What Can You Do To Help?
For those who have already sent donations to help OLTIV’s efforts, we wish to take this time to thank you and let you know your generosity has helped. However, we need much more to accomplish our goal of preserving this facility and offering family-oriented pilgrimages and retreats on behalf of Our Lady of America .
First of all, we need adequate funding to acquire the property and run it as a not-for-profit as is required by Church law for devotional shrines. The owners, who stepped in 7 years ago to save the property and have a strong devotion to the Holy Family, are being very helpful in working with us to ensure the success of this movement. They are also willing, as is OLTIV, to work with any other group who vows to do the same for the sake of the Holy Family under the guidance of Our Lady of America.
If you are in a position to help with a donation of cash or stocks, foundation grant, or private pledge to assist us in our effort, please contact OLTIV at info@oltiv.org with your contact numbers and we will discuss details with you and answer your questions related to your participation.
Building materials, specialized trades, and furniture & equipment are still needed to help with necessary facility restoration to facilitate a safer environment for pilgrims:
Roofing Shingles
Interlocking Pavers
Retaining Wall Blocks
Commercial Carpeting
Hardwood Mulch/ Landscape Materials
Plumbing/Bath & Shower Fixtures
Specialized Trades
FlatRoofing Repair
Brick Tuckpointing
Driveway Sealcoating
Otis Elevator Service
Indoor Plaster Repair
Concrete Sidewalk Repair
Plumbers
Furniture & Equipment
Golf Carts For People with Mobility Problems
Weatherproof Park Benches
Church Pews & Statuary
70-85hp Tractor for Grounds Maintenance
15-20 Foot Batwing Mower
Use of a 60 foot Boom Lift
If you have access to any of the above items or services and you would like to offer your help, please email info@oltiv.org and you will be contacted. Any and all help is appreciated.
All gifts are tax deductible.
posted by OLTIV @ 12:10 AM
14 Comments
14 Comments:
This is a good idea. Our company has some surplus building materials from an old project that have been laying around for several years just taking up space. Maybe I can talk my boss into donating them. He is a recent convert to the Church so maybe the time is right.
Keep going OLTIV!
It seems an awful shame when there is so much affluence in our society that pleas for donations to support such worthy efforts such as this have to be made. If I had the money I would gladly help out. As is, I will only be able to forward this message on to my friends who have money and ask them to help.
I believe this is desperately needed for our children.
I agree that it seems a shame the trouble the Springs is in. And I am not presuming that all of us who follow this site have a lot of money; or money is not tight for us. But if we could get people to give just what they could afford, no matter how little, or how much it all adds up as this person Kris said.
We who believe in this have a responsibility to help even with a few dollars a month, if that is all we have.
It sounds as if we are in danger of losing this place, and I for one do not intend to stand by and wait for others to help save it.
I truly believe with all my heart that we all can help, and just the gesture of how little we can donate, being money or supplies, will put it out to the Universal God how important this is to all of us, and more and more help will start coming out of the woodworks. This is how it works with almost all things in life. God helps those who help themselves.
We can't wait for a millionaire to donate money here. We need to start to help these people hold on to this place with what we are able to do.
Just one man's opinion.
God bless you all, and Happy Easter!
We are making plans to come visit this summer when school gets out. We will have a lot of teenagers with us who are eager to help out Our Lady of America. Can we plan a work project that could be completed while we are there? My husband is a carpenter and he can build almost anything. My brother-in-law will be there to help also.
I will send this to the info@oltiv.org address and if any other groups are planning to be there this summer maybe we can plan together. If so, please respond to the info@oltiv.org email and ask to be put in touch with me.
To Just One Man-
I agree with your thesis and would like to expound on it a little (I've always wanted use that word "expound").
A few of us were talking at breakfast this morning (coffee and toast because of fasting) about the situation that is developing in Rome City. I had an opportunity to take a detour on one of my trips a few years back and I stopped by and happened to meet the owner Larry. He looked like he had been crawling through trenches all day (which he probably had been doing). I can attest from his demeanor that he is legit and I know he is doing all he can for his love of Our Lady. He doesn't seem to be the type that is after money although I can assure you he needs it. He told me he would never feel like the owner of this place and that he was just holding it for whomever Our Lady planned to put there for the next 100 years. His job was to save the property from the wrecking ball because that is exactly what a lot of people would like to do to it and build houses. It is a magnificent piece of scenic real estate and would make a lot of rich people happy if they developed it. But that isn't what this property is meant to do. It is to be a place where Our Lady's children can come in peace to offer special devotion and commit themselves to Our Lord. If you don't agree with me, then I'd say you've never been there to form a valid opinion.
This is a burden for all of us to share whether we are wealthy or not. You will not be giving any money to the owners, you will be giving it to Our Lady who has called this group to help take the property over and run it for all of us and our children for the next 100 years on behalf of Our Lady of America and Her Son.
I have read many accounts of personal testimonials from people who have been there and have had the same or stronger reaction to Our Lady's presence. I had my own mystical event while I was there praying a rosary with this man on the hill and it was more profound than anything I've ever felt at Medjugorje or Lourdes (even though I find both of those places to be incredible experiences which is why I continue to travel there whenever I can). I feel She is calling people in all sorts of ways from all sorts of places.
Please take the time if you are reading this to forward this info on to the people in your mailing list so that they may know of this special movement and the need for help.
If you are at work and you make charitable contributions through your company, please send what you can. I have always found that when I have done so with my own company funds that it seems Our Lord always puts that money, and more, right back into my company through increased business within a few short days. Please try it.
If you are wealthy and would like to make sure your contribution means something, THIS IS IT! This guy makes sure that every dollar is used frugally and not wasted. I am certain he wouldn't be working with OLTIV if he thought they would be wasteful and disrespectful.
We need ten thousand people to answer this call for help by opening their hearts, not just ten. "Go forth and bear fruit, but your fruit must endure!"
Have a happy and joyous Easter!
Thank you George, I was hoping people like you would get it, and you did. Expound all you want and pray that all will reach deep down and give all they are able to give to save the Springs.
Our Lady is calling us, and I, as you have had a mystical experience there and Know For Sure this experience was of God.
God bless to all,
Just One Man
KRIS said:
I think it's great that we have specific needs now listed. As I mentioned before, the other place of renewal to Our Lady in Cincinnati/Norwood, began just like this - with a few volunteers living close by who set aside weekends to help out wherever they were needed. Then groups came from other parts also specifically to spend a weekend or days to contribute time and efforts. It takes time but everyone begins to see the progress and is so proud to have donated their efforts for their Mother. Now, people may not believe that they can find the needed items, but if you pray to OLTIV and ask her to show you how you can contribute you will be amazed at how something will fall into your hands along with the way to get it there!! For instance, if someone knows of a church or convent, etc., closing, find out if you can obtain statues or pews for OLTIV's needs. Believe me, if there is a will, Mary will show the way. Give a little interest and Mary will help the rest of the way. And, of course, don't be afraid to include your priest/sister friends who also have "special" connections to people who may allow their arms to be twisted for donations - ha!
Also, if I may suggest, if there is a specific amount needed for each listed item, that could be listed also beside the item and groups of people (prayer groups?) could go together to "adopt" that item and sponsor it.
Just some ideas. Hope they help. Ways to make this a real spiritual community - family!
Great idea Kris! I agree that amounts next to larger projects are a good way for people to focus their donations. I do know that these folks get a lot done for little money because they are very frugal just like George said. If they could hire some people it would be amazing. Maybe someone could offer to sponsor a grounds helper for the season? That would be about $300/week? I don't know what they make anymore.
I have been to Rome City now several times this spring. Not this week though because it is much too cold for my bones. I can see from the list of materials and help from tradesmen just how they could all be used to help make this place so much more accessible to people in wheelchairs or who use walkers. The golf carts would be a wonderful blessing! It is all I can do to make it back up the hill when I am walking back from Holy Family Hill.
If anyone would like to do a work project I would be happy to help with food catering and cleaning.
I recall that money is needed to refurbish the tabernacle that had been desecrated by The Way. This was the tabernacle that had been in this church when Our Lady of America appeared to Sr. Neuzil.
They had broken off the cross at the top and had broken the key off in the lock. They used it to hold cleaning supplies and had beaten it with hammers as sign of contempt for Jesus.
Larry was very emotional when he showed it to a group of us on one of my visits. He said he had a company in St.Louis that could restore it but that he could not afford to have the work done. He estimated it at $3000-4000.
Just a thought.
These are very good ideas. I will be talking to some people this weekend about this at our Easter gathering. Maybe we can do something to help. I know my one friend has much wealth from her husband's company since he passed away and she is always looking to do some good. We have been considering a trip to the midwest this summer to visit this fascinating site. We feel drawn to it for some uncanny reason that we cannot explain.
Many blessings to all on this Holy Day.
KRIS said:
I'm located in eastern PA. I may have missed it, but are there easily accessible directions to the shrine somewhere on this site? In case we run into some of the items needed and need to tell someone where to deliver them they would probably need good directions.
Also, could you list any nearby businesses with tele/email numbers/addresses that you might deal with who could be contacted for such donations and deliveries? Are there businesses nearby (or golf clubs) that might have used golf cars or shuttle carriers for instance? I mean we could send checks for donations but then someone would have to do all of the contacting, etc.
What are the closest towns for such?
Thanks ... anyone?
This Holy Ground MUST be saved from any threat of it not being used as Our Lady has intended.
A few weeks ago, my husband and I shared our story of conversion from our previous commitment to The Way. We thought we knew it all. We thought that Catholics were delusional and being misled by a Pope who was no better than the devil himself. We thought that Jesus was NOT the son of God.
Then we visited our old Indiana campus and ran into the owner who, through his divine inspiration, re-directed our attention to where we were eventually enlightened to the TRUTH. We learned that Our Lady had been at this place all along during our education even though we denied Her and Her Son their rightful place.
We will be baptized into the Catholic Church this Sunday morning along with our two children. We will also be receiving our First Communion, as a family, and we have all selected the Holy Family as our figurative sponsors for this event. We are so in love with the TRUTH and could not be happier.
We have many people to thank for our being here, but mostly we need to be thankful to Our Lady for inspiring the good people who are working to save this old place for the work that has been so beautifully described in earlier letters on this site. If so many special graces can be bestowed upon our family, what is still waiting for all of the other families who have yet to pass through the halls in Rome City and feel Our Lady's presence? It is too precious to let slip away and we can not afford to chance any adversarial attempts to destroy this place.
While we were students there, some prominent local figures had been very vocal against our presence in their community. As members of The Way, we always felt a bit intimidated when we left the campus grounds even though we tried hard not to show it. I know there are still people who would like nothing more than to tear the buildings down and put up their little country club. This cannot happen.
Please do what you can to help save our most favorite place in the world. We truly believe we would have been forever ignorant had we not stopped in that day and learned of Our Lady of America and not been shut out by the people, especially Larry, who received us there.
To Larry, thank you for your patience with us and for placing us in the hands of Our Lady of America for conversion. We came to find the TRUTH and we found it. Take care of our little chapel. We will be back.
Have a Blessed and Peaceful Easter!
KRIS-
Great minds think alike.
The nearest city to concentrate your search would be Fort Wayne or the South Bend/Elkhart areas. There are smaller cities nearby, but they would probably not be as fruitful if you were to do a web search.
The actual address of the campus is:
2730 East Northport Road
Rome City, IN 46784
It is easy to mapquest or google earth.
There is a company called Club Car in Wauconda, IL that makes all kinds of carts...we were looking at getting them one of the 4 passenger carts...they run about $2800 used/delivered. There is another company we found in Fort Wayne called Bill Miller Golf Carts who deals in fleets and used carts that we were told to contact. We left a message but no response yet.
From my own work on previous projects, I think it may be better to get the info but let OLTIV do the transaction because they will save the sales taxes and possibly get a reduced rate on the items.
Does anyone have any contacts with a company like Interlock Pavers? These would be greatfor this project. They could be delivered to the site and will not degrade while they wait for install. In talking with Larry, we found they had already considered doing engraved pavers for memorial walkways as a means to raise additional funds for future projects. This is a good idea.
If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to put them here. If I can help, I will.
The memorial pavers are a great idea. We raised over $100K for a small revitalization project in our downtown with just such a project. This is something that could always be added to as time goes on.
We had another company do the engraving, so I do not know what that process entails. There are many different brands of pavers and they are very attractive and durable.
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