Monday, October 20, 2008

School Support

Hey everyone,

Ken and I just got back from Sunset Elementary in St George where Ken did a presentation on the orphanage. It lasted about 20 minutes where he reviewed pictures of the children at the orphanage and told how life is for them in Guatemala. Sorry I forgot to take pictures. The whole purpose of him doing the presentation was to help introduce a new reading program the PTA is doing designed to help the orphanage. It is called "Pennies by the Page". Each classroom will have a bank where the students can deposit 1 penny for every page they read. To help motivate them to read, prizes will be given as well. I was very impressed by the work the PTA has gone to in doing this project. If anyone is interested in doing something like this for their local schools please email me at infogcp@guatemalachildrensproject.org and I can give more details.

In addition to this project the Sunset PTA is also partnered with Scholastic Books and the "One for Books" program that helps raise money through donations to purchase books and other supplies for the orphanage.

Thank you to the Sunset Elementary PTA for all their support. They have really stepped up and are doing all they can to support our cause.

Ken also did a presentation at SunFirst Bank (click the link to see locations) in St George to see if they would use Guatemala Children's Project as their annual charity project. They accepted and have established an account that people can deposit money into that will then be given to the orphanage.

Great things are happening here in St George and I'm glad to a part of this adventure.

Mike

Friday, October 17, 2008

One story at a time...

I think it's important that we hear the experiences of those who have been to the orphanage, and met the children. It brings the project to life, and allows those who cannot be there, share in the experiences of those who can.
Here is an experience of one single girl who visited the orphanage:


So I haven´t been as good about doing updates as I´ve wanted to have been. And I only have a few minutes now so I want to share a neat experience I had the other day at a foster care place we work at called ¨The Guatemalan Children´s Project.¨ In Guatemala, there really isn´t foster care, only orphanages. The government takes these children from their parents and puts them in orphanages and they never see each other again. It´s for a good reason, because the fathers are alcoholics and the mothers are prostitutes and they´re addicted to drugs. The children are mistreated, not fed, abused physically and sexually, burned, you name it. The worst kinds of things you can imagine. So the director of this organization, Guatemalan Children´s Project, petitions the judges to get children sent to his orphanage. He finds out from the judge where the children came from and what their stories are. Then, (Guillermo is his name,) goes to the place the judge said the child was from and asks around about the child. Anyway, long story short, he talks with the parents and, if they´re interested, he has them set goals and change their lives so their child or children can come back to live with them. He said the mothers usually cry when he explains this, because, like I said, they have no way of finding their children. Guillermo uses the LDS church to help them change thier lives. He teaches them about the Proclamation on the Family and the Word of Wisdom, and checks up on them to make sure they´re making progress. What he basically does is reunite families. Anyway, it´s a pretty revolutionary idea here.
I went one day to meet with him and then give a lesson to one of the children. I taught her letters and numbers, colors and shapes, and then I asked her if she wanted to sing a song. As soon as she saw me pulling out the church songbook from my bag she grabbed it from me and started leafing through it. I had chosen a few fun songs beforehand but decided to let her choose. I had specifically chosen songs about nature or other fun songs and skipped the ones about family, because I thought that might be emotional or difficult for her. The song she wanted to sing is the one that starts, I see my mother kneeling with her family each day... It´s about a family and how the mother prays with her children and asks God to protect them. The second verse talks about, well I´ll just put the words here:

I see my mother kneeling with her family each day.
I hear the words she whispers as she bows her head to pray.
Her plea to the Father quiets all my fears,
and I am thankful love is spoken here.

Mine is a home where every hour
is blessed by the strength of priesthood power.
With father and mother leading the way,
teaching me how to trust and obey,
and the things they teach are crystal clear,
for love is spoken here.

It´s a beautiful song and I was really touched that of all the songs she picked that one. That she was thinking of her family and wanted what the song talked about. She had me sing it in english first and then wanted to sing it herself in spanish. The experience reconfirmed to me that the most important thing is family and the relationships we have with the people we love. That in the end, nothing else matters. Not what grades I got or what title I have at work or where I´ve traveled or done or how many people I´ve helped. What really matters and what really lasts is how I treat my family and the people around me and that I always have time for the most important thing. It was a really beautiful experience.
One of the children in the orphanage, Guillermo said when she arrived she was almost dead. The doctors gave her one week to live. Guillermo said all he could do was love her, and he did, and now she´s a healthy screaming toddler. (Man, can she scream!) Another girl, the toddler´s older sister, actually, when she came, the entire side of her face was burned and even now her hair is still growing back. Anyway, so these children come from very difficult backgrounds, and to be taught such a profound lesson about family by one of them way very humbling

Thursday, October 16, 2008

New Contacts

This week we were contacted by a Mother-Daughter pair who are very interested in helping us with a fundraiser for the orphanage. The daughter would like to volunteer in Guatemala, and her mother would like to organize a drive with the Stake Young Womens, and make this their annual service project! This stake consists of about 150 girls, and could really make an impact on the orphanage! She is also a pre-school teacher, and has been speaking with our educational director, Ken Mangum, about what we need. We're so grateful for her enthusiasm, and it's a blessing that she finally found us. She told me she had scoured the internet for weeks trying to find my contact information. Then at 2am, Monday morning, she found my blog. I find it interesting because it's relatively easy to find our info through a google search, but she didn't make contact until right AFTER we had all come together, assigned responsibilies, and had a clear direction. If she had called 4 days earlier, it would have been disorganized, and she most likely would have been put on some type of contact list for later. I'm finding that things just seem to work out, and it humbles me.

Ken Mangum also gave a presentation to Sun First Bank, and they would like to do a fundraiser with their employees. It's so exciting to see other people get excited about something you're passionate about! Great job Ken!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Coming Together


Saturday October 11, 2008 was the first official meeting for the volunteers of the Guatemala Children's Project. It's been a long time coming, and it was time that we all come together to unite our efforts and start making progress as a group. The meeting began at 8am, and finished at almost 2pm. We made some very important decisions, and I know that we will really start to see progress now. It was wonderful to finally meet everyone face to face, and bring our knowledge and ideas to the table. Tasks and assignments were delegated and everyone has a direction in which they are now clear. We've eliminated the excess tasks, and streamlined processes.
We also were blessed to have Guillermo here from Guatemala to attend the meeting. We are grateful for his example, and know he loves the children and takes great care if their needs. It's excited to be working with such wonderful individuals, and know that much good will come out of this small group of volunteers.

Guatemala Children's Project Board of Directors:


  • President: Kevin Callahan
  • Vice President/ Educational Director: Ken Mangum
  • Field Office Coordinator: Doug
  • Fundraising Director: Marta Tyler
  • Marketing/ P.R.: Emily Reynolds
  • Volunteer Coordinator: Debbie Clark
  • Executive Secretary: Candice Chandler
  • Executive Director: Guillermo Rangel
  • On-Site Coordinator/ Nursery Director: Mandy Brooks
  • I.T. Specialist: Mike Mangum


Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Mayerly (Post by Mandy 1OCT08)

On Monday one of Guillermo´s kids, Mayerly, went back home to her family. It was so sad but good at the same time. She seemed happier. I know what Guillermo means when he says that you can tell when a family has changed. As soon as I saw Mayerly´s dad put his arms around her, I felt the spirit so strong and I felt so good about them. I am so glad she will have the chance to have a better life with her family.
Next week, one of my babies, Paola, goes back to her family with her brother Estuardo and her sister Diana. I will miss them so much but it really is better for them to be with their family than in an orphanage if their family treats them well.
Jose Daniel has changed since his first day here. He is a lot more calm and we have gotten him to start eating a little. He doesn´t cry as much anymore. I was worried about him with his head injury but he seems to be getting better.

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