News and Updates

HOLY – To be ‘set apart’, often for a special task.

When the recent storms hit the Philippines, so many of us felt completely powerless to help in any significant way. Fortunately, we have a dear friend, Maricel, who is from that area but currently living in Cuba.

Her Common Change group was able to give $2500 towards getting Maricel to the Philippines so that she can help find needs through relationships she has there that we will also be able to help meet.

Can you think of some friends who might be interested in being part of a group like this for 6 months to see what it is like?

Head on over to the Common Change website and get started.

Groups of dedicated Common Changers are collaborating to share stories and meet needs of those they know. As we head towards Christmas time, let us remember that it is not a happy time for many who have lost friends and family members this year or who are currently struggling to make ends meet.

In Texas, we have helped ease a burden for a family who has recently faced unemployment and ‘adopted’ a family for Christmas by fitting out their house with beds and mattresses; in Alabama, we were able to buy a juicer to give ongoing assistance to a dear friend who is struggling through cancer treatment; in California, we helped with the costs of a cremation for a family, who could not afford it; while in Kentucky, we assisted some family members with the costs of furniture needed as they moved into a new home.

Let’s celebrate a Common Change Christmas together.

If you have not yet shared a request this year, why not take this season as an opportunity to look around you and see if there is a need in the life of someone you know and love, that you could bring to your group?

Thank you for being the best part of Common Change.

DELIGHT.

Ever needed to get somewhere but didn’t have the means?

Rebecca, a singer songwriter who produces music that helps support who groups are and what they do, was needing some help funding a road trip to her latest gig in Colorado. When her friend in one of our Common Change groups heard of the need, they were quickly able to give the $400 needed.

What reasons for bringing delight might you and a group of friends be able to be in the coming months? Come on over to Common Change, sign up and get started.  

TIME.

Is it possible to give someone the gift of time?

Elizabeth knows someone who has worked diligently for 20 years in a children’s home in Mexico and was in need of a break but lacked the funds to do so.

By sharing this need with her Common Change group, they were able to pay for a space so that her friend could get that much needed sabbatical and be able to be refreshed for when she returned.

Would you like to become a part of a group looking to share resources you have with people you already know who are in need? Go to www.commonchange.com and see how easy it is to become a part of this. 

GO.

Ever had a friend in need of transportation?

A Common Change user recently heard news of a friend whose mother (who lives ten hours away from her) does not have long to live. When hearing about this need, her Common Change group was able to purchase the bus ticket (which the friend could not afford) so that she was able to visit with her mother one last time.

What needs might you be able to meet?

Visit www.commonchange.com and become a part of a group so that we can start sharing your stories here.

BOUND.

Do you sometimes feel like your hands are tied?

I felt that way in December last year when I heard some friends of mine suddenly lost their jobs and had to be out of the country they were working in [Japan] within three weeks. But after sharing the need with my Common Change group, we were able to get involved with a sum of $1000, making their trip home a lot more manageable, while also showing them support and love as a community of people they mostly didn’t know.

Head on over to www.commonchange.com and become part of a group so you can start becoming part of stories like these. 

PEACE.

A country enveloped by war can feel quite overwhelming.

Seeking to help plant hope in the midst of a turbulent Palestine, Jake and the friends from his Common Change group committed some funds to help his friend start a vegetable garden.

A small act of kindness is now producing seeds of optimism for all who share in its produce.

As you consider people in your life who are working towards peace, why not head over to www.commonchange.com and register a group and start building up your group fund?

FLOOD.

Ever feel like everything is going wrong at once?

Friends of mine who work for a non-profit in New Jersey were struggling to make ends meet. In one week the floodgates opened for Richard and Andrea as they had bills for the optometrist and dentist arrive and were desperately in need of new tires and a checkup for their car to help make it roadworthy. When Common Change intervened we were able to cover the dental and eye bills as well as contributing a large portion towards the work needed on the car.

Is there a family you know who is feeling that kind of pressure that would be fairly easy for you and a group of friends to help alleviate?

Why not head on over to the Common Change website and get started on creating your group?

Ever had a friend in need of transportation?

A Common Change user recently heard news of a friend whose mother (who lives ten hours away from her) does not have long to live. When hearing about this need, her Common Change group was able to purchase the ticket (which the friend could not afford) so that she was able to visit with her mother one last time.

What needs might you be able to meet? Visit www.commonchange.com

A family relative was about to give birth in a far off country. They were hoping to have a natural birth for their second daughter with their midwife present. As only one hospital in their area offered that and was not covered by their insurance, a request was made to a Common Change group to help them out.

We were able to walk alongside family and friends who helped contribute and together with the $400 Common Change sent were able to cover the up-front co-payment needed to gain access to the hospital. This prevented them needing to borrow from credit and start their life with their new baby in any kind of debt. They have since given birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl.