In 1939, Fr. William Howard Bishop founded Glenmary Home Missions to serve the material and spiritual needs of the neglected rural Appalachia and South. "So small a flower is easily overlooked on the roadside. You hardly see it as you pass by. But pick it up and examine it; it becomes a thing of beauty; so, too, the country parish and the country child," Fr. William analogized. His vision of addressing the needs of this community has blossomed, no doubt. The Glenmary Missioners have served in 14 different states, and currently have active missions in three states: Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Aly worked as a mountain manager in Tennesse, for two months and some change. There she participated in the ministry of labor (i.e. construction) and the ministry of presence (i.e. visiting the elderly, poor, and marginalized). Moreover, she was able to see firsthand how Glenmary's ecumenical work (i.e. breaking barriers between different Catholics and other religions) and social justice work is literally bringing communities together. This work in Appalachia could always more support! Ask Aly about her expriences! LEARN: http://www.glenmary.org/vision-mission/ | DONATE: http://www.glenmary.org/ways-to-give/

In 1969, J. D. Bamberger bought 3,000 acres of abused, neglected Texas hill country for the purpose of restoring it back to functional health. He toiled to restore the land over the next 25 years - and prevailed. Bamberger called the land "Selah," a term used in King David's psalms to pause and reflect. Today, Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and a paragon for land conservationists, naturalists, researchers, and more. Bamberger and his staff are stewards of God's earth entrusted to man. They're teaching land owners how to restore land and save water by the millions (yes, millions) of gallons. They're spearheading projects like the Scimitar Horned Oryx global captive breeding program, and saving endangered native species like the Golden-cheeked Warbler and Texas Snowbell from extinction. They love students and education, hosting about 2,000 young learners annually. Frankie Torres discovered the ranch preserve when he attended nature camp during the summer of 2004. He loved it. Frankie has since come to consider himself part of the Selah family. The family has accepted Aly with open arms, and generously agreed to be used as the proposal site. WATCH: https://vimeo.com/158492815 LEARN: https://bambergerranch.org DONATE: https://bambergerranch.org/donate (*Note: You'll have to copy & paste the links).

We would love some nice photo frames to put our wedding/engagement photos in!

Frankie & Aly - we have dreams of fixing up our first home... really owning it... and any amount to help us would be appreciated!

Aly & Frankie love DIY

We love camping and backpacking! This fund is going toward: a cooler ($100), a good first aid kit ($20), and national/state park passes ($80 for one, $180 for both). Places we'd love to go? The Grand Canyon, the Redwoods of California, Glacier Natl Park, and the Smokies.

Aaaand this is where we invite you to go camping / to the beach with us!

We love that this cooler is lightweight and collapsible! And it’s a little easier to carry than a picnic basket :)

Frankie and I love to be efficient, sustainable shoppers - and as much as Aly wishes she could make daily trips to the grocery store, a Costco membership is a better idea!

Aly: “The moment I tried sweet potatoes out of this air fryer... it was love at first crunch. I knew I needed one of these to roast yummy veggies and healthier ‘fried’ foods!” (Breville also makes a nice air fryer, but this was is way more affordable!)

This is an expensive item, so if you know where to get a quality dutch oven for less, we’re definitely okay with that as well. :)

Our Promise: Homemade bread to whoever gets this for us! ;)

We’re busy, just like any other people, so this InstantPot would save a lot of cooking time (and maybe keep Aly from burning herself on the stove/oven as often?).

Frankie looooves fresh o.j., and Aly loves to surprise him with breakfast foods! Help us to serve each other in the wee hours of the morning.