Las Vegas Unificationists Volunteer to Help Vulnerable Children
Photo courtesy of SCP
“St. Jude’s Ranch for Children is an extraordinary place where all the staff members do amazing things,” says a young Unificationist volunteer. “They all give back to society by taking in these young children and giving them love and a second chance to succeed in life.”
Members of the Las Vegas-based Shine City Project (SCP), a grassroots group of young Unificiationists, recently volunteered at the ranch located in Boulder City, Nevada. The charity, which features an on-site chapel, healing center, and gift and thrift shop of donated clothes and other items, has served hundreds of individuals and families in the local community for the last 55 years.
“St. Jude’s is a safe, happy environment for children who desperately need it,” says the volunteer. “The chapel is a quiet place [where] you can pray alone with God ... It’s just a fantastic example of how we should all treat and care for one another.”
On January 13, the SCP group spent the morning helping St. Jude’s staff with various tasks and cleaning up different areas of the property. To date, the ranch has served approximately 600 youth, helped more than a hundred families keep their kids out of foster care, and provided nearly 30,000 meals to people in need. Currently, they have more than 300 people receiving aid through St. Jude’s housing and support services program.
“This ranch does a lot of good for a lot of kids,” says another SCP volunteer. “They have a gift shop, which is actually like a thrift store, and everything is donated so anything you buy is helping the kids.”
The ranch is a safe haven that shelters vulnerable youth, nearly all of whom have experienced some form of abuse. Jeffrey Silerio, SCP’s national director, said it’s the first time working with St. Jude’s, which reflects SCP’s goal this year to broaden its reach and impact by collaborating with more nonprofits. In 2023, SCP partnered with more than 25 local organizations and committed almost a thousand volunteer hours, Silerio said.
As the SCP team helped organize and clean the St. Jude’s ranch, they noticed the calming, historical atmosphere at the property.
“The beautiful church and serene grounds are relatively close to Lake Mead,” notes a volunteer. “St. Jude is the patron saint of desperate causes and I felt this ranch definitely serves a good cause. I was happy to be able to invest my time and energy in a meaningful cause that [benefits] so many children.”
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