American Baptist Youth Convention Raises Record Amount of Donations for The Center
The Center extends a heartfelt Thank you to the American Baptist Youth Convention for their generous support of our mission.
The Center extends a heartfelt Thank you to the American Baptist Youth Convention for their generous support of our mission.
The American Baptist Churches of New York State held their annual American Baptist Youth Convention in Syracuse NY November 10-12, 2023. This year, The Center was chosen as the 'Mission Project' for the convention. The ABY encouraged donations "...to help The Center provide crucial items that are not covered when resettling: school supplies, winter supplies, etc." The group's goal was to raise $9,000. (https://www.abc-nys.org/aby-convention-details.html) Executive Director Shelly Callahan spoke at the Convention, informing attendees about the work of The Center and discussing the needs of resettled families. Many youth at the conference were former refugees themselves.
The group were very welcoming and gracious hosts. Thank you does not express our appreciation for ABYC attendees and their generosity. The group more than met their goal, raising over $11,768.50 for refugee resettlement programs at The Center. "This is the largest amount of money raised by ABY.....Over 65% of this year's youth came from Karen congregations in Utica, Buffalo and Syracuse. This year's winning congregation was Tabernacle Baptist Church of Utica raising another record breaking amount over $7,000. They got to take home the Keith H. Griffin Memorial Bear. "
The group were very welcoming and gracious hosts. Thank you does not express our appreciation for ABYC attendees and their generosity. The group more than met their goal, raising over $11,768.50 for refugee resettlement programs at The Center. "This is the largest amount of money raised by ABY.....Over 65% of this year's youth came from Karen congregations in Utica, Buffalo and Syracuse. This year's winning congregation was Tabernacle Baptist Church of Utica raising another record breaking amount over $7,000. They got to take home the Keith H. Griffin Memorial Bear. "
The work of The Center is not possible without community support. The congregations of the American Baptist Churches of New York State have been partners in welcome for decades. Together we build a community with many cultures.