to those particularly in the Suquamish area of our community. The second monthly dinner in July of 2009 served 59 diners. Direct volunteer opportunities are available!

Grace Liaison: Mark Kruse; 206.842.8910

Trust for Working Landscapes ("TWL") promotes farming and farmland preservation on Bainbridge Island, managing, maintaining and improving 60 acres of public farmland held in trust for future generations of Bainbridge Islanders. Annual Trust events include the popular Harvest Fair at the Johnson Farm as well as a variety of educational and recreational programs, in farm settings, that increase community awareness and enjoyment of farms and farming. Trust directors, staff and volunteers work with landowners and farmers to facilitate collaborative land-use agreements.

Grace Liaison: Colleen Rain; 206.842.1759; trustforworkinglandscapes.org

Veggies From Grace. At Grace, we work together to bring fresh, crisp vegetables to our neighbors in need at Helpline House right from our garden at Graceland. Two hundred pounds last year!

Grace Liaisons: Colleen Rain; 206.842.1759 and Neil Tennyson.

Washington Women in Need's vision is to improve the lives of low income women in Washington through financial assistance for health care and education. We strive to improve the quality of women's lives by supporting their educational goals; we improve the quality of their lives by helping them maintain their physical and mental health. We believe that by improving the lives of low income women, we improve the lives of their families and the strength of our community. When Washington Women In Need was founded in 1992, the founding Board members determined these areas had the most need and the least existing support for low-income women:

• Education at accredited institutions in Washington
• Mental Health Counseling with licensed mental health professionals
• Health Care Insurance Premiums for current health coverage
• Physical/Dental/Vision/Hearing exams and treatment

Since that time, WWIN has provided financial assistance in these four areas to almost 3,900 low income women and given almost 4,500 grants. This life-changing support is made possible through the vision and generosity of our founder, Julia Pritt, who committed to paying 100% of the administrative operating expenses of the organization.

This incredible generosity means 100% of donations received from individuals, organizations and foundations go directly to make grants for low income women. WWIN receives no federal or state government funding for its programs. It charges no fee for services.

Grace Liaison: Barbara Porter; 360.731.4393; wawomeninneed.org