Operation "Keep Hope Alive" Update - 2
Post date: Oct 27, 2010 3:32:09 PM
October 8, 2010
Where We Stand
Mother Teresa once said, "To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it."
Never before have we known that to be more true than today. Due to lack of funding, the lamp that has been lighting the HoA "House" and the kids it serves has been nearly extinguished.
We are happy to report, however, that because of our new "Keep Hope Alive" team, House of Angels will be resuming its services. It will, however, be resuming with reduced services.
Our goal was to raise in pledges
$1,730/month to continue the After School Program
$2,380/month to continue the Physical Therapy Center
Therefore, $4,110 to continue both programs
We now have 19 members of our "Keep Hope Alive" team and have received a total of...
$1,223 per month in pledges
Being grateful that this oil has been pledged to these children and believing that this oil can indeed make a huge difference in the lives of so many who have so very little, we have decided to do what we can for these children and take yet one more huge leap of faith. We are hopeful that as time goes on and as the economy improves, HoA will be able to expand its services to their previous level, perhaps even beyond.
We are extremely grateful to each of you who has joined this "Keep Hope Alive" team. You are one of 19. Each and every one of you is providing a little oil each day, to keep the light lit in this building, as well as in the souls of each of the children HoA serves. Each one of you is a blessing to these children and we hope you feel blessed by providing this oil and therefore hope for these kids.
to get a glimpse of the programs
YOU will be helping to continue.
What's Next?
Since we did not meet our exact goal, it was a very difficult decision for Simona as to what to do. Should she continue the Physical Therapy program, because without it, these children would regress and deteriorate? OR... should she continue feeding, nourishing and helping to educate the children whose families will never be able to offer them a normal childhood complete with warm meals, toys, nice clothes and an adequate education?
In the end, she decided to offer a little help to all the children who she has served the last several years and not abandon any of them.
Therefore, your donations will be use as follows:
PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAM
Serving 18 children ages 1-14
11 children who have been attending the program for the past few years. These children come from poverty stricken families, living in the nearby villages of Gaesti. Transportation will still be provided by HoA’s minivan that many of you helped purchase several years ago.
7 children coming independently from Gaesti.
SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED:
HoA can only provide 2 hours physical therapy with the Therapist for each child. Each child has his own dossier and an individual therapy plan according to their diagnosis. These children were born with physical disabilities, so this therapy is essential for them in order to prevent their muscles from becoming too rigid or atrophied.
If we are able to raise more funds, Simona would like to extend this Program to include educational and occupational therapy for each child, plus a warm meal AND extend it to some of the children who were recently returned by the State to the orphanage next door.
AFTER SCHOOL (DAILY CARE) PROGRAM
Serving 15 children ages 5 –14.
Some have been attending our program for the past several years and some are newly identified children.
All come from the poorest families of Gaesti, living in extremely difficult conditions.
SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED:
Each child will be able to attend HoA for 8 hours per day, (before or after school) and they will receive warm, nutritional lunches, help with homework, supervision while playing inside or outside in a warm and loving environment, afternoon snacks before they go home.
From time to time, HoA will offer additional services to help the families of these children with food, clothes, much needed household items, etc. depending on the level of donations.
If we are able to raise more funds, Simona would like to extend this Program to include more education by hiring a teacher.
The HoA Staff will be minimal:
1 Therapist
1 Supervisor/Teacher
1 Cook
1 Janitor
1 Administrator
Continuing with these programs, HoA will still be short each month. But, we are hopeful that periodic one-time monetary and/or item donations to HoA; future members of Team “Keep Hope Alive”; and future "Operations" will help meet all the needs.
From Pledges to Donations
If you have made a pledge to Operation "Keep Hope Alive", we are extremely thankful for your commitment to these children. The services are set to resume on October 18th, so we need your donations as quickly as possible. To turn your pledges into actual donations you may:
send checks monthly or
make credit card donations monthly via Pay-Pal or
set up monthly subscriptions via Pay-Pal
You may also want to check with your employer to see if they provide any company matching for charitable donations.
Click here for all the info on how to make your donations.
How Else Can I Help?
On November 21st, 2010, we will be hosting a Silent Auction at Toast Cafe in Davidson, NC, 6-8pm. The event will be a fund-raiser as well as a celebration of the gifts that children with special needs bring to our lives and communities.
If you would be willing to make an item donation for our auction, please click here for more details. We would also love to have you attend. Details will be coming soon!
The items donated and purchased at this event will help pave the way for more opportunity for these children to blossom.