Outreach Projects
Bracebridge United Church has a long history of commitment to global outreach. Below are some of the projects that our congregation supports with money, time, and talent.
BUC/Knox Refugee Partnership
The BUC/Knox Refugee Committee would like to share some of the changes that have taken place with our refugee family, the Janbalis. In early September, the family left Bracebridge and are now living in Barrie. This major decision is very positive for many reasons.
Taking a step back, the Janbalis arrived last December, and they settled very well, integrating into Bracebridge, adjusting to our winter and to Canadian lifestyles. The younger children have excelled in their respective schools, both now quite fluent in English. Some members of the family have passed their G2 drivers licenses - a response to our limited transit system - and realizing that they will need this skill in the future. Some have held summer jobs during the past few months. However, permanent employment has eluded the family, partly because English has proven to be a very difficult challenge.
Both the family and our Committee gradually acknowledged that many of their needs can not be met in Bracebridge. With a recommendation from the advisor to the Refugee Program at the United Church of Canada, we sought the support of Immigrant Services, a branch of the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka. After discussions with its staff, it quickly became obvious that Barrie can offer many advantages for our family. For example….
- Classes in English as a second language, offered at three levels, five days a week
- An adult education centre which offers training in a wide range of skills
- Doctors who speak Kurdish or Arabic - a vital need
- A Kurdish community which has already welcomed the Janbalis
- Many more job opportunities in a much larger centre
- An integrated transit system
- A Mosque
Through the Barrie Kurdish community, the Janbalis have secured accommodation, occupying two floors of a detached home in an area with easy access to the Immigrant Services’ office, schools, shopping and transportation. While our financial obligation is for three months’ rent to November 30th, we also provided the extra last month of the lease as requested by the landlord.
We will continue to support the family, not just financially, but with other requests to help with their integration into Barrie. The initial funds that were raised have been greatly reduced and any current donations will be directed towards covering expenses and incidentals that always seem to accompany moving to a different home, especially in a different city. If you would like to make a donation through Bracebridge United, please direct your gift to the Refugee Fund.
Even though both the Janbalis and the Refugee Committee firmly believe that this move to Barrie is very positive, there are always anxieties with such big decisions. We ask that you hold the health and well-being of this family in your thoughts and prayers.
Thank you for your continuing support.
Margie Michalski and Ann Swan
BUC- Knox Refugee Partnership Co-Chairs
9/13/2026
Mission & Service Fund
In 2022, Bracebridge United Church contributed $43,968 to the United Church of Canada's Mission & Service Fund. Our goal for 2023 is $50,000. These gifts bring healing, justice, and hope to life, especially in a world reeling from the effects of the current pandemic crisis.
Contributions help support ministries and programs in Canada and around the world, such as:
- Global and Canadian justice initiatives
- Aboriginal ministries and right relations
- Community ministries
- Theological education
- Faith formation – youth, camping, intercultural engagement
- Support to remote ministries
- Innovation in communities of Faith
The Ronnie Fund is a humanitarian organization dedicated to empowering the people of Wongonyi, Kenya and the Kenyan people to a better quality of life, moving people from poverty to prosperity. The fund, named for Ronnie Mwachia Mdawida, was initiated in 2006 by Peter, Kathy, Jeremy and Martha Wood of our congregation. Ronnie lived with the Wood family for three months in the fall of 2005 as a participant in the Canada World Youth Eco-Leadership program.
Ronnie's home village of Wongonyi is located about 478 kilometers south of Nairobi in the Voi Division of the Taita Taveta district, a Coast Province of Kenya. Ronnie and his wife, Serah Much Mdawida, are the Project Managers while the Wood family provides financial resources through a network of international supporters and donors who support the sustainable community development projects.
The Ronnie Fund is pleased with the relationship it has developed with Bracebridge United Church over the years as a dedicated supporter of its outreach work along with many individual congregants who are loyal donors. The organization is deeply grateful to BUC for donations over the years from the Special Gifts Committee, Men’s Breakfast Group, BUC Youth Group and Faith Trek as well as being the recipient of many Communion collections. These important financial gifts have helped in the purchase of an ambulance trailer, building of beds for the District Hospital, renovations to the newly opened Health Clinic, provision of bio-sand water filters, resources for Wongonyi Primary School library, renovations to create a special needs classroom, purchase of building supplies for 3 new homes for widows, training workshop for soap making, and agricultural resources along with assistance for ongoing projects and programs. The people of Wongonyi village are truly grateful to BUC for giving them a hand up not a hand out , providing them with dignity and self-esteem in transforming their lives for the better.
Visit The Ronnie Fund to learn more about this amazing life-changing experience in Kenya.
RONNIE FUND UPDATE 2023
As One Year Ends, A New One Begins
"Hi Mum and Papa,
We are grateful for life on this side of the world. It has certainly been challenging but most of these come with their joys as you learn to surf the wheel of life. We dwell less on what is going wrong and focus on how we can respond mentally. This year I poured myself more into what solutions we can have to address various issues facing women and youth. In Kibera and Mathare Slums and in the village we focused on product development. I was involved in a lot of brainstorming and initiating Mwanzo Mpya (New Beginning) and Mathare Yetu (Our Mathare). These projects are geared towards supporting local youths, connecting them with ICT (Information and Communications Technology) skills they can use to generate income and become self employed. I am happy to report various young people can now develop apps that they have sold, some can build websites as well as create digital content providing them with income. Some have also built marketing pages for Women's groups in their communities and are able to sell some of the items the women produce online with some commission.
We had two highly successful medical clinics at our Wongonyi Health Clinic with people coming from four villages to be assessed and seek treatment. One clinic was led by the University of Lucerne medical students and the second by a group of medical practitioners from Slovenia. The Slovenia clinic dwelt mostly on training the social health care workers. The Slovenians have been sending them health care materials along with providing books to help with the various situations local health care workers are encountering. Together they were also able to home visit 12 people with different ailments including prostrate cases.
We continue to lead workshops about remediation to soil erosion during the rainy seasons through re-forestation as we endure the effects of climate change. We also registered Mghongo Eco-Leadership Centre in a government tree planting program which will help us access tree seedlings from local nurseries at better prices.
As we transition into 2024, we have a few needs moving forward:
- Dispensary Medicare support inhalers, antibiotics,
blood sugar medication - cnd $650
- Mkokoteni (handcart) improvised - cdn $470
- Workshops on Food security (handout resources) - cdn $500
- Buying 800 tree seedlings from Mrangi womens group - cdn $325
- Farm Equipment (wheelbarrows, Fork Jembes, spade) - cdn $500
- Women interested in goat milk goats - cdn $150
- Sewing machines for women's group - cdn $250
- Mghongo Eco-Leadership Centre building projects-- cdn $1,600
As always there are continuing requests for school uniforms (clothes, school bags, shoes) along with mattresses and supplemental food needs for orphans and those unable to work, but we know that we cannot help everyone as the need around the world is great at this time. I want to say "Thank you" to all our supporters. You helped us meet so many needs and achieve more. No support is too small. There is a lot of demand for work for people who want to have something special for Christmas as well as raise school fees for their kids. I cannot name everyone for all they have done but it makes a huge impact and we don't take any of your support for granted. It is highly appreciated more than you can know."
Happy Holidays,
Ronnie