High Schoolers Host Fundraiser to Support Sponsorship

Below is a reflection written by high school student Danielle Stone from Glenview, IL, who organized a fundraiser to help support Johana* at NPH Guatemala. 

Recently, my tennis team and I decided to have a bake sale at our school. We wanted to have a team bonding experience and be able to help others at the same time. When we were trying to decide what organization the money should go to I suggested NPH. I told them all about the organization and about how I sponsor a child from Guatemala. They thought it sounded like a great cause and so we set a date for the bake sale. Everyone on our team made 3-4 dozen baked goods that we sold during lunch hours at our school. We sold cupcakes, brownies, cookies, lemon bars, pumpkin bread, and donuts. Everyone signed up for a shift time when they could work the table and sell our goods.

It was so incredible to see how many people wanted to learn more about NPH and how everyone was so supportive. Our goal was to raise around $300 and we ended up raising $400.66. We sold out of all our baked goods in 5 periods, which is very fast. It was such an amazing experience for me to be able to teach my peers and teachers about the mission of NPH.

*names have been changed to protect the privacy of children 

Sponsors Meet Godchild After 12 Years!

Below is a reflection written by Mary Waldmann regarding the impact meeting her godchild had on her life

In 2002, we began sponsoring four-year-old Boris at NPH Guatemala. Over the next 12 years we exchanged drawings (his), photos and letters. Sometimes it was a little frustrating when letters weren’t very detailed or responsive to questions, but we kept at it. In July 2014 we were fortunate enough to travel to NPH Guatemala with a Seattle group, with the primary goal of meeting Boris. I was prepared for him to be a little standoffish since he’d never met us and and was now a 16-year-old teenager...and I’ll admit I was a little nervous. The first afternoon we arrived, Donna Egge was giving us a brief familiarization tour of the grounds when she spotted Boris on a balcony and called to him. In a flash, he was down the stairs wrapping his arms around me. As he planted a big kiss on my cheek, it really hit me just what a significant role godparents play in the lives of the pequenos. At that moment I was so glad I’d kept up our correspondence, even when it was challenging. And I was so grateful to finally meet the wonderful young man that little Boris has become. Over the next week we were able to spend a lot of time with him and learned much, much more about him. With his smattering of English, our smattering of Spanish, some help in translation and a lot of smiles and gestures, we were able to communicate pretty well and our correspondence will be much richer for it.

To those who are not yet sponsors, I can tell you what a difference you can make in a child’s life—please consider becoming a godparent. If you already sponsor a child, please consider visiting your godchild—it will be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life!

Meeting Father Rick Frechette

Below is a post from Cheyenne, a student from Random Everglades School in South Florida.

(Cheyenne is pictured second over from the left.)

The man, the myth, the living legend, Father Rick Frechette, had been a mystery man for months. At the end of my junior year, me and a group of friends decided that we truly wanted to make an impact in our community. Our goal was to convince our school, Ransom Everglades School, to launch a school-wide global initiative. We planned to do this by adopting an orphanage located in Kenscoff, Haiti. The global initiative is about more than providing supplies collected during a drive or check sent from funds raised at bake sales - it is about a sustainable partnership between Ransom Everglades School and St. Helene orphanage and providing resources through campus-wide engagement. The final step in establishing the Ransom Everglades Haiti Initiative proved to be the most difficult; meeting the man who runs the St. Helene orphanage we planned to adopt, Father Rick.

When I first came in contact with Father Rick through email he expressed his gratitude but explained that traveling for him was difficult and often short noticed. I quickly realized that Father Rick did not just run the orphanage he also got his hands dirty with the daily mundane tasks of the orphanage. Although I wanted to meet with Father Rick and discuss the Haiti Initiative in detail that meant pulling him away from the children I wanted to help. We proceeded with the hopes of meeting him down the line.

Ransom Everglades School launched its first initiative and was able to raise over 750 sheets between both the lower and upper campuses. It was shortly after the first container of sheets shipped that I received an email from Father Rick stating that he planned to be in Miami. I was more than thrilled about the possibility of meeting the man I had only been able to view on video. On December 3rd, I had the pleasure of meeting Father Rick. During his school-wide address he stated that the difference between the children in Haiti and the students at Ransom Everglades was simply the structures of our lives were different. Father Rick, in less than 10 words, shed light on the need for our initiative.

One of the main principals of the Ransom Everglades School is to give to the community more than you have received from it. St. Helene and Ransom Everglades Schools are hundreds of miles apart and we share a similar commitment to community. Just as Ransom alum often come full circle to give back to the institution that gave them so much, children from St. Helene often return to the orphanage to help and contribute to the program that gave them so much.

Having the opportunity to meet Father Rick was truly remarkable. Father Rick has such a passion for his life’s work. Even in the face of disaster and peril, his spirit is one of resilience. His visit today has inspired me and the other members of the Haiti Initiative Committee to do the work that Father Rick so desperately needs help with. This marks the beginning of true sustainable partnership between Ransom Everglades and Father Rick that will contribute to his amazing legacy.

Alicia Magdalena: A story of success!

My name is Alicia Magdalena. I am the daughter of a Salvadorian mother who fled the civil war in her country and a Mexican father who is originally from the Mexican state of Chiapas. My parents separated because of financial problems as well as problems related to illness and alcoholism. My mother found herself alone, sick, and caring for four children. 


Before my mother passed away from breast cancer, determined that her children would not be left in destitution, she met with members of her religious community. They told her about Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, a place where her children would not be separated or adopted, and where they would receive their education and, above all, she could be sure that they would receive love. 


My siblings and I came to NPH and it was true, my mother made the best decision for our lives. I was six years old when I came to NPH, and I still remember the warm welcome I received from Yolanda, director for the girls, and her big smile. All of the love and support that I received helped strengthen my perseverance to succeed. 


I graduated from high school with honors, which helped me to earn a full scholarship to the prestigious University of Monterrey (UDEM) in Monterrey, Mexico. I earned my bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance. Not only did I enjoy my classes and had great professors, but it was also a time when I was able to grow personally. I participated in mission trips to serve the poor of Mexico, and I did social service work as a high school teacher in a school for children from families with few resources. I also spent a semester as an exchange student in Arizona in the United States, where I studied international accounting laws and helped fundraise for NPH with Friends of the Orphans. 


Today I work as a business risk accountant at an important financial consulting firm in Monterrey. I am grateful for how blessed I have been and before continuing on my career path in finance, I want to help give back part of all that I was given. I have the opportunity to help at NPFS in Haiti and work on projects that they are developing there. I will always be thankful for the love and support I received!  

Elle and Molly

Last fall, Molly and Elle, two girls from Seattle, were looking for a service project to do at their high school, Bishop Blanchet. After connecting with Friends staff, Molly and Elle started a project to get the entire student body involved in child sponsorship. 


They hosted an assembly to share the project, and Blanchet’s Community Periods (homerooms) paired up, appointed representatives, and chose their new Godchildren. 


School-wide fundraisers have raised money for their sponsorship donations, and the students have become engaged in writing to their Godchildren. The project has continued into this new school year, with Elle and Molly introducing the new freshman class to the project. Their school event hosted Juan Manuel Pineda of NPH El Salvador for an all-school assembly, where he shared his story and his music.


Thank you so very much to Elle and Molly for being great Friends!!!

Here is Elle with Juan when he visited their school.

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