I fall more and more in love with the home and the pequeños...

Below is a blog post from MW sponsor Maeve Dowdle! Enjoy!

I have been to the NPH Guatemala home twice now and each time I go, I fall more and more in love with the home and the pequeños.

 

This past summer I traveled once again to NPH and met a girl at the home who is my age. We instantly became great friends. I don’t speak much Spanish and she doesn’t speak much English, so it was difficult to communicate. At first I thought that since I couldn’t really talk with her that we wouldn’t be able to get to know each other. We would play a game where I would give her English words and she would have to translate them and then she would give me Spanish words and I would attempt to translate them.

 

By the end of the trip I had learned so much about her. I learned that she is an amazing artist, she loves to play soccer and is a very good goalie, and she loves listening to all kinds of music. She and I became very close and would be together a lot of the time. She would try teaching me the things she loved. She tried teaching me some of her favorite songs, how to play goalie the correct way, and how to draw. None of it went very well but, we had a great time, laughed and bonded over it.

 

Spending time with her and seeing her laugh made me realize how in order to make a difference in someone’s life, there is no need for a huge grand gesture, but simply being there and being present makes a big difference. I hope that I made a difference in her life because becoming close to her and being with her has made a big difference in my life. NPH and the pequeños have grown so close to my heart and I cannot wait to visit the home again. ​

You can visit an NPH home on one of our many trips too! Learn more here!

Some highlights from 2015 by region!

Midwest

1. In February and March of 2015, the song and dance group from NPH Guatemala toured the Chicagoland area for 18 days in order to spread awareness of NPH. Their performances touched the hearts of our many generous supporters and brought a little bit of Guatemalan sunshine to the chilly Chicago winter!

2. The NPH USA Midwest office directed multiple mission and donor trips to many of the NPH homes this year including NPH Honduras, March 20th to March 27th, NPH Guatemala, April 6th to April 12th, NPH Guatemala, June 8th to June 15th, NPH Nicaragua, June 22nd to June 29th, NPH Guatemala, July 28th to August 4th, and NPH El Salvador, November 11th to November 15th!

3. The 2015 NPH USA Midwest Gala was held on Saturday, September 12th at The Standard Club in downtown Chicago where hundreds of guests joined us for a live and silent auction, dinner, and a program featuring keynote speaker Wilmer Arias, a current pequeño at NPH Guatemala. After the Gala, guests headed to the After Dark, the after party hosted by NPH USA Midwest Young Professionals Board, for drinks and dancing.

 

Upper Midwest

1. The UPM celebrated two new events; the Sizzling Soiree and a photo gallery/competition where everyone who visited one of our homes was encouraged to submit a poem or photo to be featured on their Holiday card.

2. Teresa Ritzinger, Sarah Molitor and Dana Parisi organized a Faces of Hope event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin where 200 people attended to learn more about NPH and our kids.

3. UPM volunteers organized many events and trips throughout the year to support our homes. They included the East Ridge HS Golf tournament, HNOJ trip to Mexico, Christmas stocking project, St. Thomas More trip, and HelpSystems tacos and auctions. UPM volunteers are making a difference!

 

Northwest

1. We graduated the fourth and welcomed the fifth annual cohort of 6 young leaders from NPH to the Northwest for a year-long program of study and leadership development.

2. We had 10 volunteers from the Northwest who lived and served at one of the NPH homes in 2015.

3. Our Associate Board for young professionals ended its fourth year with a bang, sponsoring a variety of fun and successful events in Seattle, including Carnaval for a Cause and Hunt for Hope.

 

 

Southwest

1. In November, the Southwest Region had its first vision trip to Guatemala. Vision trips are designed for supporters to experience first-hand how NPH transforms the lives of our children. Guests stay in visitors' housing at the NPH site, eat and do chores with the children, but most importantly, they get to spend time with the children to form lifelong bonds. Time is also set aside to meet with the country director, as well as visit a nearby attraction. These trips are shorter, but are great for supporters who want to gain a deeper understanding of the ins and outs of NPH, or for those who want to become familiarized with NPH.

2. The Southwest Region was able to introduce many people to NPH through our Power of One luncheons in Phoenix, AZ and Danville, CA as well as through the Pequeno Tour where the Grupo Musica y Danza from Guatemala shared their culturally rich musical and dance performances in Danville and San Pedro, California.

3. 2015 marked the year the Southwest Region celebrated its 50^th anniversary. Guests and staff alike were honored to support Father Rick Frechette during the gala event held in November!

 

 

Mid-Atlantic/Northeast

1. Over 20 passionate NPH supporters have joined the Child Sponsorship Ambassador Program and are helping to connect more people with children in our nine NPH homes through promoting child sponsorship.

2. Our 6th Annual Irish Hearts for Orphans event was a huge success and an amazing time was had by the over 300 people who attended from the Boston area Irish Community.

3.  Seven schools in Massachusetts opened their doors and hearts to the children of NPH Mexico this fall during our 2015 Pequeño Tour. Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, Sacred Heart Academy in Kingston, Duxbury High School in Duxbury, Thomas A. Blake Middle School in Medfield, Pingree School in Hamilton, Governor’s Academy in Byfield, and Glen Urquhart School in Beverly all welcomed the children and generously supported them in their fundraising efforts.