A CALL TO SERVE INTERNATIONAL - ACTS

Happy Orthodox New Year! 🎉🎊

Merry Christmas to all of our Orthodox friends!!

A resounding THANK YOU to those supporters who helped ACTS exceed our CoMoGives campaign goal! You generously gave $6,285 to help Georgian infants and youngsters survive and thrive in 2024! 🤩🙋🙋‍♂️❤️

Best wishes to all of our friends around the world for a joyous, peaceful and healthy 2024!!

Merry Christmas, as we send our wishes for peace on Earth and good will to all!

Here, and as our page's holiday cover art, we share a beautiful photo from Tbilisi's famous Christmas Market, taken by Emily Lush (see her blog and more photos at http://wander-lush.org) and shared with her permission.

As you race through the busiest part of the Christmas season, please consider taking a few minutes to donate to A Call To Serve through the CoMoGives campaign if you haven’t already done so.

Remember that anyone –- ANYWHERE –- can give online via the following URL:
https://comogives.com/product/a-call-to-serve-acts-6

We are nearing only the 50% point of our $5,000 goal and depend on these funds to help run the ACTS-Lions Ronald James Georgian Diabetic Children’s Camp and the neonatal resuscitation training program that started as the Rotary-funded Breathing Life Into Georgian Babies.

If you can’t give much, take heart that small gifts add up, and each one helps a Georgian child survive and thrive. All you need to participate is a credit card. The minimum donation is $10, and the website is safe and secure.

This Christmas season, we remember those who made ACTS and its accomplishments possible, including founding President Dr. Patricia Blair, Drs. Betty and Ron James, Dr. Koba Koplatadze, Pat Hutchinson, Verna Rhodes and Diana Groshong –- and many other volunteers and supporters whom we’ve lost in recent years. We carry on their loving mission to strengthen the health and lives of Georgian children, and the continued successes we see are their legacy.

P.S. Through CoMoGives, you also may pay tribute through our memorial funds for beloved volunteers Pat Hutchinson and Diana Groshong, or support the ThonForKids, which benefits our diabetic children’s camp. Just type "Hutchinson memorial," "Groshong memorial" or "Thon" in the "optional" window below the donation amount.

A time of celebration as Georgia receives candidate status in the European Union!

Tens Of Thousands Rally In Georgia To Celebrate EU Candidate Status Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Friday to celebrate the European Union's decision to put the country on a formal membership path.

As the holiday season begins, so does the annual CoMoGives drive, which starts today -- Giving Tuesday -- and runs through Dec. 31. While planning your end-of-year giving, please consider helping ACTS get a good start on 2024 to ensure our programs can continue to benefit the little ones in Georgia who need them most.

Although CoMoGives is hosted by the Community Foundation of Central Missouri, anyone –- ANYWHERE –- can give online via the following URL:

https://comogives.com/product/a-call-to-serve-acts-6

If you’d prefer, you may mail a check to: A Call To Serve, c/o Kathleene James, 2818 Melody Lane, Columbia, MO 65203.

We are grateful for everyone who has continued to support ACTS International through the years. Over the past three decades, you have truly blessed Georgian families by saving and extending the lives of thousands of needy children.

We are an organization of volunteers, and all donated funds go to help those we serve. Thank you again for generously caring for those who are less fortunate, yet full of gratitude for the gift of love from friends an ocean away!

A CALL TO SERVE INTERNATIONAL - ACTS Based in Columbia, Missouri, ACTS International promotes "partnerships for peace" with the country o

Have you seen CBS' 60 Minutes' profile of Georgian winemaking?

60 Minutes visits Georgia: Wine's birthplace In tonight's expanded edition of 60 Minutes, Sharyn Alfonsi reports from the country ofGeorgia, where winemakers are upholding thousands of years of traditio...

Happy Thanksgiving to all and a blessed St. George's Day as well! We are grateful for our friends and supporters who help us continue our mission of helping Georgian children and families!

The European Union recommended on Nov. 8 that Georgia be granted its long-awaited candidate status, an essential step to future membership of the bloc.

Georgia’s EU Candidate Status Will Test Its Relations With Russia The announcement of EU candidate status is both a boon for Georgia and a geopolitical challenge, given possible retaliation from Russia.

Five investigative journalists from Georgia visit Lincoln, Nebraska

5 investigative journalists from Republic of Georgia visit Lincoln When young professionals from the former Soviet Union country of Georgia were hosted by Friendship Force of Lincoln last week, they not only learned from their local hosts, but informed

Please help us get a good start on the 2024 ACTS-Lions Ronald James Georgian Diabetic Children's Camp by participating in the Thon For Kids - Walk, Jog, Bike! Check out the TFK page, or if you can't walk, jog or bike, please consider donating at the following link via PayPal (no account needed):

http://bit.ly/PayPal-ThonForKids

Every little bit helps a Georgian child with diabetes live a healthier, longer life! ❤️

Would it warm your heart to help a needy kid attend diabetic camp next summer? Even if you can't walk, jog or bike, you still can be part of the 2023 ThonForKids by supporting us financially at:

http://bit.ly/PayPal-ThonForKids.

This links to PayPal, where you also can donate securely with a credit or debit card without having a PayPal account.

Thank you for caring for the life of a child and giving them promise for the future!

Happy St. Mary's Day (Mariamoba) to our friends in Georgia! If you aren't Georgian, here's some information about this public holiday:

Mariamoba commemorates the dormition (ascension into heaven after death) of Jesus' mother Mary. Churches throughout the country hold special services, which are attended by thousands of Georgians. The biggest one takes place in Tbilisi and is conducted by the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.

The holiday is preceded by a two-week fast, during which religious Georgians refrain from eating meat (including fish), dairy products and eggs. The fast ends on Mariamoba with large family and community feasts. (Source: https://www.advantour.com/georgia/holidays.htm)

Public Holidays in Georgia in 2023-2024 Public holidays in Georgia are joyous times of feasting, song, dance and religious rituals. While the Georgian calendar is packed with celebratory events, key holidays include Christmas, Easter, Mariamoba, St. George’s Day and Svetitshovloba.

If you shop online, you could be supporting ACTS International at the same time without spending a cent more! Sign up for the iGive netowork, and every time you shop at any of the 1,900+ online stores, a portion of the money you spend benefits the ACTS-Lions children's diabetic camp. It's a free service, and you'll never pay more when you reach a store through iGive. In fact, smart shoppers will enjoy iGive's repository of coupons, free shipping deals, and sales. To get started, just create your free iGive account.

> Start iGiving at: www.iGive.com/ACTS

Through Sept. 30, sign up and then make your first purchase within 30 days and ACTS will receive a $5 bonus! ACTS has received more than $500 through these iGive purchases over the years, so your participation goes a long way to ensure needy diabetic kids can attend this life-preserving camp!

iGive - You Shop. Your Charity Gets Money. For Free. Shopping at any of 1928 stores like Travelocity, Macys, Overstock, and many more, means a donation to your favorite cause.

We're a little out of order here, but want to share some photos of campers arriving and picking up their hygiene kits and staffers receiving medical files. A lot goes into organizing and conducting the camp, and we especially appreciate the ACTS Georgia team, the staff and counselors, and camp medical director Dr. Lika Katcharava for their hard work!

🇺🇸 Happy U.S. Independence Day! 🇺🇸

Camp is under way! Lots of activity, fun and learning taking place over eight days!

We are pleased to announce that, for the first time since 2019, the ACTS-Lions Ronald James Georgian Diabetic Children’s Camp is welcoming a group of 35 Georgian children for eight days!

After a three-year hiatus because of COVID-19, we are celebrating the 25th summer of the camp, which was established in 1996 by our founder, Dr. Trish Blair, and Dr. Ron James. While we were advised not to offer the camp again last year because COVID case numbers in Georgia remained high, we were given the “thumbs up” this spring, and our volunteers have been busy making preparations and have identified new campers who will benefit from learning to manage their diabetes.

Self-management education is still lacking for children and families in parts of Georgia, particularly in the rural areas. The camp continues to serve an important role in keeping these youngsters healthy and in helping them survive. Just a few years ago, the diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes was a death sentence for Georgian children. We’ve come a long way, with more than 1,200 surviving campers from the past quarter of a century!

With your help, ACTS will go on in the tradition of the late Dr. Trish, Drs. Ron and Betty James, and our dearly missed volunteers Pat Hutchinson and Diana Groshong, ensuring that at-risk children have a better chance at survival.

Please consider donating to preserve these kids' future:

1. By going directly to this special ACTS PayPal link, where you also can designate how we should use your gift, including memorials:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WU4JCEZA4TD4; OR

2. By visiting the ACTS website: http://acalltoserve.org (scroll down to and click on the Donate Now button on the home page)

Thank you for demonstrating your love and for making a difference in the life of a Georgian child!

Happy Georgian Independence Day -- May 26! 🇬🇪

For those who live outside of mid-Missouri or who couldn't make it to Diana Groshong's funeral yesterday at First Baptist Church of Columbia, we are sharing a copy of the program and obituary. More than 500 people turned out to pay their respects and remember this wonderful woman who meant so much to her community and church, and to our ACTS family.

The obituary suggests memorials to First Baptist or Stephens College, and the family also invites ACTS supporters to donate to a memorial we are establishing in Diana's name to continue the work that she helped make possible over the years. ACTS memorials may be mailed to: A Call To Serve, c/o Kathleene James, 2818 Melody Lane, Columbia, MO 65203, or given via PayPal at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=NLBWV4YBZW3Q2.

We are grateful for Diana's service and lovingkindness.

Best wishes on this St. George's Day!

We have lost our dear friend Diana Groshong, who died Sunday after a brief illness. As a faithful volunteer, she meant a great deal to ACTS over the years and continued to be involved and help as needed up until death. Her leadership and organizational skills made many of our successful events possible, and she and her husband, Kee, have graciously welcomed many Georgian visitors and students into their lovely home since ACTS' inception. She is grieved throughout the Columbia community as one who made a difference in her church, First Baptist, with Stephens College, her alma mater, and as part of many organizations and projects.

A celebration of Diana's life will take place at 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church in Columbia. The family will receive friends before the service from 1 to 3 pm. A reception will follow in the church's fellowship hall.

We pray for the comfort of the Groshong family as they deal with this terrible loss.

Every purchase you make using iGive results in a contribution to the ACTS-Lions Ronald James Georgian Diabetic Children's Camp!

It's Double Donation May! Join iGive & earn Double Donations on all purchases made during the month of May. Get a free iGive.com account so your favorite cause can earn money every time you shop online. There're over 50,000 causes listed already and if you don't find yours you can add it on the fly. It's free and easy! https://www.iGive.com/05KezR3

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You Shop. Your Charity Gets Money. For Free.™

iGive is a free service where shopping at any of 1957 stores like Walmart, Travelocity, Overstock, and many more, means a donation to your favorite cause.

iGive - You Shop. Your Charity Gets Money. For Free. Shopping at any of 1962 stores like Travelocity, Macys, Overstock, and many more, means a donation to your favorite cause.