WE CARE Palestine

For ETGD, WE CARE IS RAISING MONEY FOR THE FRIENDSHIP HOUSE BUILDING FUND.

The FRIENDSHIP HOUSE will be a center for connection and a source of caring support for youth and families in the South End community. This house will be the home of the Community Coordinator (trained staff) and his/her family and have a living room large enough to host gatherings that benefit the community. The Coordinator’s full-time job is to strengthen the caring infrastructure of the neighborhood by working with the people, churches, and other entities in the area. One task of the Coordinator is to organize after school clubs for children and youth. These clubs will be a safe place where young people will be nurtured and loved. They will receive help with homework, have new experiences, and be encouraged to be responsible, caring citizens. A staffed friendship house in the South End will be good for the families in that area and good for our city at large!

When you support WE CARE, you support a movement that makes our community more caring and connected, safer, healthier and more resilient. The unique mission of WE CARE Palestine is to initiate and foster positive, caring relationships in neighborhoods and across the Greater Palestine area. 

Along with author Robert D. Putnam, we believe that "the central importance of community in the lives of individuals is both a timeless truth and a matter of urgent concern for us today.” Throughout history, communities have played a vital role in shaping individuals, providing a sense of belonging, support, and shared values. However, today, we witness a worrisome erosion of community bonds, marked by declining civic participation, weaking social ties, and a rise in social isolation. This compels us to recognize the urgency in revitalizing and nurturing our communities, fostering connections, and creating spaces that promote collective well-being and social cohesion.

No one organization or group can do all that is necessary to restore the bonds which will help our community be a healthier, safer, more vibrant city, but WE CARE Palestine’s unique program addresses this erosion and works to strengthen community bonds through three initiatives: 1) Friendship House; 2) Renewal Team, and 3) Block Leader initiative.

2) Renewal Team Initiative--now over 500 members

Through the Renewal Team initiative, WE CARE encourages people to care for others and offer examples of caring neighbors. WE CARE hosts a Love Your Neighbor Banquet every February where the work of 'Good Neighbors' is celebrated. These Good Neighbors are selected by their own neighbors as someone who has made a difference in their lives. Attendance at the Love Your Neighbor banquet 2026 was over 200.  WE CARE hosts booths at festivals, playing Connect Four (WE CARE's game) and talking to those who stop by about how important it is to care for each other.  If they agree that caring is important and that they do caring acts, they are invited to join the Renewal Team and offered WE CARE Palestine sign for their yard.  The WE CARE signs remind us that there are caring people all over our area.  Third, during the summer, WE CARE hosts the Connect Four Challenge offering 4 cash prizes for individuals who will invite at least 4 neighbors from different homes in their neighborhood over for a visit.  They send in a photo of the gathering and are put in the drawing for a prize.

3) Block Leader Initiative--26 Trained Block Leaders--the heart of WE CARE

Block Leaders are volunteers who commit to getting to know the people who live near them, to be good neighbors, and to help their neighbors know one another. Following training, Block Leaders from across the area meet together for mutual encouragement and the sharing of ideas. This program enables both the renewing of actual neighborhoods and initiates and nurtures relationships across the Greater Palestine area..

Block Leaders are volunteers who agree to being a good neighbor, getting to know the neighbors who live around them, and helping these neighbors get to know one another.  Every Block Leader is encouraged to host at least one Block Party a year to help neighbors.  The goal is to create caring neighborhoods in all areas of our greater Palestine area. Block Leaders meet together four times during the year to get to know one another, to share their work and to be encouraged by one another.  This creates a web of connection and caring across the whole area.  Block Leader work is the heart of the WE CARE movement.     

Because of higher percentages of poverty and crime, some neighborhoods in our city are struggling. These areas need special help to become healthier and safer places for the families, especially the children, who live there. The initiative designed for this type of area is the Friendship House program, a very important but costly endeavor.