Angoon Alive Project – You can help!

A Southeast Alaskan island-village of 500 Tlingit natives (pronounced “Klink-it”), with 4 grizzly bears for every 1 person, 87% unemployment, 40% of kids living below the poverty line, and rampant alcoholism and bootlegging.  Angoon is a “village of NO:”  there is NO hospital, NO doctor, NO bank or ATM machine; NO fast-food; and saddest of all, NO hope of it ever changing.  To make things worse, the only NON-NATIVE store on the island is currently preying on these poor natives’ isolation by charging them CRIPPLING prices: $60 for a Thanksgiving turkey; $6 for 1/2 gallon of milk; and $55 for a large bag of rice.

So while international museums, from New York to D.C., just love placing their artwork and artifacts on major exhibits; and while NBA athletes and world travelers just love going to their large island to hunt their big game and catch their salmon…NOBODY AS MUCH AS STOPS TO EVEN CONSIDER THEIR CRIES.  But not us (and hopefully, not you, either).  Antioch of Calvary Chapel, a Philadelphia church, has been laboring in Angoon for close to four years now, and our Kingdom mission has now expanded to seeking to giving the Tlingits of Angoon their own, NATIVE-OWNED grocery store, with affordable groceries and new jobs.  Our ultimate goal is to raise $500K.  And as we are looking for corporations and organizations to donate, we have put together a most professional website, with an amazing, full-feature documentary that literally “transports” you to rugged, but beautiful Angoon  (www.AngoonAliveProject.org).  When you go to the site, don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter as well.

Lastly, this is where you can help immediately!  And how we need you!  We are currently in Pepsi‘s monthly running, where at the end of August, they will be awarding $250K to the most voted for business idea.  Now in just under these first two weeks, we already took a quantum leap from 455th place to 51st place!  But we need your help to get to the 1st place position.  Please go to the site www.refresheverything.com/angoongrocerystore and vote, vote, vote!  And please spread the word via facebook, twitter, and texting, and become a part of this awesome movement.  You can also vote on the Pepsi Refresh by phone texts as well.

If anyone would like to talk further about any part of this project, please email pastor Aaron at aaron@angoonaliveproject.org ….

No more with this subtle-but-sad, American notion that Native-Americans are just supposed to be isolated, impoverished, drunk, and depressed.  Christ came to give life!

Thanking you all.