Volunteers from Ohio State University Finally Arrived!

We have received our much anticipated volunteers from Ohio State and are so pleased and excited to have them. Rachel Koepsel and her friend, Heather Arnette, arrived safe and sound in the wee morning hours of Friday, June 15th. They were met by their host families as well as House of Dreams. Needless to say, they were pretty exhausted but, I think, happy to be here.

The following Saturday we had a small fair at our new Center, and they were there, ready to pitch in and help. Then Monday, Miguel Artola met with them both and showed them what they would be doing.

Rachel, who is here to earn college credit, is working several days a week with another group, SinSoluka, and two days at House of Dreams (HoD). At SinSoluka she is able to help feed and take care of the smaller children, and also tutor older children. Her assignment at HoD is to get all the donations catalogued and other NGOs contacted to pick up donations. Another important goal of hers is to see if we can get the various NGOs to begin to work together both in fund raising and also referring children to each other based upon the needs of the child and the services available from each group.

Heather’s dual major is nursing and Spanish so she has volunteered to help Dr. Miguel at the new clinic he is working with in South Quito. She is making home visits, etc. and says she is enjoying it.

Both of the girls are getting excellent practice using their Spanish!†

Donations

We need educational toys for age’s birth to 4 years old, as well as linen for cribs, mobiles, any other type of infant and toddler item you may no longer need.

Time For a Change

It appears some of our most faithful volunteers have gotten it into their heads that it’s time to move on to new adventures or go back to school. While we generally support both of these activities, we really don’t think we can find adequate replacements for these people so we’re trying to find ways to discourage their travel…cancel their flight reservations? Write the other embassies and tell them they are unfit to enter those countries? There has to be something we can do! We’ll keep thinking about it.

In the meantime, we have to thank, with all our hearts, Lauren Damme, Andy Clare, Carrie Bennett and Robert Balogh. They have handed out fliers in the cold rain, sold raffle tickets to people who would pay them just to go away, sanded and painted doors for the paltry payment of a slice of pizza, and paid to get in to every fund raiser we’ve had, then had to work at it instead of just enjoy it, not to mention all the free advice on a myriad of topics from marketing to games for a fair. One is lucky to have the opportunity to meet just one such person in their life, never-the-less four of them!

Thank you all so very much. Words can’t express my gratitude and the gratitude of the others involved in the foundation.