Father John Bambrick, pastor of St. Aloysius Parish, Jackson, was recently honored by ChangeALife Uganda for his extraordinary commitment to the children and families of Uganda.

In 2004, Father Bambrick created the Ugandan Education Sponsorship Program enabling parishioners in St. Thomas More Parish, Manalapan, where he was pastor at the time, to sponsor the education of Ugandan children.

In 2006, Jean Semler and Dave Thelen met Father Bambrick and later traveled to Uganda where they saw first-hand the wonderful results of the program. In that same year, Semler and Thelen also met Father Lawrence Kimbowa who shared Father Bambrick’s dedication to educating Uganda’s children. Father Bambrick’s child sponsorship program served as the model for what would become ChangeALife Uganda. Today, ChangeALife Uganda helps educate 300 children through the generous support of sponsors. Father Bambrick has continued to share his passion for the Ugandan mission with his congregants in St. Aloysius Parish.

Father Bambrick was honored at a dinner held in the West Lake Golf and Country Club Ballroom, Jackson, with guest speaker Father Kimbowa, founder of ChangeALifeUganda. The evening included entertainment provided by a Ugandan choral group, The Karolines. The recent completion of a well in Migyera, Uganda, where children and families have access to running water for the first time was also celebrated at the dinner.

For more information on ChangeALife, visit the Facebook page at Change A Life Uganda or online at ww