Daring You to Care
Dare to Care Alliance for Children: Reaching Out to Community
Over 100 families met together to celebrate Christmas at the 2nd annual Dare to Care Alliance for Children Christmas party on December 19, 2009. Dare to Care (“D2C”) is a 501(c)3 non profit organization that partnered with the Twin Boro Bears football team of Mendham, NJ, InnerVoice Christian Music Magazine based out of Clinton, NJ, and sponsors and volunteers from all over NJ and NY to provide gifts, clothing and food to needy families from Somerset and Morris Counties, NJ.
D2C is a Christian organization that reaches out locally as well as globally with their vision and programs. D2C was founded by three friends, David Yun, Jim Petrucci and John Lee, who originally wanted to put their faith into action in a very practical way by providing for the immediate needs of children who were temporarily displaced or suffering from serious illnesses. Directed by the Scripture verse Mark 9:37, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me," the three friends began coordinating with individuals and other organizations to meet the needs of families in crisis situations in their local area.
In addition to helping local neighbors in need, D2C also provides annual support to several communities in Paraguay, as well as missionaries abroad. Jim Petrucci said, “I’ve been to Paraguay and have personally seen the poverty and dire living conditions. I knew I could do something to help. The vision for D2C is to do all we can to lend a hand to the ones that are forgotten and have no resources of their own. We have so many resources at our fingertips here in America – we need to use them wisely. D2C is an extension of our beliefs and vision to help as many people as we can.”
Food, gifts and clothes were given out to all the families who were invited to attend the Christmas celebration. Crafts for children, a visit from Santa and a live band provided entertainment for the event. As visitors mingled with volunteers, many people experienced Christ’s love first hand. “We simply want this day to be about the children, and we want them to feel loved on. Our organization is just a vehicle. This day was made possible by the generous sponsors and volunteers from the community who stepped up to help, so we’re really grateful,” said John Lee.
One woman from Dover, NJ said, "This is such a blessing. I can't thank all of you enough. If you hadn't done this, I would not have had presents to give my kids this year."
Co-Founder David Yun said, “It’s easy to get involved one day out of the year to help people in need, but it doesn’t stop there. When these families go home, they might not have enough food to last the week or money to pay bills. We refer families to agencies in their own communities when the need is bigger than we can handle.” Petrucci added, “People who need help are always with us. We would love to have more volunteers become involved with Dare to Care so we can extend our reach to many more families in 2010.” 
For more information on how to get involved in Dare to Care Alliance for Children or support this organization, visit www.DaringYouToCare.org. Call or write Sharon@daringyoutocare.org 908-566-5678 • Dare to Care Alliance for Children • 6 E. Main Street • Clinton, NJ 08809