In 2005 Cool Spring was blessed to meet the needs of:

• 12 Families with 27 Children, from 12 months old up to age 17

• This was the first year Cool Spring hosted C.A.R.I.T.A.S. for two consecutive weeks.

• This year's C.A.R.I.T.A.S. provided many opportunities of service and ministry to our guests. About 325 volunteers worked over 2327 hours in some form of personal service.

• 1 guest received Christ as their personal savior during the week.

2005 C.A.R.I.T.A.S. Report

# Guests: 27 #Families served: 12
# Children: 15 (youngest: 12 months, oldest: 17 years)
# CARITAS organization staff: 9
# Expectant moms: 6
# Volunteers: 325
# Volunteer hours: 2326.60
Professions of Faith: 1

Countless hours of prayers for staff, volunteers, guests in groups and one-to-one.

For two weeks, volunteers provided:
Haircuts, massages, manicures, videos, crafts, daily showers, laundry services, breakfast, bag lunches, dinner, all day Saturday activities, clown shows, cookouts, Parish Nurses, personal items, Rec Center activities, and 20 prepaid phone cards were sent to CARITAS.

Overview:

C.A.R.I.T.A.S. is a community based organization enabling member congregations to provide shelter and hospitality to homeless people in the Richmond metropolitan area. CARITAS is the largest community shelter program in the Richmond area. Each winter the Single Adult Program provides approximately 26,000 nights of shelter to more than 1000 different single men and women. The average length of stay in CARITAS is 28 days.

 Mission:

To minister to homeless families and individuals by providing shelter at Cool Spring Church, meals, structured activities, prayer, and support for 1 to 2 weeks. Sharing the love of Jesus Christ is a top priority.

Spiritual Gifts:

The Spiritual Gifts involved in C.A.R.I.T.A.S. are primarily hospitality, mercy, and serving. However, intercession through prayer is also involved, as well as administration and leadership to organize and coordinate the week.

Go to the Main C.A.R.I.T.A.S. Page

See photos below showing many of the volunteer opportunities available during C.A.R.I.T.A.S.