Dear friends and supporters,
It is time for our annual financial and needed supplies campaign. I want you to know what we were able to accomplish this past year and what we have in store for the future.
2008 was the 15th anniversary of Camp Sister Spirit! It was a difficult year for the camp with the passing of our co- founder, Brenda Henson. We have gone through some necessary and vital restructuring activities including new board and staff changes. During this past year, we have met our mission goal by offering educational opportunities to empower our citizens. We have been able to offer:
· Credentialed teacher(s) to teach basic literacy classes
· Educational services in the expanded literacy classes, GED tutoring and basic Spanish
· Networking in the community by creating workshops/ seminars for issues concerning, but not limited to: literacy, poverty, hunger, cultural diversity, and adult health issues.
· Emergency food and clothing boxes for those in need in the Gulf South area
· Emergency rescue with animals too include veterinarian needs, food, shelter and placements with good homes (with many staying here with us!)
· A regular food bank along with our referral resources
· Annual school supply giveaway and Christmas assistance for children and adults in the community
· Housing individuals with temporary shelter needs
· Employment services to include resumes and placements in jobs
· Emergency Hurricane Shelter for those with little or no resources to evacuate (no one has ever been turned away and we encourage them to not leave their pets behind)
2009 has these exciting opportunities in process:
* Continued educational opportunities for all ages including some children’s workshops/day camps
* Expanding outreach to address the community’s educational needs and working in collaboration with the Mississippi State Department of Health, Mississippi ACLU, Mississippi Forestry Department, Equality Mississippi, The University of Southern Mississippi, Biloxi Pagan Pride Officials, and the Mississippi Rainbow Alliance
* Creating and expanding vegetable and fruit gardens to offer fresh food to constituents
* Utilizing the land as a campus for learning with the use of literacy curriculums, a computer lab, kilns, and other tools available on the property
* Woodworking artisans offering teaching time and talent to create moneymaking opportunities on the land and for those in the community (using felled trees and exotic bamboo lost due to Hurricane Katrina)
* Developing a model for self-sufficiency by using natural resources already provided to accomplish non-traditional and “green” construction
* Expanding the emergency food and clothing programs as well as utilizing the land for any unforeseen natural disasters like Katrina
* Offering work and learning opportunities for folks who would like to join us on the land and contribute their time and talents
These are only some of the changes for the New Year of 2009. Our campus on 120 acres is continually striving to offer a safe and nurturing place for people to feel welcome and important as they tackle educational requirements for current and future employment. We want to offer ongoing safe spaces for people who have few places to go to celebrate their unique role in a changing world. We want to be available as we were during Katrina to open our gates for those evacuees who need a safe place. To this end, we are asking for your continued support with our folk school and to Sister Spirit, Incorporated to maintain a spirit of thriving and sharing.
Giving is a sweet word when you think of the ways we all help one another: time, talent, skills, and money. Supplies for school, nonperishable foods, gently used clothing and personal supplies, most especially those things that cannot be purchased with food stamps (i.e. personal hygiene, cleaning supplies, and animal food/medicines) As we develop our artisan programs, we can update you on what we produce and what might help us further. All help (too include in-kind assistance) is tax deductible, honored, appreciated and pays itself forward to the community at large. After 15 years, the original vision set by Brenda and Wanda Henson is actively occurring and morphing with the times and events around us! We are the only Humanist Folk School operating in the Gulf South!
Visit our website at www.campsisterspirit.com and pay special attention to our events link to see if you would like to attend an event this Spring! In addition, we would like to announce two awards given to Camp Sister Spirit Folk School this past year. One award to CSSFS is from the V to the Tenth committee for “Empowerment Philanthropy in the Gulf South and beyond” and the “Silver Chalice” award was presented to CSSFS for “selfless dedication in providing charity and education”.
Thank you for your generosity and support!
Andrea Gibbs-Henson, M. Ed.
Sister Spirit, Incorporated
PO Box 12,
Ovett, MS. 39464
601-344-1411
cssfolkschool@aol.com
