National Recognition by Secular Franciscan Order

At its October 2007 annual meeting, the Secular Franciscan Order of the United States recognized Eileen Chapoton, SFO, of Diamondhead, Our Lady of the Pearl Secular Franciscan Fraternity in Pearlington, St. Stanislaus and Our Lady Academy in Bay St. Louis for raising $4,369.50 in donations for the Lenten 2007 H2O Project. This recognition was announced at the January 2008 meeting of St. Joan of Arc Region.

The H2O Project is a national Franciscan Youth fundraiser to help create clean water by drilling of clean water wells for those most in need. Preventable water related diseases kill one child every 15 seconds or 10,000 children every day. Money is raised by giving up purchase of beverages for two weeks, drinking only water, and contributing the money saved.

Eileen took the H20 Project to St. Stanislaus and Our Lady Academy in 2007. The students participating at these schools raised $4,369.50. Of this amount, $1,250 was designed to Mercy Ships and the remainder to the poor of the village of Cochabamba, Bolivia, South America. For more information, go to this website: http://www.franciscanyouthusa.com/ or write ourladypearl@bellsouth.net.