Can one group - or even one individual - truly make a difference?  The answer to that is a resounding yes! 

Right in the middle of the current economic environment, one small church in Long Beach, CA has made a huge difference in the lives of children in Cambodia. 

The church ran Hope for Hagar, a two-month long awareness and fundraising campaign with the bold goal of raising US$10,000 for Hagar's Community Learning Centre.

"Week after week, as the campaign progressed, I saw my own faith strengthened by the response of our congregation," said Paul Park a member of the Long Beach church. 

"Evident in the faces of our church members was an embracing of the causes of social justice and mercy, of being committed advocates for the vulnerable and the powerless. Even more tangibly, however, was what we accomplished through sacrificial giving and creative fundraising."

Throughout the two-month campaign, the church more than doubled their goal of $10,000! 

It goes to show that people and groups, however big or small, can make a difference. 

"What can one local church like ours do about global scourges like poverty, scarcity of education and dehumanizing exploitation?" Park said.  "It begins with a resolve to overcome unfamiliarity and complacency...We get educated on the issues. We take audacious, faith-stretching action. As we take these steps, we see some of the best of what God can do through us."