Who We Are and What We Do
Our Mission
Santa Cruz al Salvador solicits, collects, and manages charitable donations from Santa Cruz County and any other location, for distribution in, or for the benefit of, the country of El Salvador, to those organizations and individuals needing charitable assistance. Santa Cruz al Salvador is allied with Lutheran and Presbyterian churches in the Monterey Bay area (click on the About Us tab for more information).
What We Do
Santa Cruz al Salvador seeks to enhance and enrich the lives of our sisters and brothers in the Cuidadela de Guillermo Ungo, El Salvador through relationship-building delegations and fund raising. Our financial gifts currently provide scholarships for youth and adults who want to further their education but require financial help for tuition, room and board and other expenses. We also collect medical supplies and provide funds to support the medical clinic in Guillermo Ungo.
January 2011 marked the 15th delegation trip since the first one in November 1994. Motivated by the vision of Rev. Larry Morkert, former chaplain at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz and his wife Kathleen, the congregations of Light of Life Lutheran (Scotts Valley, California), St. Stephen's Lutheran (Santa Cruz, California), Good Shepherd Lutheran (Salinas, California), Trinity Presbyterian (Santa Cruz, California) and Advent Lutheran (Morgan Hill, California) have committed prayer, money and energy toward helping our Salvadoran brothers and sisters. Light of Life closed in 2003 but a growing, committed group from the other three congregations continue building relationships with the people of Guillermo Ungo.
Our first gift helped our communities purchase land with a spring to bolster their water supply. Subsequent gifts have supported water improvement, education (computers and scholarships) and health improvement projects.
How can You Help?
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Contributions: Your prayers and financial contributions are always appreciated. Our fundraising goal for 2011 is $30,000.
On-line via PayPal:
By Mail — Contributions may be sent to:
Santa Cruz al Salvador
c/o St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church
2500 Soquel Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95062Please note that Santa Cruz al Salvador is registered under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; our tax ID is 52-2289975.
- Prayer partner opportunities are available for U.S. people/families to be matched with a Salvadoran scholarship recipient.
- Delegation: You can be part of our next delegation - we're happy to share the excitement, adventure and love experienced on our trips.
Join us -- It is a life-changing experience!
