5 minute read
HE COULDN’T WALK AWAY
While on a mission trip to Liberia in early 2008, Daryl Roberts of Cartersville visited an orphanage sitting on a tiny hill.
A brutal civil war had shattered the country leaving thousands of children orphaned and abandoned. Roberts knew that the children he met at the orphanage were but a few.
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“It was there that my heart was broken and the trajectory of my life was changed forever,” says Roberts. “There were over sixty children living in horrific conditions. On that little hill, I witnessed a place where heaven and earth came together. I felt a calm, and then and there, I knew the care of these children had been placed in my hands.”
He and friends — and friends of friends —organized and served together under the name, Orphan Aid Liberia. In the last year, they’ve changed their name to LIVE2540, but the charity’s mission remains the same. They are committed to the restoration of hope and health for the abused and abandoned, the hungry and the sick. They work together to create a climate where the Holy Spirit abides, compassion flows freely, and in turn, the Glory of God is revealed.
While Daryl was still in Africa on the mission trip, his wife, Chrissy, began collecting food, clothing and other necessities back home in Georgia. Dozens of friends and associates helped them as they began planning follow-up trips to distribute supplies and provide services for those in need.
The charity has distributed over 5 million meals in Liberia as well as the Phillipines; they’ve given hundreds of babies lifesaving nourishment each week; they are distributing solar audio Bibles; they are implementing anti-trafficking initiatives; they’ve helped construct school buildings, dorms and chicken houses; they’ve worked to deworm thousands of children and adults; they’ve provided hundreds of scholarships for children to attend school — many at the University level; they’ve provided much needed malaria treatments; and so much more.
“The last eleven years have been a challenging but joyous journey,” he says. “Our mission is the same, though we’ve expanded our reach and scope. LIVE2540, derives its name from scripture — Matthew 25:40. The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
At the heart of LIVE2540 is the belief that we all share a calling to care for “the least of these.”
“As you open your heart, and those around you open their hearts, a ripple of love will turn into a mighty wave that cannot be stopped,” says Roberts, who just returned from his 33rd trip to Liberia earlier this year. “The masses will be fed. The sick will find care. Hope will be restored. They will know they are loved and have not been forgotten.”
Most recently, as the pandemic spread across the globe, wreaking havoc in even the most remote regions of the world, LOVE2540 sprang to action and moved supplies into Liberia where staff members could access food and medications for the children and orphans in their care.
They also focused on how they could best support their local community during the crisis. Organization photographer and storyteller, Zach Brown, changed their traditional LOVE logo to include the shape of the state of Georgia as the “O.” They posted the new design and used the #ForBartow hashtag on their social media pages.
A few minutes after posting, the organization started receiving requests for the shirt with the local design. They donated proceeds from the shirt sales to local Bartow County charities engaged in local relief work related to the impacts of COVID-19.
CHARITY IS A FAMILY AFFAIR
Daryl and Chrissy Roberts currently reside in Cartersville, but they also have ties to Calhoun. Both graduated from Calhoun High School. They own CrossFit Trackside on North King Street.
Family is a priority and they are proud parents of two young men, Jake and Luke. Their charity is a family affair — a way of life allowing them to live out God’s calling as a family. The four of them have visited
Liberia together, and their sons love the work and interacting with the children and sharing their love.
Roberts notes that their experiences have shifted the family’s focus and enriched their lives.
“We now have a clear idea of what you need, and what you really don’t need,” he says. “We’ve learned the meaning of true value.”
SHIRTS FOR GOOD
You’ve probably seen the shirts. They are very popular throughout Northwest Georgia — one might even refer to them as fashion statements. But you may not know the meaning of the graphic.
The word, “LOVE,” is transferred onto soft shirts, and at first glance, the “O” has been replaced with the shape of the African continent. But look closer at the shape and you will realize that a child’s silohuette graces the upper, left coastline.
“The purchase of just one of these shirts provides thirty-six meals for a child in need,” Roberts notes. “Our LOVE shirts have provided over three million meals and counting. We’ve combined retail with mission and God continues to grow us.”
So far, the organization has sold thousands of shirts — each sale helping the organization fulfill their important work and mission. These shirts represent a large amount of LIVE2450’s fundraising efforts. The shirts also help publicize the organization and their work.
The organization operates its offices and LOVE Shop under the downtown bridge at 24 E. Church Street in Cartersville. So much of the nonprofit’s mission has been accomplished through sales of its LOVE tees, and that includes the #ForBartow pieces, as well, that help local groups serving Bartow. Along with their apparel, their fair trade shop in downtown Cartersville offers crafts, baskets and jewelry made by skilled artisans from west and east Africa.
They also sell their shirts online at bestshirtonearth.com.
“For our work to be sustained, as well as to grow, God has called on you — the young and the old — to be the answer,” Roberts says. “You can be a champion in their corner. Please join us.”
LIVE2540, Inc.
orphanaidliberia.org
24 E. Church Street
Cartersville, Georgia 30120
