Answering the call: Clergy inspire Missouri couple to build Guyanese village
Printer-friendly version
Send to friend
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Joe and Judy Roetheli of Kansas City, Mo., made their fortune with a treat that cleans dogs’ teeth, and now the Catholic couple are using the fruits of their labor to house and feed those in need in far-off lands.
“We’ve been fortunate to have been successful and to have made the kind of money we’ve made,” said Joe Roetheli, 61, a parishioner of Holy Family Catholic Church in Kansas City. “There is only so much that we need and God wants us to do something righteous with our good fortune.”
Last October the Roethelis answered that call from God, partnered with the Florida-based Food for the Poor international nonprofit relief agency, and broke ground on the Lil’ Red Village, a 100-house development in Guyana, the only English-speaking nation in South America.
Their $800,000 contribution allowed Food for the Poor to build enough houses to shelter up to 600 people in the village and provide them with sanitation facilities, a community center, a school, several retail shops, a water tower, electric service and a 5-acre community garden to grow food.
A subscription is required to access this content.
Current online and print subscribers, click here to login and view this article.
Please click here to subscribe to the St. Louis Review. You may subscribe to the online edition only or both the online and print editions.
If you already have a subscription and are still unable to access this information, please contact the St. Louis Review.Why does the St. Louis Review require a subscription to access content online? (Click to view).
