Just Peace Collection for AlloHope Foundation

Dear members and friends of First Congregational Church Winchester:

Our church has three special offerings a year where 100% of your donations go directly to a selected organization.  These offerings are at Christmas, Easter, and one as our church year begins called the Just Peace offering.  Sometimes the Just Peace offering looks worldwide to put our voice and money behind a need or an initiative that makes the world better.  This year, we’ve chosen to focus on an organization close to our hearts—the Allo Hope Foundation, which played a crucial role in the survival of one of our member's children during a high-risk pregnancy.

Maternal alloimmunization and hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) is one of the most overlooked and marginalized diseases in the world. Thousands of babies die preventable deaths due to lack of awareness, resources, and treatment. This condition occurs when a mother’s immune system mistakenly attacks her baby’s red blood cells, often leading to severe anemia, dangerous bilirubin levels, and even death. Many babies require blood transfusions in utero, NICU time to treat their bilirubin levels, and ongoing care for anemia. Without early detection, proper monitoring, and timely intervention, the consequences can be devastating.

In the United States, we are blessed with access to a simple medication, Rh immunoglobulin (RhoGAM), which has dramatically reduced deaths from this disease. Yet in developing countries, many women don’t have access to this life-saving medication, which leads to the preventable loss of their children (some losing up to 7 or 8 babies). These women—already enduring heartbreaking child-loss—are then faced with tremendous social stigma. In cultures that measure the value of a woman’s life by her ability to bear children, these grieving mothers have limited economic or socio-emotional resources on which to rely.

The Allo Hope Foundation is on the frontlines, offering support and hope not only to families in the US but also to women and babies in Sub-Saharan Africa where this disease is particularly prevalent. Allo Hope provides crucial antibody testing, doses of Rhogam, and education to patients, their families, and their healthcare workers. The need is overwhelming, but we believe in a God who cares deeply for women, children, and those overlooked by society.

Your contribution to this year’s Just Peace offering will provide life-saving prevention, resources, and support to families facing this devastating disease. We ask you to prayerfully consider donating to the Allo Hope Foundation. If you would like to contribute, please note "Allo Hope Foundation" in the memo line of your check, Venmo, or electronic donation. Together, we can help lift the burden of the marginalized and bring justice and hope to those in need.

Thank you for your generosity and for sharing the love of God in such a tangible way.

With many thanks from your Outreach Committee,

Laura Bailey, Karen Bellacosa, Sarah Girotti, Betsy Goodell, Rev. Maeve Hammond, Karen Lauterwasser, Larisa Lindsay, and Katie Shanahan