Greenheart High School Programs Conference: Shifting perspectives through action

Our community of Greenheart global leaders will be in Athens, Greece tomorrow for a day of volunteering. The CCI Greenheart High School Programs Conference gathers our field network, partners and Chicago staff members for a week of programming and reflection. A theme of this year’s conference is to shift perspectives through action. Here at Greenheart, we know that volunteering provides the opportunity to do just that. Three groups will be heading out to three separate locations tomorrow to serve the refugee community in Athens. Learn a little more about those volunteering locations below and stay tuned to hear some thoughts from our community members about their perspective-shifting experience.

Salvation Army
The mission of the Salvation Army is “Doing The Most Good.” They achieve this through feeding, clothing, comforting, and caring for those in need. They state that they have responded to the refugee crisis by providing practical, emotional and spiritual support. Greenheart will be helping in their refugee support efforts by volunteering in one of their large warehouses in Athens. Volunteers will be sorting, packing, and organizing donations of clothing, hygiene items, blankets, beds, etc. These items will then be shipped out to the refugees in Greece who desperately need them.

Alliance Relief
In early September 2015, churches and ministries came together to find ways to cooperate in their efforts to reach out to the refugees that were pouring into Greece. As a result, the “Alliance Relief” was born. They serve in the Greek islands where many refugees first come in contact with Europe. They also provide a refugee care center with snacks and Wi-Fi and a drop-in center for women and children. Greenheart will be volunteering with the refugee children Alliance Relief serves by doing crafts, playing games and brightening their day.

Khora
KHORA is a humanitarian co-operative foundation based in Athens, Greece. They are a group of experienced volunteers who have been working for other organizations around Europe focusing on the provision of services for refugees. They are responding to the humanitarian crisis that is affecting those forced from their homes by war, poverty and climate change. Greenheart will be working both in their warehouse sorting donations and volunteering with refugee children doing arts and crafts.