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Mother of Hope Deanery jump starts Christmas with Box of Joy program

READY TO HELP — Joelle Bucci, right, project leader for the Box of Joy project of the Mother of Hope Deanery, and Arlene Redish, a member of the Catholic Women’s Club at St. John Fisher Church in Richmond, have Boxes of Joy ready to be filled with gift items for needy in children Haiti, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador.

STEUBENVILLE — Mother of Hope Deanery is spreading Christmas cheer early to needy children in Haiti, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador by mobilizing local parishioners to pack a simple Box of Joy for a child who may have never received a single gift.

The local campaign is part of the Box of Joy program (CrossCatholic.org/BoxOfJoy.org) organized nationwide by Catholic schools and parishes and groups and facilitated by Cross Catholic Outreach.

Joelle Bucci is the local project leader for the Box of Joy project for the deanery. She serves as the auditor at the deanery level and is president of the Catholic Women’s Club at St. John Fisher Church in Richmond.

Bucci decided to lead the campaign when she heard June Lawrence speak at the 2016 Steubenville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Conference. “It was such an impactful moment in my life, and I will be forever changed because of being at that conference and hearing June’s message,” Bucci said.

“Box of Joy is a win-win for those who have and those who need. It will bring the joyous spirit of Christmas to children whose families are too poor to give them a gift and at the same time give families in the U.S. the upbeat, fun — and very hands-on — experience of providing Christmas joy and the story of Jesus Christ to those children,” according to Bucci. Parishioners, students and community members from across the country are working closely together to pack the Boxes of Joy with the goal of helping at least 60,000 impoverished children.

To participate as a church, school, or group, go to CrossCatholic.org/BoxOfJoy.org. Families and individuals are invited to obtain their Boxes of Joy at any Steubenville Catholic church. Gift boxes will be collected during Box of Joy Week — Nov. 3-11 — at the area drop-off center at St. John Fisher Church, 7457 state Route 152, Richmond. A suggested gift list can be found at CrossCatholic.org/BoxOfJoy.org but, in general, toys, hygiene items and school supplies are acceptable. Items should be new or like new and should not include liquids, food, or anything war/gun related. A $9 check made out to Cross Catholic Outreach should be included to cover shipping and overseas costs.

Mother of Hope Deanery is one of four Deaneries of the Steubenville Diocese in Ohio and encompasses more than 15 parishes that stretch over three counties. “We are a group of ‘called and gifted’ Catholic women who recognize and address the spiritual and temporal needs of the family, the parish, the community, and the world. By God’s call we endeavor to foster and encourage the spiritual development of our members and support the application of Catholic principles to all areas of social concerns,” Bucci noted.

Based in Florida, Cross Catholic Outreach is an official Catholic nonprofit relief and development organization that in 12 years has given more than $1 billion in aid to help “the poorest of the poor” in more than two dozen developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and other parts of the world.

For information about Cross Catholic, visit the website at www.crosscatholic.org or call (800) 914-2420.

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