Cross Catholic



4512945381000CONTACT: Kevin Wandra 404-788-1276KWandra@BOX OF JOYMedia Tip Sheet Facts — Bios — News BoxOfJoyNAMEBox of JoySYNOPSISCross Catholic Outreach’s Box of Joy is a booming Christmas ministry inviting people all over the U.S. to pack hope and happiness for thousands of children in dire poverty around the world. Parishes, schools, churches, groups and families may pack gift boxes with presents like small toys, bar soap, pencils, a toothbrush, toothpaste, hard candy, crayons, coloring books or T-shirts. Once participants add a $9 check in each box to cover the shipment and to help support the charitable work where the child lives, they deliver the Box of Joy to their local drop-off center in November. Each box will include a rosary and “The Story of Jesus,” in the recipient’s native language. IMPACT2014Country GuatemalaChildren Helped2,6932015Countries Haiti, GuatemalaChildren Helped11,5752016CountriesHaiti, Guatemala, Dominican RepublicChildren Helped31,7122017CountriesHaiti, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua Children Helped46,3602018CountriesHaiti, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, El Salvador Children Helped58,0302019-2020CountriesHaiti, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, El Salvador Children HelpedGOAL: 85,0002019 SCHEDULEBy September: Each participating group selects a Project Leader and signs up.By October: Project leaders receive materials, set goals and kick off their campaigns.Nov. 2-10: Box of Joy Collection Week. Boxes are collected at local drop-off centers and trucked to the Box of Joy National Screening Center in Miami.Nov. 23-Dec. 15: Gifts are screened and prepared for shipment to children. NEWS HOOKSAmericans are Spending More Money on Christmas GiftsOver a third of Americans estimate they will spend at least $1,000 on Christmas gifts, according to the National Retail Federation. It costs between $25 and $35 to fill a Box of Joy for a child who will otherwise receive nothing for Christmas. Participating in Box of Joy is a small way to spread joy and happiness to others and can fit into most families’ gift budget if they plan for it. Abby Johnson Becomes Box of Joy AmbassadorAbby Johnson, the founder and director of And Then There Were None and author of Unplanned, which was made into a feature film and released in theaters this past March, will be an ambassador for Box of Joy this year. She will show how her family participates in the ministry, including how much her eight children love packing the boxes for children in other nations, and encourage more parishes and groups to participate in Box of Joy.Service Instead of MaterialismAmericans are not only generous but also devote hours per year volunteering, some estimates as high as 52 hours per person. But Americans also have many possessions and Christmas is oversaturated with ads for toys and gadgets and a lot of things we don’t really need. By participating in Box of Joy as a family, parents can teach their children about service and compassion instead of constantly wanting the next new toy or electronic.BIOSJim CavnarPresident, Cross Catholic OutreachIn 2001, Jim Cavnar and a small group of colleagues launched Cross Catholic Outreach to support parishes and ministries that directly serve the world’s poor in their own communities. Under Jim’s leadership, Cross Catholic Outreach grew from a fledgling enterprise to a Vatican-recognized charity in dozens of countries. They fight poverty more effectively by channeling hundreds of millions of dollars in grants and relief supplies through this grassroots network.Previously, Jim served eight years as executive director of a Christian relief and development ministry called Food for the Poor, helping build it into the fastest-growing major charity in the U.S.After graduating from Notre Dame with a degree in Theology, Jim worked in campus ministry at the Catholic parish at the University of Michigan and then helped found and lead an ecumenical lay community in Ann Arbor of 3,000 members promoting evangelization and spiritual renewal nationally and internationally. Out of it grew Servant Ministries, an international mission organization and publishing company he helped develop and lead for 20 years. Sandi PinoSr. Director of the Parish & Community Services Department, Cross Catholic OutreachDuring her tenure at Cross Catholic, Sandi has represented the organization at conferences, parishes, schools and community events. She has presented the mission of Cross Catholic for various television and radio opportunities. Sandi especially enjoys accompanying Catholic parish and school groups on mission trips to countries such as Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Haiti. Abby JohnsonBox of Joy ambassador/founder & director of And Then There Were NoneAbby Johnson worked for Planned Parenthood for eight years, working her way up through the ranks to become the clinic director at a clinic in Bryan, Texas. She was Planned Parenthood's Employee of the Year in 2008, but she walked away from her job after witnessing the abortion of a 13-week-old fetus during an ultrasound-guided abortion. She left Planned Parenthood and instantly became a national news headliner for her defection, which led to a pro-life speaking career. In 2012, she founded And Then There Were None, the only ministry in the nation that helps abortion workers leave their jobs and find new ones out of the industry. To date, she has helped nearly 500 abortion workers quit. Her bestselling book, Unplanned, was made into a feature film that debuted in theaters nationwide March 2019 under the same name. She and her husband, Doug, have eight children.To learn more, visit BoxOfJoy.For interviews, contact Kevin Wandra at 404-788-1276 or KWandra@Visit the Box of Joy press room for:Box of Joy Press ReleaseCross Catholic Outreach Fact SheetQ&A with Cross Catholic Outreach President Jim Cavnar About Cross Catholic Outreach Based in Florida, Cross Catholic Outreach is an official Catholic nonprofit 501(c)(3) relief and development organization that, since its founding in 2001, has given more than $1 billion in aid to help “the poorest of the poor” in more than three dozen developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and other parts of the world. For more information about Cross Catholic Outreach, visit or call 800-914-2420. ................
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