What’s Up With the Action Council?

January 2023

The mission of the UUCPA Action Council is to empower the congregation to take action for social and environmental justice in the larger community, in accordance with our Unitarian Universalist principles and our congregational commitment to transforming ourselves, each other, and the world.  To keep the congregation better informed about what we are doing, we will be publishing an update periodically.  This is our “first edition”!  We hope you find it useful.

LifeMoves** Craft Bags

Children in the Teal (Grades 3-5) and Tangerine (Grades K-2) Sunday school classes and several dedicated adults assembled 80 craft kits for LifeMoves on December 4th. Sponsored by the Action Council and the Children and Youth Religious Education Committee, the craft kits were destined for children living in transitional housing in Mountain View and Menlo Park. The kits included basic school supplies (such as a #2 pencil, a pencil sharpener, erasers, and a composition book), plus art supplies (various types of art paper, origami instructions, colored pencils, crayons, stickers, glue, scissors, and pipe cleaners). The kits also contained a couple of small toys that lend themselves well to creative play, and a collection of mazes, word finds, and other activities.

The Teal and Tangerine classes (and those dedicated adults) did yeoman work prepping the assembly line. They counted sheets of origami and other art paper, made bundles of pipe cleaners, packaged stickers into envelopes, prepared activity packets, and unwrapped many, many packages of scissors and glue sticks. And once the assembly line was ready, they went down the line gathering items into giant Ziploc bags to make the craft kits. It was a good morning’s work, and one we hope helped transform the holidays for 80 children!  The project was spearheaded by Grace Bhudhikanok, who also delivered the bags to the two LifeMoves locations.

Safe Parking

UUCPA’s Safe Parking program turned 1 year old in November. We’ve served eight clients and shown that these programs are safe and effective. Our team worked deeply with the Congregationalist church and their successful effort to start a similar program. It has been a long road, but our advocacy, courage, and compassion continue to bend our community toward justice. 

Undie Sunday

Undie Sunday took place November 19-December 11, 2022.  We raised just over $1,400 and there were many donations of clothing and sleeping bags as well.  The funds raised were used to purchase additional clothing, sleeping bags, and gift cards.  All the donations were available to Opportunity Center clients during their annual Holiday Fair. 

Action Council Membership

The Action Council charter allows for seven to nine members on the Council.  A year ago we had nine members, but have had two resignations:  Jessica Martin and Tina Kochel, and are anticipating a third.  If you are interested in helping to engage the congregation in justice work, please contact Kristi Iverson at KristiIverson@uucpa.org.   Current members of the Action Council are Kristi Iverson (Chair), Sally Ahnger, Chris Cassell, Sean Hansen, Chris Kan, Edie Keating, and Karen Skold.

**LiveMoves is the organization that manages the Opportunity Center and to which our Christmas Eve and Undie Sunday donations are given each year.