Cross International
Encyclopedia
Cross International Alliance (Cross) is an inter-denominational Christian
relief and development organization based in South Florida that provides food, shelter, education, medical care and emergency aid
to the poor in over 30 countries across the globe. Cross was recently recognized for its work in Haiti
, receiving a $4.8 million grant from the U.S. government for a new program seeking to care for children and families impacted by AIDS
in the country. From its headquarters in Pompano Beach
, Cross raises millions of dollars through donations each year to fund development programs that target the “poorest of the poor” in developing countries, and it ships millions of dollars worth of humanitarian goods
to high-need areas such as Kenya
and Nicaragua
.
Cross is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
, and has since grown to reach those suffering extreme poverty in other Caribbean countries, Latin America, Africa and Asia. The charity uses two methods to provide aid to the poor: 1) cash grants to support development projects run by in-country ministries, and 2) shipping humanitarian aid.
Cross provides millions of dollars worth of relief and disaster
aid each year, such as relief for earthquake, flood, hurricane and tsunami victims. It also supports hundreds of development projects, including, care and education for orphans and other vulnerable children, housing for the homeless, medicines and health care for indigent people, food for families suffering extreme malnutrition
and clean water for communities that have none, as well as micro-enterprise
programs and other long-term development efforts to break the cycle of poverty.
In every case, Cross’ method of outreach is the same: it locates needy church-based ministries serving the poor in developing countries and provides them with financial support and distributes material aid through their existing programs. This style of outreach enables Cross to supply meaningful help where it is needed most, while keeping overhead costs low.
During the violent 2008 hurricane season
when Haiti was battered by several storms, leaving hundreds dead and much of the country under water, Cross was one of the first groups to respond to the crisis, providing cash grants to Christian ministries in the country so they could buy food for the people. Cross also provided emergency aid to the hardest-hit part of the country, Gonaives, through airlifts and ground shipments, supplying 70,000 pounds of food to Gonaives over several days.
Because of its history of aid to Haiti, Cross was awarded a $4.8 million grant from the U.S. government for a new program seeking to stem the spread of AIDS in Haiti. The grant, announced Dec. 1, 2008 for World AIDS Day
, was awarded through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
(PEPFAR), an initiative started by the Bush administration in 2003 to combat global HIV and AIDS. Cross was one of 19 nonprofit groups to receive funding after a rigorous winnowing process in which 800 different applicants were reviewed. The three-year project will reach an estimated 5,000 orphans and vulnerable children, providing them with the care and medical services, and about 92,000 youths and their families will receive AIDS awareness and destigmatization messages through Cross’ efforts. The program will target destitute people in Haiti’s Grand Anse region, the central plateau, the southern coast and Port-au-Prince.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
relief and development organization based in South Florida that provides food, shelter, education, medical care and emergency aid
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
to the poor in over 30 countries across the globe. Cross was recently recognized for its work in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, receiving a $4.8 million grant from the U.S. government for a new program seeking to care for children and families impacted by AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
in the country. From its headquarters in Pompano Beach
Pompano Beach, Florida
Pompano Beach ) is a city in Broward County, Florida, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean just to the north of Fort Lauderdale. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 99,845...
, Cross raises millions of dollars through donations each year to fund development programs that target the “poorest of the poor” in developing countries, and it ships millions of dollars worth of humanitarian goods
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
to high-need areas such as Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
Cross is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
Founding
Cross International Alliance grew out of the vision of two Christian ministries which were engaged in providing aid to the poor in Haiti – Christian Children’s Charity of Branson, MO, and the Kielar Family Foundation of Boca Raton, FL. The organization began in January 2001 as Cross International, an inter-denominational charity serving the physical and spiritual needs of the poorest people in the developing world. Aid was distributed through Christian churches and ministries of all denominations both Protestant and Catholic. In order to strengthen its relationship with the various U.S. churches the founders of Cross International created a new corporation, Cross International Catholic Outreach, Inc. in 2002 whose mission was to channel aid to the poor through Catholic churches and social ministries overseas. At that point Cross International shifted to channeling aid only through Protestant churches and ministries. The two organizations continued an inter-denominational collaboration as Cross International Alliance. They share offices and some staff but have separate boards of directors, separate finances, separate donorbases, and generally support different projects overseas. They jointly support some inter-denominational projects and collaborate closely in responding to disaster emergencies.Growth
Just eight years after its founding, Cross International Alliance was named the 69th largest non-profit in the U.S. by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Since its start, Cross has provided more than $1 billion in cash grants for development programs and humanitarian aid shipments to help the poor in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and the U.S. In 2005, the charity moved its main office from Boca Raton to its current headquarters in Pompano Beach. Cross International Catholic Outreach still maintains an office in Boca Raton and employs clergy and speakers from across the U.S. The Cross International Alliance employs more than 100 people in the U.S.Leadership
The day-to-day operations of Cross are directed by President Jim Cavnar, who came to the charity with thirty-four years of experience in the start-up and management of non-profit organizations. Cavnar helped launch Cross International after having served as executive director for eight years at the international relief and development organization Food for the Poor in Deerfield Beach, Florida.Mission and Work
Cross International Alliance’s priority is to help "the poorest of the poor." Its work began in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western HemisphereWestern Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
, and has since grown to reach those suffering extreme poverty in other Caribbean countries, Latin America, Africa and Asia. The charity uses two methods to provide aid to the poor: 1) cash grants to support development projects run by in-country ministries, and 2) shipping humanitarian aid.
Cross provides millions of dollars worth of relief and disaster
Natural disaster
A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard . It leads to financial, environmental or human losses...
aid each year, such as relief for earthquake, flood, hurricane and tsunami victims. It also supports hundreds of development projects, including, care and education for orphans and other vulnerable children, housing for the homeless, medicines and health care for indigent people, food for families suffering extreme malnutrition
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
and clean water for communities that have none, as well as micro-enterprise
Micro-enterprise
A micro-enterprise is a type of small business, often registered, having five or fewer employees and requiring seed capital of not more than $35,000. The term is often used in Australia to refer to a business with a single owner-operator, and having up to 20 employees...
programs and other long-term development efforts to break the cycle of poverty.
In every case, Cross’ method of outreach is the same: it locates needy church-based ministries serving the poor in developing countries and provides them with financial support and distributes material aid through their existing programs. This style of outreach enables Cross to supply meaningful help where it is needed most, while keeping overhead costs low.
Where Cross Works
Between its development projects and humanitarian aid shipping, Cross has served the poor in over 30 countries. They are:Work in Haiti
Cross International Alliance heavily supports relief and development in Haiti, the country where it began its work in 2001. It funds more than 25 development projects throughout the country — including orphanages, care for AIDS orphans, school feeding and scholarship programs, medical care, clean water programs and housing construction — and ships millions of dollars worth of aid there each year.During the violent 2008 hurricane season
2008 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season was a very active hurricane season with sixteen named storms formed, including eight that became hurricanes and five that became major hurricanes. The season officially started on June 1 and ended on November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of...
when Haiti was battered by several storms, leaving hundreds dead and much of the country under water, Cross was one of the first groups to respond to the crisis, providing cash grants to Christian ministries in the country so they could buy food for the people. Cross also provided emergency aid to the hardest-hit part of the country, Gonaives, through airlifts and ground shipments, supplying 70,000 pounds of food to Gonaives over several days.
Because of its history of aid to Haiti, Cross was awarded a $4.8 million grant from the U.S. government for a new program seeking to stem the spread of AIDS in Haiti. The grant, announced Dec. 1, 2008 for World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day, observed December 1 every year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Government and health officials observe the day, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an...
, was awarded through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief
The President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief was a commitment of $15 billion over five years from United States President George W. Bush to fight the global HIV/AIDS pandemic...
(PEPFAR), an initiative started by the Bush administration in 2003 to combat global HIV and AIDS. Cross was one of 19 nonprofit groups to receive funding after a rigorous winnowing process in which 800 different applicants were reviewed. The three-year project will reach an estimated 5,000 orphans and vulnerable children, providing them with the care and medical services, and about 92,000 youths and their families will receive AIDS awareness and destigmatization messages through Cross’ efforts. The program will target destitute people in Haiti’s Grand Anse region, the central plateau, the southern coast and Port-au-Prince.
Fundraising
Cross International Alliance depends on donations of money and goods from benefactors in the United States, as well as government grants to fund its many aid projects. The majority of its work is made possible through private donations of money and goods. The charity has an extensive network of clergy and lay people who travel the country speaking on their behalf to raise money for their efforts overseas. It also holds special events, radiothons, and direct mail campaigns to secure funding. Cross has recently expanded its funding base with several government grants.Accountability
- Cross International, Inc. is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)
- Cross International Catholic Outreach, Inc. is listed in the Official Catholic Directory under the Diocese of Palm Beach.
- Cross International Catholic Outreach, Inc. is a member of the National Catholic Development Conference (NCDC)
- Cross International Catholic Outreach, Inc. is a member of the International Catholic Stewardship Council.
- Cross International Catholic Outreach, Inc. has an official collaboration with The Pontifical Council COR UNUM for Human and Christian Development.