Contributors to the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) offering often wonder where their donations go. The Presbyterian Hunger Program, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and Self-Development of People combined efforts to illustrate the reach of the offering’s funds. Today they launched an interactive global map that details initiatives being supported, along with Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) sites.
“The map represents a visual opportunity for those familiar with only one of the ministries to learn about the other two,” says Margaret Mwale, associate, community relations for the Self-Development of People. “It’s a great opportunity for people to connect to OGHS efforts in their local communities and at the same time attests to the breadth of the work performed across the church throughout the United States and internationally.”
The Google map is a useful resource for learning about volunteer, internship and advocacy opportunities offered by the program partners. It uses unique icons for each agency in the left navigation bar, and expands to list partners and grantees. The map includes the partnering organization, category of work and a detailed description of the project or program. A search function, links to external websites, photos and contact information are included.
“When the General Assembly created these three OGHS ministries, they did a good job of not having their mandates overlap,” says Rick Turner, associate for disaster response, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. “However, as this map shows, there are many areas in which at least two of the ministries are providing assistance. This knowledge allows us to keep each other informed as to what we are doing, and will hopefully highlight ways we can continue to collaborate and leverage our resources. It’s also a one-stop resource for constituents to find volunteer opportunities.”
Even though the map lists projects funded by the OGHS offering and allows users to learn about engagement opportunities, donations to the OGHS will continue to be accepted directly through the OGHS donation page.
“It’s hard to take on problems like hunger, poverty and disasters,” says Andrew Kang Bartlett, national associate for the Presbyterian Hunger Program. “I’ve found the best way to prevent despair about the state of things is to keep moving. With God’s grace and our combined efforts, we can be repairers of the breach, and this map provides Presbyterian’s with the opportunity and information to further engage the work of grant partners with our faithful actions, both small and mighty!”