Mormonnewsroom.org pulls stories from the international Newsroom websites to show what leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world are doing to better the communities in which they live.
Germany: “Candy Bomber” Honored in Germany
Colonel Gail S. Halvorsen, a Mormon, was the “Chocolate Pilot,” “Uncle Wiggly Wings” or better known as the “Candy Bomber” during the Berlin Airlift 65 years ago. He dropped candy attached to handkerchief parachutes from his World War II plane to the German children.
In June, the 92-year-old was honored in Germany for the positive effect he has had on children.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened a weeklong exhibit called “Friends Always” commemorating the Berlin Airlift. In addition to the exhibit, a Berlin school has been named in his honor, the Gail S. Halvorsen School. Education administrators expressed gratitude for Halvorsen’s actions and for the positive example he is for the students of the school.
Read more about the events honoring Colonel Halvorsen on the Germany Mormon Newsroom website in German, and the Ireland Mormon Newsroom website in English. He also made a stop in Frankfurt.
Last December, he was a featured guest at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s annual Christmas concert.
Canada: Latter-day Saints Help During Calgary Flooding
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints helped evacuate people from communities in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, this past weekend as rivers overflowed their banks.
Major flooding inundated homes, streets, cars, buildings, a professional hockey arena and popular rodeo grounds. Residents say this is the worst flooding in memory.
Read on the Canada Mormon Newsroom website how Mormons and social media are helping in this natural tragedy.
Pacific: Fijian Latter-day Saints Lend Many Helping Hands
More than 500 Fijians served an estimated 1,500 hours in mid-June during a Mormon Helping Hands project to beautify their island.
Children as young as five joined with grandmothers to clean beaches, pick up garbage from streets and spruce up the grounds of a Suva medical center.
Read comments from the people involved in the day of service on the Pacific Mormon Newsroom website.
Colombia: Young Mormon Helping Hands Make Park Sparkle
Youth in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints cleaned and beautified a park in Colombia.
With guidance from members of the community and local Church leaders, the teenagers, in white Mormon Helping Hands shirts and vests, painted, mowed lawns and picked up garbage in a local park.
On the Colombia Mormon Newsroom website, read how others joined in the effort.
Argentina: 3,000 Volunteers Clean and Paint
Mormon Helping Hands volunteers have been busy working on community improvement projects from Ushuaia to La Quiaca, a 2,200-mile stretch near the southern tip of Argentina.
Hospitals and schools were among the beneficiaries of the work. Read more about it on the Argentina Mormon Newsroom website.
Dominican Republic: Church Employment Services Assists Communities
Employment Services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is helping people find work or improve job skills in the Dominican Republic.
The program, which offers counseling, workshops, a huge database of job opportunities and academic and self-employment help, is not just for members of the Church, but serves people of all faiths.
Learn more about how this Church program helps people apply the principles of self-sufficiency in their lives on the Dominican Republic Mormon Newsroom website.
Chile: Youth Gather for Spiritual Instruction
Thousands of Latter-day Saint young people from all over Chile met this month to participate in a week of spiritual instruction and fun activities.
The annual week is called Especially for Youth (EFY), a program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help teenagers with the challenges and trials they may face in life.
Check out the Chile Mormon Newsroom website for what the youth did.