Spreading hope, goodwill where they’re needed most

O

ne has to admire the spirit of adventure and humanity that would drive some people to venture out from the relatively safe havens of suburbia into one of the most turbulent regions in the world. This summer that is exactly what several area residents will do.

Allentown High School junior Lindsay Bonanno and her mother, Debbie, of Mill-stone Township, and Erika Porsche of Howell will travel thousands of miles as they undertake a goodwill trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia.

The project is being organized with the help of their church, Hope Lutheran Church, Freehold Township, and coordinated by the New Jersey Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

During their tour these American ambassadors will visit orphanages and schools, hand out arts and crafts supplies and sports equipment, and help to raise the spirits of people who live in the shadow of violence and confrontation.

The group will begin its two-week trip on July 13, heading out first to Croatia. The Americans will stay in the Hope Center, a fellowship hall that the group will help to renovate. At the center and the other sites the group members will visit, they will conduct bible camp and day camp programs.

As they get ready to embark on their journey, the Bonannos and Porsche are seeking donations of sports equipment, including basketballs, volleyballs, soccer balls and air pumps and needles. The group has also set specific goals to collect five cage balls, five parachutes, 10 "Peace Cranes" books, 300 canvas tote bags and 300 baseball caps.

We can think of no better way for area residents to show support for this adventure than by responding as they always do to a call for support — by helping to provide some of the items that less fortunate people in the world can only hope to receive.