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This year is a very special one for Chalice - our 30th anniversary! Through God's abundant grace and the intercession of our Blessed Mother, we have served CImage20220111091959.jpghrist through His poor since 1992. Thanks to the generosity and dedication of sponsors, deacons, volunteers and our worldwide Chalice staff family, we have helped thousands of children grow up happy, healthy, and on their way to a hopeful future.

We invite you to follow Chalice on Facebook, InstagramTwitter and LinkedIn throughout 2022 to learn more about our history, and journey with us as we celebrate the successes of sponsored children, and all those who have been a blessing to us in these 30 Years of Grace. Keep an eye out for special downloadable gifts to you, like this month's 2022 digital calendar! Download your copy today!

These history snippets are examples of our work over the past 30 years. To read more about our work and our journey, read the Annual Reports and newsletters. or visit our blog.


1992
The beginning of a Grace-filled journey
Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) was founded in 1981 in Kansas City. The official bylaws of CFCA Canada were established on April 22, 1992 and they were incorporated on June 30th. The first sponsorship money received in Canada was deposited in August - $420. At the end of 1992, the total deposit for the year was $5,998 sponsorship and $3,816 donations.


1993
Why can't I sponsor a child through the Catholic Church?

Father Pat Headshot
Fr. Patrick Cosgrove, then a parish priest stationed in Springhill, considered sponsoring a child. He said a prayer that he would find a Catholic organization where he could help through sponsorship. Shortly thereafter, a friend from the US visited and invited Fr. Pat to become involved with CFCA. Fr. Pat travelled to Kansas, where he learned the history of CFCA, and was invited to join the board of directors of CFCA Canada. And the rest, as they say, is history.
1993


1994
Springhill, NS, office officially opens in basement of rectory.
This year, Fr. Pat and Fr. Martin Currie (Chancellor of the Halifax Archdiocese) travel to Guatemala.
Every work day begins with prayers for our mission, our supporters, and personal intentions.
Efforts begin to recruit Deacons to share our mission and get sponsorships at weekend appeals in parishes across the country.
1994


1995
First deposit made for sponsorship funds in the Springhill bank.
Kitchener, ON, office of CFCA Canada closes and all Canadian operations move to Springhill.
Including the balance transferred from the Kansas office, the first sponsorship revenue deposited at the Springhill bank was $8,099.62 on May 29.

1995


1996
Our organization in Springhill becomes an autonomous child sponsorship charity, taking the new name of
Christian Child Care International.

frpatkumbo19965 new sites opened: Santiago, Chile; Nairobi, Kenya; Visakhapatnam, India; Toma, Burkina Faso; Kumbo, Cameroon


1997
A year of growth and the publishing of our first newsletter.
The first Speakers' Conference is held in September at the Scarboro Foreign Mission Centre.

frpatkumbo
19978 new sites opened: Raichur, India; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Kawambwa, Zambia; Serenje, Zambia; Kampala, Uganda; Barbil, India; Bo, Sierra Leone; Wa, Ghana


1998
Staff enjoy a visit from Fr. Jean Bruny from Haiti, and then Fern and Eugene Perabo visit him in Haiti to help him with setting up files and operating the sponsorship program.

irinaternopil19987 new sites opened: Bangalore, India; Berhampur, India; Georgetown, Guyana; Jessore, Bangladesh; Mbinga, Tanzania; Padappakara, India; Ternopil, Ukraine


1999
Fr. Pat and Jackie travel to India, and a marketing office opens in North Bay, ON

frpatindia
1999
5 new sites opened: Bulacan, Philippines; Cap-Haitien, Haiti; Meru, Kenya; Tamil Nadu, India; Pochaiv, Ukraine


2000
Moving on up, literally, from the basement of the rectory to a second floor office space above the post office. The grand opening is made official with the blessing of Bishop Terrance Prendergast on Feb. 26.
2000 2 new sites opened: Jeremie, Haiti South; Asha Bhavan, India


2001
Fr. Pat is transferred from Springhill to St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Dartmouth,NS.
Fr. Jean Bruny, Director of Les Palmes project in Haiti, passes away in November from complications of malaria.
Archbishop Martin Currie joins Board of Directors.

archcurrie2001
5 new sites opened: Cotabato, Philippines; Warmi, Bolivia; Janodayam, India; Simone, Haiti; Fapag, Guatemala


2002
A Donor Relations and Planned Giving program has been implemented.
Visits from international staff include Rita Biswas from Bangladesh; Br. Rene Mailloux, Haiti; Srs. Florence and Gina from NDSC, Haiti; Sr. Cecilia Buote, CND, who is working in Kumbo, Cameroon.
srgina20022 new sites opened: NDSC (Notre-Dame de Sacre Coeur), Haiti; Arica, Chile


2003
A workshop is held at Villa Manrese in Port-au-Prince for all projects in Haiti. While in Haiti, staff visit the hospital and school at Simone.

srmonica2003
20032 new sites opened: Itaugua, Paraguay; Roseaux, Haiti


2004
Project Financial Officers move from Springhill to Dartmouth, and an area in the basement of St. Vincent de Paul Church is renovated for offices.
Visits from international site staff this year include Srs. Florence and Gina from NDSC in Haiti, and Pius Mathew, his wife Mercy, and their daughter, Padmu, from Visakhapatnam, India.

amanecerorphanage2004 6 new sites opened: Chiclayo, Peru; Yapacani, Bolivia; Canete, Peru; Amanecer, Bolivia; Dominica, Paraguay; Tumaini, Kenya


2005
A workshop is presented in Bangalore for all Asian projects.
Sr. Marilyn von Zuben from Kumbo, and Luba Tsytsyk from Ukraine, visit this year.

20051 new site opened: Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH), Kenya


2006
Emergency funding is provided to Fapag, Guatemala, following a severe hurricane; and to Meru, Kenya, following a devastating fire.
The Cycling for Children bike tour this year raises funds to build a new Science and Library building for St. Peter's College in Kumbo, Cameroon.
The first Regional Directors' Conference is held in Springhill.

RDconference2006
20063 new sites opened: Margarita, Philippines; Mercy Care, Kenya; Mombasa, Kenya


2007
Another name change from Christian Child Care International to Chalice Canada.
A workshop is presented in Bolivia for the directors of sites in Bolivia and Paraguay.
The Chalice Gift Catalogue makes its debut.

frpatinwa20072 new sites opened: PENNT, Bolivia; Inti Muju, Bolivia


2008
Ken Murphy, who built the original computer program, dies of a heart attack in May.

ken200820083 new sites opened: Asembo, Kenya; Mikinduri, Kenya; Coulson, Kenya


2009
A new office opens in Lower Sackville, and the Finance Department moves from Springhill to Lower Sackville.
A new Prayer Ministry Department is established.
All ties with CFCA are closed.
Chalice supporters generously donate to help our sites in the Philippines following Typhoon Ondoy.
The Board of Chalice US is incorporated on October 14.
2009Our speakers in 2009
speakers2009(l to r): Leo Penney, John Kennedy, Armanda Ballata, Larry Gorman, Ted MacDonnell, Bill Letterio, Paul Carnell, Ron Jenkins, and Gerard Desrosiers


2010
Canadians send unprecedented support to Haiti following a devastating earthquake in January, and to Guatemala in February following an 8.8 magnitude earthquake.
Archbishop Martin Currie of St. John's, NL, visits Peru.
In November, a group of 13 sponsors visit the Jessore site in Bangladesh. Dan, a Canadian sponsor, drives a group of children to school in a school bus tricycle.

dandrives2010


2011
From our beginning in 1992 until now, over 1,500 parish appeals have been presented.
Over our lifetime, we have been invited into over 900 parishes.
As of the end of 2011, we are partnering with over 700 parishes and schools through the Chalice Children Program, rasing awareness in young Canadians of the needs of children in the developing world.
Family Funding approach is introduced in 2011 at the Imphal site in India. Funds received for children and their families are transferred to bank accounts of parents/guardians. Community Circle Groups of 15-20 members, comprised of parents/guardians of sponsored children, hold regularly scheduled meetings to manage the funds and determine how the money will be spent.
2011


2012
Chalice Children Program reaches over 900 parishes and schools this year.
Over 17,000 items purchased from the Chalice Gift Catalogue.
In October, Champion Lesia, assisted by several local youth groups, organized a dinner and dance in Saskatoon. A total of $17,532 was raised to fund a community project. A highlight of the weekend was the sponsorship of 23 children.
Fr. Jim returns to Chiclayo, Peru, where he had, for many years, been part of the Archdiocese of Halifax mission team working there.

frjim2012


2013
Fr. Pat visits West Africa
Through the Chalice sponsorship program, tribal children from Nellore are enrolled in school for the first time.
Chalice Children funding for our site in Santiago, Chile focuses on planting community gardens and providing educational workshops for mothers and children.
eRoots program is launched. This program provides resources, education, training and formation so families can grow their own food and develop sustainable agribusinesses. This year, 65 Community Development Groups received resources, and more than 9,600 people made the move toward self-reliance.
2 Mission Trips this year:
Tamil, India - In February, a team of volunteers travelled to our Tamil site in India, where they had the opportunity to experience Indian life and culture while working alongside our partners and meeting the families we serve.
Fapag, Guatemala - Volunteers traveling to our Fapag site this year helped build the Andres Giron dining room.
srisabelguatemala


2014
Two communities served by the Chiclayo site in Peru now have access to clean, safe water as the result of the installation of three water taps.
Approximately 400 meals a day are provided to children at the Samar site in the Philippines.
TANCAN Medical Mission Trip to Tanzania partners Canadian health professionals with staff of the Chalice-funded medical dispensary in a rural area of Songea.

TANCAN


2015
Renovations have been completed on the building that Chalice is preparing to move into in January of next year in Bedford. On Dec. 31, Archbishop Martin Currie blesses each office and its-soon-to-be-occupants.
3 Mission Trips this year:
Wa, Ghana - 4 participants train volunteer teachers who are serving in classrooms where no teacher is assigned by government. Funds raised: $5,806.
Arica, Chile - 8 participants assist in building a second storey for the parish centre, and trained ALPHA leaders so that the course could be offered at the parish. Funds raised: $13,508.
Haiti South - 15 participants assist with the Homes for Haiti project - making bricks, digging latrine pits and painting homes. Funds raised: $85,806.
haitisouthpaint


2016
By the end of January, all staff members have relocated to the new Chalice office on Union Street in Bedford.
Family Funding has expanded to many sponsor sites: Africa (78%); Asia (100%); Haiti (50%); Latin America (98%).
The local elementary school in Mikinduri, Kenya has seen a 48% increase in enrollment since the implementation of Chalice's school feeding program. Families are now producing some of their own food, as well as supplying food for the school feeding program.
The Springhill, NS office of Chalice closes in August.
3 Mission Trips this year:
Rafiki, Kenya - 11 participants train a team to make and market reusable menstrual kits and provided education about their use. Funds Raised: $5,797.
 CaƱete, Peru - focuses on Corporal Works of Mercy. In addition to their service, the team raised over $20,000 to support seven families, assisting them with renovations to their homes for health and mobility reasons, provided beds and other health needs. They also found sponsors for 36 children and elders!
Pochaiv and Ternopil, Ukraine - 17 participants train Chalice staff and parent leaders in addictions support, so they could start small groups to help those caught in addiction; trained parent leaders and local health practitioners in first aid; assisted with summer renovations for two schools. Funds raised: $15,513.
ukraineMT2016


2017
Due to supporters' generous donations to the Chalice Children Nutrition Program, it has been expanded from only sites in Latin America to sites in the Philippines, Haiti, and Africa this year.
In November, a team of 20 Canadian volunteers travel to Cochabamba, Bolivia, sharing their many talents. An artist helped paint a beautiful mural on an exterior wall of the daycare; a chiropractor led a small team in offering foot and leg care to elders; a dentist and three hygienists worked alongside dental professionals from Bolivia, and set up three clinics.
Donations continue to come in from Joseph, an 11-year-old boy who organized a fundraiser last fall called, 'Walking Together for Water', to raise funds to help provide a well for children at Rikiau Elementary School in Kenya. The entire grade 5/6 class from Ontario walked to a nearby river, filled buckets and watering cans, and walked back to the school. So far, the class has raised $11,356.80.
joseph


2018
Thanks to the kindness of our donors, a water project, including tanks and filters, has been funded through the Chalice Gift Catalogue.
The Global Learning and Evaluation Framework was piloted at eight sites over the past year, and was a success.
In November, a team of volunteers embarked on a medical mission trip to our Haiti North site.
The Kenya and Tanzania School Farming Project has been launched as a successor to the hugely successful eRoots program. Schools and communities use provided seeds, tools, fertilizers and irrigation kits to produce crops used in school meals. The completed project will help many more communities and schools build sustainable food systems, benefiting a total of 460,000 children.
schoolfarming


2019
On a Mission Trip to CMAVIL, Paraguay in March, a diverse team of talented volunteers offered nutrition training, educational services, and facility repairs to the community.
Three volunteers participate in the Chalice Overseas Volunteer Experience (COVE). One travelled to Mombasa, Kenya, one to Tondo, Philippines, and one to Assam, India.
Staff members at our Samar site in the Philippines served nutritious meals to 431 school-aged children and four elders. To ensure effectiveness of the program, 95% of children have had a medical checkup.
The Chalice in Schools program is initiated in the past fiscal year, which pairs a Canadian school with a school in Africa. The Canadian school raises funds for school needs in a site in Africa. In the 2018-19 fiscal year, 56 schools are involved in the program.
Mission Trip unites first Tanzanian sponsored child with our founder, Fr. Patrick.
frpatandstephano


2020
Chalice celebrated our inaugural Feast Day on June 1, the Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church. Led by Archbishop Emeritus Martin Currie and our president, Fr. Patrick Cosgrove, we consecrated Chalice and our mission to Mary.
Since our inception in 1992, we have begun every workday in prayer.
The COVID-19 pandemic forces the indefinite suspension of in-person parish appeals.
In the 2019-2020 fiscal year, 77 schools are participating in the Chalice in Schools program.
A total of $613,000 in COVID-19 relief funding was distributed to 44 sites in 14 countries, helping thousands of families in dire need of support

covidperu


2021
On May 24, 2021, Chalice is constituted as a Private Association of the Faithful by Archbishop Brian Dunn of the Diocese of Halifax-Yarmouth. Read the official decree.

roysanfordRoy Sanford, member of Chalice US Board of Directors, died on March 14.
Through the challenges and gifts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have discovered new ways to pray together as a Chalice family. Our Canadian office morning prayer moved to an online platform, enabling us to invite some of our Chalice Deacons and international site staff to join us. If you have a special prayer intention, please submit it here, and we will pray for your intention.

2021


 

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