Appalachian Twinning Ministry (ATM)
St. Michael parish is blessed to stand with our brothers and sisters, at Holy Family parish. The Appalachian Twinning Ministry, commonly known as ATM, works closely with four specific parishes, within Holy Family Parish in southwest Virginia. They are a constant Catholic presence, and the ministry stands with our brothers and sisters of the Appalachian Region of Virginia, providing many types of outreach activities and services.
Co-Coordinators: Paul & Kathy Smith – pamaja13@gmail.com
Blood Drive
The Blood Drive Ministry hosts quarterly drives, conducted by the American Red Cross, to help supply whole blood and blood product needs, for regional hospitals. Each pint of blood or concentrated blood products donated can save three lives. Several volunteers are needed to support the drive, by soliciting sign-ups, greeting donors, and other miscellaneous tasks; however, the greatest need is for blood donors to participate in the drives.
Coordinator: Eric May - eric4816@gmail.com
Boys to Men Mentoring
Boys to Men Mentoring (BTM)
BTM is a group mentoring program that offers young boys/young men (ages 12-17) a safe place where they can talk about what is really going on in their lives as well as a community of mentors and peers who listen, believe in them, and help them make better choices. Regular meetings and board meetings are held at St. Michael. Volunteer opportunities exist for mentors – training provided.
Coordinator: Bill Carroll - s.william.carroll@gmail.com
Food Drive
The Food Drive is a good project for families and teens. Parish food drives are typically held on the fourth Saturday of every month, excluding holidays, in which case we move the drive to a different weekend. The collected food helps those in need in the community who St. Michael works to help!
Coordinator: Kevin Kitrick - kkitrick@live.com
Foster Care & Adoption Ministry
The Foster Care and Adoption Ministry is designed to wrap around the foster and adoptive families in our parish, providing them with material support, prayer, and love. As a parish family, we will not only support these families, but also provide education about foster care and adoption and encourage families to consider foster and adoption themselves.
Coordinator: Mary Riley – mriley10703@gmail.com
St. Vincent DePaul Society
The Society of St Vincent DePaul works directly with those most in need, by providing financial, emotional, and spiritual support. They help their friends in need make connections, which address what is causing their struggles. Their primary mission is the spiritual growth of members through service to those in need. All Vincentians are trained and grow in their faith through prayerful interaction with fellow Vincentians and those they serve. Meetings are held twice each month.
President: Thresa Felix - thresafelix@yahoo.com
Haiti Twinning Ministry
This year marks the 15th year the Haiti Twinning Ministry has been engaged with our brothers and sisters of St. Jean Baptiste parish, in Dos Palais, Haiti. Founded on the principals of Respect, Relationship, and Responsibility, the opportunities to serve are as abundant during the year, as the blessings you will receive. If you want to make a difference, the journey begins with you. All ages are welcome!
Co-Coordinators: Gary & Dawna Sargent - gary@sargentstock.com
Richmond Friends of the Homeless
This ministry provides bagged lunches and some helpful supplies (chapstick, blankets,etc.) to approximately 100-125 needy and homeless people at the Greater Mount Moriah Baptist Church. RFOH meets on the 5th Fridays of the month throughout the year. It is a wonderful ministry of long-standing commitment at St. Michael, and those who serve are greatly appreciated by the RFOH organization and, more so, by those served.
Coordinator: Marie Chickey - mfchickey@gmail.com
St. Elizabeth Parish
St. Michael Parish is continually blessed by the gifts of the people at St. Elizabeth, our sister parish. In our relationship, we confer with St. Elizabeth to help them reach out to the community around them. There are numerous ways to become involved: helping with events, such as the annual Jazz Festival, Vacation Bible School, and the holiday gift program.
Contact: Karen Yesolitis - kpy225@aol.com
Coal Pit Learning Center
Coal Pit Learning Center ministers provide lunches once a week, during the school year and twice a week during the summer to approximately 30 preschool children. They also provide Christmas gifts to the children, donations of needed school materials, and help with the yearly Christmas and graduation parties.
Coordinator: Rosemary McCracken - rosemarymc@verizon.net
Virginia Home for Boys & Girls
Virginia Home for Boys and Girls (VHBG) is a non-profit organization, providing transitional living services, specialized education, and therapeutic resources to youth with emotional and behavioral health concerns. At VHBG, their mission is fulfilled, by facilitating the healing process, using a relationship-based, cognitive-behavioral approach. The trauma-informed care youth receive in their group homes, independent living apartments, specialized K-12 school, and therapeutic resource center, restores hope to them and their families, who then find the courage to thrive.
Coordinator: Karen Rice – krice@vhbg.org
We strive to prayerfully be the presence of Jesus to each other and the people that we serve. We serve internationally (Haiti), regionally (Appalachia) and locally (Highland Park) with "twinning relationships" with other Catholic parishes. We work ecumenically in many other areas to serve the homeless and hungry, the elderly, children and families, people with disabilities, those who have been incarcerated and people experiencing financial need.