Save Africa's Children

Legacy Ladies has collaborated with Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr., Founder of Save Africa's Children and pastor of West Angeles Church of God and Christ, to help save Africa's children who are suffering due to war, famine and extreme poverty by providing orphanages for children who have been orphaned due to the AIDS pandemic. Presently, 14 million African children are orphans, and as many as 40 million will be orphaned by 2010 , according to United Nations' estimates.

"African Americans, like the biblical figure Joseph, have prospered in land of their captivity. God is now calling the Black church in the United States to turn back and help our African brothers and sisters as they struggle against the AIDS epidemic. Millions of children await our response." ~Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr.

Susan Miller Dorsey High School

Dorsey High School is located in south central Los Angeles and is one of the smallest high schools in LAUSD. Their TruDonion Choir has been a signature for decades at the school. The choir started with nine members and has grown to over 45 talented singers. The choir has a range to perform Handel's Hallelujah Chorus to Yolanda Adams and Samoan songs to German songs.

After extensive media coverage, the word was getting out that Dorsey High School would have an opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City. They received an invitation from Mid-American Productions, along with three other area schools, to perform at an annual series of top school choir concerts. But, they were financially challenged and also needed transportation.

As the deadline was quickly approaching, the Legacy Ladies were able to provide roundtrip airfare for all of the choir members, on their official carrier, Southwest Airlines. As they boarded the plane, there was a look of relief in their eyes of knowing that there dreams had come true and they would experience this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Jenesse Center, the oldest domestic violence intervention program in South Central Los Angeles, received a new coat of paint for their emergency shelter from the Legacy Ladies and their team of volunteers. The team clocked in over 145 hours this weekend painting the interior of the shelter, as well as providing plants, rugs, pictures, and other home items to enhance the living space for women and children of domestic abuse. The interior of the house was painted a rainbow of colors from "dill pickle" to "mellow yellow." As the families returned to the shelter, they knew that they were returning to a "home." The following responses from the women and children, proved that the Ladies and their team of dedicated volunteers had accomplished their mission: "Everything is just BEAUTIFUL!" "We love EVERYTHING!" "The colors are GREAT!" "WOW, they did all of this for us." "It feels like... Home."

Women2Women Empowerment Initiative

The focus of this program is on the women of the Sub-Saharan African country of Malawi. This initiative is to bridge the gap between women of Malawi and concerned African American women's organizations, to continue the services for children and families impacted by AIDS, which was formerly funded by a grant through the Bill Gates Foundation for four years.

Malawi is one of the most impoverished nations in Africa, with a population of 12.3 million. It is the 10th poorest country where approximately 15-20% of the adult population is HIV positive, and 61% of the infected adults are women. Legacy Ladies has partnered with the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance to provide home based care for people with AIDS and orphan care in 37 villages in Malawi. Funding will also support the women to begin income-generating activities such as growing exotic mushrooms, baking and selling bread, setting up vegetable stands, and breeding goats. This will empower them economically and socially, enabling then to have control over their lives and prevent them from being driven to transactional sex to survive.

Voter Registration Absentee Awareness Drive

The purpose of the Voter Registration activity is to educate the general public, in particular youth who are of the age to vote in undeserved and disadvantaged communities, about the right to vote, how to register to vote, deadlines for registering to vote and the advantages of participating in the political process. In addition, the purpose of this program is to facilitate the voter registration process by disseminating voter registration information and assisting individuals with the actual registration process. This activity has taken place at convention halls, schools, restaurants, and churches.

The purpose of the Absentee Voter Drive is to educate the general public, in particular, youth who are of the age to vote in undeserved and disadvantaged communities, about the absentee voter process as an alternative to voting at the voting polls. In addition, the program is designed to facilitate the absentee voter process by disseminating absentee voter information and assisting individuals with the actual absentee voter application process.

Sharing the Torch: "Changing the Lives We Touch - A Day of Service"

Legacy Ladies, Inc. kicked off their 5th anniversary by conducting a day of service in South Central Los Angeles. Volunteers and corporate supporters including United Parcel Service, State Farm, Southwest Airlines, Brotherhood Crusade and ICEF Public Schools, gathered to make a difference in the lives of our children. A bus caravan started at View Park Preparatory Charter School and then dropped volunteers off at Challenger's Boys and Girls Club and Horace Mann Middle School to beautify the facilities. The beautification projects and workshops were well received and greatly appreciated by the community recipients. Over 100 students and parents participated by providing hands on support throughout the day by monitoring and participating in the workshops presented by George Thompson, Dr. Lisa Nicholas, Radhika Patel, Willie Riley, members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Brian Taylor and Kedisa Johnson. In addition to the hands on activities, the volunteers donated over 100 books to School on Wheels, for their educational enrichment program. Also, Legacy Ladies, in partnership with Brotherhood Crusade, presented View Park Preparatory Charter School with a 47" plasma television, to expand their technology program. The Torch is ignited, once again!

Los Angeles Black College Expo

The Expo featured over 50 HBCU's such as Xavier, Dillard, Moorehouse and Prairie View A & M to name a few. Some of the seminars featured informed students about the advantages of HBCU's, hot careers and preparing for college. The Ladies disseminated information on HIV/AIDS and bone marrow awareness, scholarship websites and scholarship applications for students attending Crenshaw High School, View Park Preparatory Charter School and Dorsey High School.

 

Journey to Ghana

On August 17th the journey to Ghana began. Lady Jacqueline, Advisory Board Member, James Castillo, and the 2006 Torch Award Honoree, Dr. LaDoris McClaney, traveled with Bishop Charles E. Blake and a 35 member delegation of "Save Africa's Children," to provide missionary service and visit the hospitals, orphanages and schools that the organization has supported. Imagine children raising children. Imagine an annual income of $300. Imagine a city with open sewage floating down the streets. Imagine students learning math in a room with no walls. Imagine children in the villages crying for crayons, pencils and books. These were some of the images we saw as we traveled throughout Accra, the capital of Ghana, and the surrounding villages. Some have described it as the poor taking care of the destitute, but each day is a new day and the people rise with an uncanny spirit of optimism. We will always remember the faces. We will always remember the songs of hope, "Educate Me, Liberate Me." And yes, we left our hearts in Africa, but we will return.

Day at West Angeles Church of God in Christ

The Legacy Ladies and their Advisory Board Members enjoyed services at West Angeles on "Friends Day," as they kicked-off the promotion of the Torch Awards.