Outfit A Child

 

I have just returned from Puerto Vallarta for a board meeting of the Children’s Shelter of Hope Foundation and some much loved time with the children at the Refugio and Pasitos de Luz.

Nov. 2012 009In the 15 days I was there, 5 new children arrived on the door steps of RISE – YES, five children, PLUS the 3 who arrived from Child Protective Services (DIF) in August.  This now gives us 47 children who reside full time at RISE and whom we help support through your generous donations.

When a child arrives, they come only with the clothes on their backs.  Soon after children arrive a brief evaluation of their physical and mental needs is made.   Three of the children’s heads were so infested with head lice that there was no other option but to give all the girls a ”butch” hair cut. Our psychologist reports that these children had experienced both physical and mental trauma, but sadly, it was not from the hair cuts.

Since my own children are grown, I asked myself “How much will it cost RISE to provide just ONE child with the basics they will need?”  Since I did NOT know, I decided I needed to go shopping for 3 t-shirts, 3 underpants, 4 pairs of socks, tennis shoes, sandals, 2 tops, 1 pair of shorts, 1 skirt, 1 dress and a pair of pajama’s.  The total expense for just one child was approximately $1500 Pesos OR “$120 US (the amount requested for being a current  10 x 10 Child Sponsor for one year).  Now multiply that by 5, and if 5 more arrive, multiply that again!

And with all this said, I am happy to announce our newest board member, Susan Solomon, who will soon be directing our 10 x 10 Program and will be introducing to you new ways you can help our mission.

The Giving Gift

AlongIMG_0322 with the Holiday Season come gift lists.  Each year I spend hours scratching my head for a gift that special someone would need, like, and enjoy.  But most of us already have so much that it gets harder each year….and that is when I thought to myself, why don’t I give a gift that will bring happiness and hope to a child?  With that in mind I wrote this poem.  If you’d like to share a gift that gives to needy children, please send your donation to Children’s Shelter of Hope Foundation by December 15th.  Please include the name, street address, city, state and zip code along with the email address for the friend(s)/ family that your gift honors.  I’ll send them a lovely card with my poem.


I’ve taken some time,

And given it some thought.
When it comes to gifts,
I think we all have a lot.

A lot of candles and bobbles,
And books we won’t read,
Cookies and candies,
With calories we don’t need!

So this year, I’ve decided
To do something new.
A gift from my heart,
In honor of you.

I’ve made a donation,
To help the very poor,
At a Mexican refuge,
Providing shelter and more.

And although you can’t hold it,
Abandoned children will know,
That all of us together,
Are helping them grow!

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For more information about this very special shelter and our 10 x 10 child sponsorship program, please check the website for Children’s Shelter of Hope Foundation at www.cshf-us.org and help to pass on this idea of the Giving Gift!!

Upcoming event for RISE

SucesosFor those of you lucky enough to be in Puerto Vallarta:

Please join us for a pre-holiday Trunk show, cocktails and appetizers – Sunday, Dec. 9th at stunning Casa Karma (Carr. Barra de Navidad #1247 – next to LindoMar and El Set) from 5 PM to 7:30 PM. Art-wear presented by Sucesos Boutique, live music, gorgeous views, and lots of FUN!! A donation of $250 pesos per person is requested. Contact Luis at RISE (222-7857) or Chris Amo at chris@cshf-us.org on or before Friday, Dec. 7th to be a part of this special evening. All funds from this event will go to RISE.

BACK TO SCHOOL CAMPAIGN

 

For the “wonderful,” we would like to thank all of you who opened your hearts to the children of RISE and Pasitos and made their return to school an exciting experience. With your support, our Back to School Matching Funds Campaign was a huge success. Like you, we believe that education is the key element for the future of these children. Without education, they will have little opportunity to fulfill their dreams for a brighter tomorrow.

With the amount donated, the staff at RISE bought $530 worth of new shoes and socks; $175 paid for new uniforms; and $160 was spent on backpacks, school supplies, registration fees and books. At Pasitos, $200 was used to buy new puzzles and books.

But that’s just the beginning:

Chely, a lovely young woman (the oldest of five siblings) will be attending the UNIVA High School. $1435 went to pay for her registration, uniform, books and tuition through December. Chely is very focused on her education and is a good role model for the other children.

And there is more:

With your help, we are sending two of the boys from RISE to a school that will help them with their special needs. They are both bright, with the ability to excel, but they were struggling in public school. Even though one of them is receiving a scholarship, the tuition for both is over $375 per month, and the amount for registration, books and uniforms was another $1200.

But we’re NOT done yet:

Many of you who have spent time at RISE may remember Carmen and her sister Lucia. Although Carmen left RISE several years ago, we learned in August that she has been struggling to support herself. Philippa Vernon Powell of New Life Mexico helped Carmen register for a school to become a beautician. There she will learn not only about styling hair, but also how to give manicures, pedicures, etc. With the kind assistance of Philippa, Carmen was able to secure a scholarship to pay for part of her tuition, and with YOUR help we are paying the balance of $350 for her tuition and the supplies she needs through the end of December.

And it keeps getting better:

One of the obstacles of communal living is finding a quiet corner for homework or seeking out a staff member to answer questions about assignments. So with YOUR help, we are now paying a portion of the salary of those employees at RISE and Pasitos whose time is spent encouraging and assisting the children who would possibly fall even further between the cracks without this extra attention.

BUT ALL of this was only possible because of you, our donors. As you read through the list of accomplishments, I hope you also noticed that most of the funding for these worthy causes has been paid only through December. So, yes, you will be hearing from us again when we ask for your support for the remainder of the school year.
Whether or not you participated in our Back to School Campaign this time, if you agree with our vision for these children’s future, we hope you will contribute to our cause for these children’s “second” semester.

To Everything There Is a Season

The shift of seasons during the past few months has brought much more that just changes in the weather for our foundation and our projects in Mexico.  After many years of guidance and devotion from Juan Carlos Rios and Sol Martinez Maciel, a new council was appointed in late August to oversee the operation of Refugio Infantil Santa Esperanza (RISE).  The new council is anxious to be more directly involved in fundraising and is planning for new changes at that facility now.  This has allowed us at Children’s Shelter of Hope Foundation to begin looking at new projects which expand our support for children and families.

We have also made some changes on the Board of Directors for our US foundation.   Mary Cashman, who had joined our board as Treasurer in February, will be focusing her efforts on the work of the new council at RISE and is no longer a part of our US board.  In addition, after many years of trying to cover the needs and demands of both the US and Canadian foundation boards together, Anne-Marie and Chris have decided to pull back some and concentrate more on our individual board efforts and fundraising.  Therefore this newsletter and other communications will no longer include activities and issues related to the Canadian Children’s Shelter of Hope Foundation.  If you would rather be only on their mailing list, please let us know right away and we will gladly honor your request.  We hope that our newsletters continue to provide a personal connection to the children for those who have not had the opportunity to visit or volunteer at one of our projects.

One other result of these changes is that we have a new address for sending your generous donations.  Effective immediately, all contributions should be sent to our address.  Please include your email address so that we can send you the tax receipt quickly and efficiently.