Dear Michael,
I am writing in support of Grace Community Church and Grace Farms Foundation. My family has lived in New Canaan for the past 20 years. Over the course of these two decades my husband and I have raised our three boys, attended the public schools, and volunteered on behalf of the town and other private-public concerns such as Waveny LifeCare Network, Pura Vida For Children, SLOBS, New Canaan Winter Club and the Wetlands Commission along with various church and school activities.
Grace Community Church has been our home since its inception in 2001. We began to meet in backyards to try and make sense out of the tragedies of 9/11 and begin to build a community of faith that was meaningful to us. Finding a building within which our church could operate was always a goal and dream. The journey was long and full of peaks and valleys. When Grace Farms Foundation came forward to provide the gift of a space for Grace Church to call home it was an amazing gift and one that we are eternally grateful for.
I will share one example where Grace Community Church and Grace Farms’ intentions are shared and good. Pura Vida started and remains a small nonprofit organization whose mission is to help the poorest and most vulnerable children in the world. The group works hard to raise money, raise awareness and get people to participate in helping children in need. To date our little organization with the help of Grace Church and New Canaan community has paid for, packed and sent over 1.2 million meals to feed millions of children that would otherwise go hungry or die. As our activities (holiday mailboxes and the community wide food packing event) have grown and we work to engage the community in our efforts, Grace Farms has supported us with the use of space and attracting volunteers that share the desire to work together to help desperate children.
I sincerely hope that the leadership of this town can stand up for those who truly seek to make a difference in the world for others.
Tiffany Begoon