pascha

Homebuilding 2021 and the Future of Service

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Christ is Risen! 

I hope you all had a glorious Holy Week and Pascha!

Thanks to our faithful friends and fabulous fundraisers, our first-annual Push-ups for Hope Campaign raised over $18,000 for St Innocent School! If you missed the Livestream, you can watch it here on YouTube (scroll forward to the 8:00 min mark). It was hosted by Luke Andruchow and Faeli Heise and we smashed through our goal of 1000 push-ups in an hour!

We realize the Project Mexico experience is unique. Nacho nights at the Tiendita. Spending time in communion with our fellow Orthodox Christians, praying and working together and getting to know the boys in our care. There are elements of the experience that will forever remain unique to our 16-acre ranch in Rosarito, Mexico.

Like many, COVID-19 has altered the way we operate our ministry. The US/Mexico border remains closed to non-essential personnel. Because of the risk posed to the children in our care at the Orphanage, our staff, and the local community in Rosarito, we cannot safely host large groups of homebuilders on site at this time.

While we pray for the potential of limited late summer trips to the ranch and to build for a select number of families in Rosarito, we must continue our critical work this summer. Through service and works of mercy by our dedicated interns and volunteers, we honor our commitment to our boys at St Innocent Orphanage, the food and resource-deprived and the unhoused. We must continue to fulfill our mission even in the midst of these challenges.

This year is an opportunity for our ministry to aid those affected by the crisis of the past year. It also presents an opportunity to our volunteers to make a positive difference and most importantly, for you to live out your faith by putting the gospel into action and redeem these unusual times.

For the last year, we've strived to create the best possible experience inspired by our 33 years of homebuilding. We are blessed to offer our unique spiritual programming you've come to expect in Mexico at a number of locations across the United States, including in Boston, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, Texas, Florida, California and in Puerto Rico.  

Additionally, by serving this summer at one of our new sites, you are directly supporting the Orphanage.  Our homebuilding trips provide 40% of our annual budget for the operation of the St Innocent Orphanage and School.

We have 30 interns who have been training all Winter and Spring to serve throughout these locations from June - August. They will support your volunteer trips with our unique service-learning program. We have selected service opportunities in community outreach, humanitarian housing, and disaster recovery that you and your group can participate in close and far from home. Our programming is adapted for each location to guide each volunteer in how to Serve Christ in the Other no matter where we serve. 

In Christ,

Fr. Demetrios (JP) Andrews
Executive Director
Project Mexico and St Innocent Service Works

Push-Ups for Hope Pascha Challenge

“To repent is to look

not downward at my own shortcomings

but upward at God’s love; 

not backward with self-reproach

 but forward with truthfulness.

It is to see not what I have failed to be,

but what by the grace of God I can become.” - St. John Climacus

The Push-ups for Hope Pascha Challenge

The St Innocent Orphanage Push-ups for Hope Challenge is a new way to take ACTION. Support the ministry by committing to do 10 pushups for every $10 you raise. Hit your fundraising goal and challenge your friends and fellow parishioners to do the same. Join the St Innocent Orphanage Push-ups for Hope Pascha Challenge and grow stronger spiritually and physically in honor of St Climicus.

This year the boys of St Innocent are also taking part in a push-up challenge. Doing push-ups is not the only challenge, we also need to raise funds to support critical education, technology and care services. Fundraising for The Push-Ups for Hope Challenge can be rewarding and fun. 

JOIN us Saturday, April 10 at 1pm PST for a LIVESTREAM from St Innocent Orphanage in Baja, Mexico.

We pledge to do 1,000 pushups for 1 hr to reach our goal of $10,000.


Start Your Own Virtual Fundraiser

Set a Fundraising Goal

Once you’ve registered for The Push-Up Challenge, go to your My Page and set your fundraising goal. Be ambitious and keep trying to reach your target! Letting people know what your goal is could inspire them to help you out.

Donate to Yourself

Don’t forget to start things off by donating to yourself to get closer to your goals. People who support themselves are more likely to raise additional donations.


Share on Social Media

Use the Share links on your My Page to share your fundraising goals on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or by email. Talk about why you are doing The Push-Up Challenge and why they should support St Innocent Orphanage. Make sure you tag The Push-Ups for Hope Challenge and use #pushforhope


Get Creative

Film yourself doing a creative push-up as a part of your training for The Push-Ups for Hope Challenge and share it on social media. It’s a great way to grab your friend’s attention and inspire them to support you. When you write your post, tag 3 of your friends and challenge them to come up with their own creative push-up.


Start a Team

Get your friends, family, co-workers, gym buddies or fellow parishioners virtually and start a team on The Push-Up Challenge to work towards fundraising and push-up goals together.


Get Your Parish, Workplace or School Involved

Make sure you let everyone at your school, workplace, sports club or parish, know that you’re doing The Push-Ups for Hope Challenge! Ask a priest/principal/organizer/manager to share a post on the social media page or send an email around to support you. Include a personal message on why you are taking on the Push-Ups for Hope Pascha Challenge.


Ask a Local Business for Support

It could be something as small as your local coffee shop, gym or lunch spot. Reach out to your local business community to help reach your fundraising goal. If they can’t donate, ask them to share your social media post on their page to generate more awareness.


Thank Your Supporters

Make sure you thank your supporters! All it takes is a simple message on your social media posts to encourage more people to donate.