FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MARCH 15, 2017
Brian O’Neil
Third Lens Ministries
334.246.3900
New Partnership: Love Does Ministries
Auburn, AL: Third Lens Ministries is pleased to announce its newest Ministry Partnership with Love Does (www.lovedoes.org). Third Lens will provide design support for the latest expansion of the Restore Leadership Academy in Northern Uganda.
Love Does, formerly Restore International, is a non-profit based in San Diego founded by Bob Goff (www.bobgoff.com), the author of Love Does, a New York Times bestseller. Love Does has been providing education to children in conflict zones for the past 15 years. The organization currently has projects in Uganda, Nepal, India, Iraq and Somalia.
In 2007, Love Does started the Restore Leadership Academy (RLA) as a secondary school in Gulu, Uganda. Many of the students were previous child soldiers, rescued from lives of forced sex trafficking, orphans, or from backgrounds of extreme poverty. From a tiny beginning, the school thrived on the vision to give these kids hope, a home and a fighting chance at success. RLA now has over 500 students in primary, middle and high school and Academy is one of the top schools in Northern Uganda for its academic performance and sports teams.
Andrew King, owner of Architectural Illustrations Inc., has committed to create digital illustrations of the new facilities to be constructed in the coming years by Love Does. Architectural Illustrations, based in Snellville, GA, has been serving the architectural community since 1982, and specializes in watercolor, mixed media and digital illustrations.
Crux Engineering and Construction, a local contracting firm in Northern Uganda, built the original campus and will continue their work on expanding RLA’s facilities in the coming years. Crux was founded by Beau Milliken and a group of friends looking to build the future of Uganda by constructing beautiful buildings at an honest price through the utilization of technology and an attention to quality.
“I first heard Bob Goff speak at the Catalyst Conference several years ago. Immediately, I saw Bob was doing amazing things by overlaying his vocation as an attorney over the mission field. I later read his book, Love Does, and was inspired to live a life of LOVE manifested through my time, talent and treasure,” said Brian O’Neil, Third Lens’ Executive Director. “Love Does works in the conflict zones most ministries avoid. Bob, Deborah and the entire Love Does team are championing the causes of caring for orphans and refugees, educating the next generation and fighting human trafficking. Third Lens is honored to support the work of Love Does.”
“One of our goals at Love Does is to create schools and safe houses in conflict zones and places recovering from war. We go to the places no one else wants to go because often, we can have an enormous impact there, just by showing up,” said Deborah Eriksson, Executive Director and CEO of Love Does. “It’s an honor to get to work beside these local communities who are fighting for a better future. We hope to inspire others to join us in these places of conflict and unrest, and hopefully turn the tide from fear and chaos to love and possibility. We loved getting to work with Third Lens and their volunteers to help us create visual elements for our school. It will help us in raising the support we need to build the classrooms and change the lives of these kids for years to come.”
Third Lens Ministries is a network of architects, engineers, construction and real estate professionals that partner with front-line ministries in developing communities and countries. Third Lens provides comprehensive planning, design and construction management services to organizations in need of facilities. The ministry specializes in projects with medical, orphan care, human trafficking and educational components. Third Lens was founded in 2009 as a 501(c)3, non-profit with offices in Atlanta and Auburn, AL.
