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Help for those helping others
Cindy Salyards and her pastor, Al Dayhoff, want to help area immigrants improve their homelands.The 50-year-old Chantilly resident and the pastor of Grace Fellowship Church joined to start Grace Mission Network, an organization that helps people give back to their native countries.
Since the organization was formed in December, the pair have been involved primarily with immigrants from Ghana, but Salyards said they hope to expand that outreach to other ethnic groups in the area.
Working with the area's Chinese, Filipinos and Hispanics is a possibility for the future, Salyards said.
The purpose of the Grace Mission Network is to encourage immigrants to use the skills they acquire in the United States to help their own countries, Dayhoff said.
Recently, Salyards and Dayhoff hosted an event for Ghanaians that drew 150 people, including a candidate for Ghana's presidential race.
Dayhoff, who founded Grace Fellowship Church 15 years ago, said he always felt called to help people who were less fortunate.
As the ethnic portion of his congregation's membership grew to its current 30 percent, Dayhoff wanted to help members help their fellow countrymen, he said.
Salyards, owner of her own Web portal, agreed to be involved because she recently went through a period in her life when she realized she needed to “take time to give back and help others.”
Her husband died of lymphoma last year and her son now struggles with a difficult illness.
“I just came to a crossroads in life where I realized how important it is to give back,” Salyards said.
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