Brighton First supports allied organizations in impoverished and war-torn areas including Ukraine, Poland, Russia and Peru. The Eastern European programming began in 2003 in the rural pre-Siberian plains of Kostroma Oblast and more recently since the military conflict in the area has been transferred to the Polish Border town of Przemysl which has allowed Brighton First to aid Ukrainian refugees and assist Lviv Ukraine Hospitals with medical supplies. In March 2024, a group of volunteers will be connecting up with the Jesuits in Ukraine to establish an ongoing relationship with allied organization inside Ukraine to provide help with orphanages and schools. This model has been successfully done previously in Russia with a Russian social service non-profit from 2003-2019.

Peruvian Mission

The Peruvian Mission is a current dormant program and could use both interested volunteers and funding. In 2020 – a vision quest trip was taken to establish connections to an allied social service organization in Chimbote and the nearby rural village of Pampadura, Peru. Funding was given to the Diocese of Chimbote to fund a church in Pampadura, that was completed during COVID and also money was given to the local mayor of Pampadura for a pump to provide clean water to a rural village with 43 families.

Our contact with the village was a local businessman Frank Roman, who lived nearby and owned a pickup truck. He and his lovely wife who were expecting their fourth child extended classic Peruvian hospitality to Western Pennsylvania volunteers who paid for their plane tickets and expenses to explore this new relationship.

Three months later, Frank Roman died of COVID. Rest in Peace – our dear friend. Pictures of church, community center and Frank Roman. Additionally, contacts were made through the Diocese of Chimbote with the priest in charge of the Church of Holy Martyrs who ironically was miraculously spared being murdered by the Shining Path along with one of the martyred priests when he was the altar boy.