Christ in the City Year of Service

“The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. " -Mother Teresa

Hello! My name is Madeleine Veith, I am from Fairfield, CT. I graduated last year from Providence College and have the tremendous opportunity to give a year of my life in service, to the mission and organization, Christ in the City , but I need YOUR help.

This coming August, I plan to leave the comforts of my life, and move to Denver so that I can live the mission of Christ in the City, to "know, love, and serve the poor," through befriending the homeless on the streets of Denver. I will live in community with about 30 other young people, where we will live and serve the Denver homeless, take a few Masters classes, receive Career Mentoring, and gain valuable non profit experience.

Why do I want to do this? Why do I want to work with the homeless for a year?  Why am I asking for your help? I have the time and the ability to give my life this year to serve the homeless in a meaningful way. I have wanted to work with the homeless for years, but I lacked the time and the resources. I have known about Christ in the City since I was in high school, but I never imagined that I would want to/be asked to give my life in this way. I've never even been on a mission trip before! I believe in the mission to "know, love and serve the poor," and I hope to embody it. You can see more about the organization in the videos below! In reality, it will be a challenging year, but I know that this is what I'm meant to do at this time, and that I will be able to do that with the help of mission partners.

That's where you come in. First and foremost, please keep my community and those we'll serve in your thoughts and prayers. This year will be hard and so so good! I need mission partners to support me, because I can give my time and life for this coming year, but I cannot do it alone. In order to give my life for this year, I must fundraise $7,000 by July 31 (either with donations or monthly pledges: indicate my name in the Missionary Name field ) to cover a third of the costs of room and board, in addition to other expenses for my ministry. They do not provide a stipend, so I hope to raise an additional $550 ($50 x's 11months) through GoFundMe, to help cover toiletries and other personal expenses for this coming year. It does not cover flights to/from Denver and home. All the money donated on GoFundMe or Christ in the City will go towards my missionary year.

Will you become my mission partner? Please consider becoming a mission partner and donating to my Christ in the City efforts. If you cannot give financially, will you please keep us in your thoughts and prayers? And if you know anyone who would be willing to give, please let me know, pass along this information, and share this with all whom you know! I cannot do this alone.

Finally, know of my gratitude and prayers for each of you. I would love to talk with you more about the organization and how I came to find it. Reach out, I'm so excited to share this coming year with you.

Thanks, 
Madeleine

Ps. If you would like to have your gift be tax deductible, donate here and indicate my name, Madeleine Veith, in the Missionary's Name field.

I love this video because it highlights what Christ in the City does, and how anyone can encounter the homeless:
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This video is why I want to do this. These are a few friends of Christ in the City from the streets!
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This is a TV episode from Chris Stefanick's TV show, Real Life Catholic. Please check out if you have 30min!
Real Life Catholic TV episode