Returning to Guatemala

Below is a testimonial from Elizabeth Lanham, one of the leaders of a recent Mid-Atlantic/Northeast regional trip to NPH Guatemala. 

As a former volunteer at NPH Guatemala, I find myself inextricably linked to the kids I once lived beside. Since they are in my thoughts and prayers daily, I feel they are never far from my heart. However, this past week I was privileged to return for a visit and this time with a group from Virginia. We spent the majority of our time talking, playing, eating, smiling and praying alongside the children.

I think in our busy western culture we often forget that the most important part of relationships is not what we do but who we are. Most mission trips are about building or fixing. This trip was about spending time with the kids, being authentically present. Did we work while we there? Yes, of course. But it is not what made this trip meaningful. We find that in God. For God is love. And love is what makes us a part of the family we call Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos.

 

 

 

We feel we left NPH with so much more than we gave...

Below is a reflection from Joanie and Norah Sullivan from the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast region who recently visited NPH DR!

 

Our trip to NPH in the Dominican Republic was a life-changing and heartwarming experience for us. Before we got to NPH we were excited and a little nervous about being in a new culture and having to speak a new language. Immediately, we realized that the language barrier and the cultural differences would not be an issue. 

On our first day there, children would come up to us and start conversations, want a hug or ask to play. As the week continued, we came to know many individual children and often heard right from them how NPH had affected their lives. We developed friendships with them: after school we would play games with the younger children and have conversations with the older kids about school and sports. They were so much friendlier than we were used to. For example, when we were playing cards or talking, someone would come over just to say “hi” and give us hugs. Even though sometimes we couldn't understand what the children were saying, we still were able to communicate with each other. This experience was so different from our lives in Boston that we feel we left NPH with so much more than we gave. Our visit taught us many important things that we will never forget.

When we arrived back in Boston we were much more aware of wasting food, electricity, and water. We were also so touched by the friendliness of the children at NPH that we have tried to continue to go out of our way to act the same for people here. We also learned to appreciate our education. Many of the children outside NPH did not attend school at all, and many more received a very poor education. Arriving back in the U.S, we are determined to take advantage of all the opportunities provided to us.

Although we came to NPH in the Dominican Republic so we could give back to the children there, we are so grateful because the children gave us something much more important instead. We left with new friendships, an understanding of what is important in life, and many amazing memories. We were so sad to leave NPH at the end of the week, but we are already planning our next visit to come and to see all our new friends again.

 

 

 

 

There is a pure happiness and love at the NPH homes that lifts me up…

Below is reflection written by sponsor and Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Junior Board member Angel Deschamps after returning from her recent trip to NPH Dominican Republic.

I first travelled to the NPH Dominican Republic home on a school service trip over a year ago. I was afraid that my Spanish wasn’t good enough to develop relationships, but as soon a little boy came up and asked my name, all my worries went away. I learned that language barriers are something you can overcome, and quickly decided to sponsor this confident, mischievous little boy who had stolen my heart. I love that our relationship has been built on memories shared, and not stories told. When I returned this year, I was officially a sponsor, not just a visitor. Reunited with my godchild, we were excited to spend time together – eating lunch together and spending time in the park. My godchild seemed so proud that I was his madrina – sharing this with all his friends and caregivers – and I could not be happier to be sponsoring him!

NPH has given so much to me. What really strikes me is that the kids are so happy at NPH. I've now visited both the NPH Dominican and Honduran homes and have found that although the children may come from difficult backgrounds, they all still manage to smile and enjoy life. When I am at an NPH home my troubles fade and everything is put in perspective. The children are grateful to have a place to call home and to have people who care about them. There is a pure happiness and love at the NPH homes that lifts me up. I am now a member of the Junior Board in my region, proudly wear NPH bracelets, and tell anyone and everyone who will listen to me about my time at NPH. I do it in hopes to give back at least a little to the enormous gift NPH gave me. I'm extremely grateful to NPH and to my godchild who continues to show me what really matters in life.

 

 

 

 

NPH has taught me the value of family, friendship, service, and the importance of God in our lives.

Below is reflection written by sponsor Claire Schnorr from the MA-NE Region after she visited NPH Guatemala this spring.

 

After visiting NPH Guatemala, I now view the world with a different and more grateful perspective. NPH has taught me the value of family, friendship, service, and the importance of God in our lives. The children at NPH embrace these values fully, as well as excelling in academics and athletics. They are grateful for their supporting family at NPH, and give back to their family through service. The care they demonstrate for their home has inspired me to give back to my own community. 

 

It's amazing how one child can truly make such a change in your life. While visiting I was able to meet my godchild, who couldn't have been more gracious and loving when sharing her NPH family with us. Within two days I felt welcomed and close with members of the NPH community. I now write to my godchild frequently, as well as think often and so fondly of the rest of the children at NPH. I am so grateful to now be a part of the NPH Guatemala family! 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating 2016 and looking forward to 2017...

2016 was another year full of great accomplishments at NPH USA - new friends, supporters, volunteers and godparents; successful fundraising and friend-raising events; joyous trips to the NPH homes; and so much more - all to transform the lives of children in need! And it is all possible through the generosity of people just like YOU! If you have yet to make a gift to support NPH USA, please consider making a donation today, and check out the 2016 highlights from each regional office of NPH USA below as well as our Haiti Initiative/St. Damien Pediatric Hospital Fund!

Northwest Region

• In the NW, we graduated the fifth (and welcomed the sixth) annual cohort of 6 young leaders from NPH to the Northwest for a year-long program of study and leadership development. We also published a report on the impact of the program on the first 26 graduates!
• The NW Associate Board for young professionals sponsored a variety of fun and successful events in Seattle, including Carnaval for a Cause, Hunt for Hope, and a Trivia Night. AB members also sponsored fundraisers at their companies, including f5, which featured NPH USA during their holiday campaign, and Microsoft, where the Devices Division sponsored a soccer tournament that raised more than $20,000.
• Support of our events grew dramatically, including our second annual NPH USA Northwest Golf Classic, and our record-breaking Gala, which raised nearly $400,000. In particular, we increased our corporate sponsorship significantly from past years.
• We welcomed 180 new child sponsors, and 13 Northwest donors contributed $5,000 each to provide a scholarship for a university student at NPH.
• Nine international volunteers from the Northwest did a year or more of service in one of the NPH homes in 2016.
• Ross Egge joined our Northwest staff team, after 11 years working on the ground with NPH in our homes, and we welcomed Jacqueline Shrader as the new Program Director of the NPH Seattle Institute.
• We moved to a new office space (same building) – come visit us!
• We raised more than $1.7 million in general funding to support our children, plus an additional $1.7 million in legacy and restricted gifts! Thank you to all!

 (photo of Paul Sandoval, AB member!)

 

Southwest Region

• Edwin Mehta joined the team as the SW Region's Development Coordinator, and Jarrett Ransom joined the team as the SW Region's Development Officer!
• The SW Region hosted all of the NPHI Staff and Country Directors for meetings and fundraisers during the National Director Weekend and also celebrated the 10th Anniversary of Fr. William Wasson’s passing. It was a wonderful time had by all!
• The SW Region hosted the Pequenos from the home in Nicaragua for three weeks of Fundraising and Events in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Danville and also had the 2016 SW Get Closer Gala with special guests Ismar and Marlin!
• At the end of October and the beginning of November we had a women’s group that travelled to the NPH Home in Guatemala where 20 women had the opportunity to experience the culture and witness the life that the children have at the home in Guatemala.

  

Midwest Region

• The pequeños from NPH El Salvador provided great music and folkloric dancing during their 18-day Pequeño Tour this past spring. The group spent most of its time in the Chicago area, staying with families in St. Michael Parish in Orland Park and Transfiguration Parish in Wauconda. They also traveled to the far reaches of the Midwest Region for a long weekend at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Lenoir City, Tennessee. We estimate over 3,500 people witnessed one of their many performances. Many thanks to our host families and local organizers. We couldn’t do it without you!
• The weather cooperated this year for our Fourth Annual Golf Outing featuring NFL Hall of Famers and other football greats from years past. We moved the golf outing this year to the stately Biltmore Country Club in North Barrington, and the new venue was everything we hoped it would be and a whole lot more. More importantly, the golf outing set a new record in terms of the amount that was raised.
• For the third year in a row, the beautiful Standard Club of Chicago was the location for the annual MW Region's Gala and After Dark events. At the Gala, the Midwest Region presented John and Cindy Shinsky with its Corazón Award, which is given to those who give their hearts to the children of NPH. John and Cindy have worked tirelessly to build and support Ciudad de los Niños in Matamoros, part of the NPH Mexico network of homes. For the third consecutive year, the Young Professionals Board of the NPH USA Midwest Region hosted the always fun Gala post-party, aptly named After Dark. A good time was had by all. Revenue for the Gala and After Dark was 10% higher than last year.
• Thanks to the organizing and running efforts of Midwest Region Board member Chris Ambroso, in the famous Chicago Marathon Team NPH USA’s runners raised $12,500 for the children of NPH!
• This year, the Midwest Region directed six trips to NPH homes in Guatemala (twice), Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico and El Salvador. Participating on those trips were 135 people who were able to experience for themselves what life is like at an NPH home.

Standing outside the bishop’s residence in Knoxville, Tennessee is the group from

NPH El Salvador with the Most Reverend Rick Stika, Bishop of the Diocese of

Knoxville, in the middle.  In the upper left hand corner of the group is His Eminence

Justin Francis Cardinal Rigali.

Midwest Region sponsor Anita Lambert and her goddaughter are all smiles during

                Anita’s visit to NPH El Salvador in November.

Upper Midwest Region

• The UPMW region celebrated Volunteer of the Year Vic Roers! Vic is valued for her dedication and her enduring amount of time and talent. She shares the NPH story with everyone she meets and wants nothing more than to ensure NPH children have a stocking for Christmas. Vic has been such a supportive and helpful volunteer and is quickly becoming a regular at NPH Honduras and El Salvador! 
• Thank you to all the supports in our Upper Midwest region for making this year’s Cinco de Mayo 5k Run/Walk (our 10th Annual) such a success! We raised $18,593 and had 278 participants! Special thanks to our generous Sponsors: Summit Orthopedics, Valley Pain Relief and Wellness Center, HED Cycling, Modere North America, and Defining You Pilates and Fitness! 
• This August, members from the Upper Midwest Region’s Associate Board of Directors formed a 2016 NPH USA Summer Games event that raised over $8,000! The group created fun and original contests and competed against one another for the Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals. Way to go Associate board!  
• Thank you to the more than 360 guests who attended the 2016 Upper Midwest Gala presented by Nasseff Mechanical Contractors, which was a grand success! Through gala ticket sales, silent and live auction, games, and most importantly an anonymous match and commitments made during Fund-A-Need, we raised over $508,000 to continue Raising Children and Transforming Lives at NPH homes. We are also excited to announce 15 new child sponsors were formed. Likewise, we honored Jean Gray for his 35 years of dedication to NPH with the Rose Schaffhausen Award. A world traveler, Jean has seen the poverty that exists and destroys the potential for children. Jean has given his time, energy, and countless hours to the Fr. Wasson Legacy Endowment. Jean has embraced the NPH mission, furthered our cause and continues to cherish our NPH children.
• In 2016, the NPH USA strategic plan addressed the importance to deepen efforts in philanthropy and restructure staffing to ensure future success. Molly Boyum was announced the Vice President of Development to oversee all of the regional offices of NPH USA, and therefore her previous position, now open, allowed for the new hire of a regional director. Stephanie Pommier, new Regional Director, joined NPH in July with 19 years of nonprofit experience, a great passion for social change, and adherence to sensitivity, collaboration, and ethics in all her fundraising. Steve Schmidt, our new Development Manager, was born and raised in Shoreview, MN and joined NPH in August sharing, “NPH is a family, and I feel as though I have found my home.”  

Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Region

• Many parishes in the MA-NE Region united their church communities and joined NPH USA in helping those less fortunate this year! The generosity that poured out of St. Mary of the Assumption Parishes in Brookline, MA; The Parish of St. Anthony in Cohasset, MA; Most Precious Blood & St. Theresa Parish in Dover & Sherborn, MA; Good Shepherd Parish in Wayland, MA; Holy Family Parish in Duxbury, MA; St. Paul the Apostle in Annville, PA, and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Herndon, VA resulted in over 90 children receiving new sponsorships this fall with more on the way!
• Eight schools in Massachusetts opened their doors and hearts to the children of NPH Mexico this fall during our 2016 Pequeño Tour. Notre Dame Academy, Immaculate Conception Academy, Trinity Catholic Academy, Dexter Southfield, Hamilton – Wenham High school, Waring School, Rockport Middle School, and Shore Country Day, all welcomed the children and generously supported them in their fundraising efforts. Thank you!
• Generous donors/supporters got together to organize events in support of NPH this year raising over $23,000 for the children of NPH. Brian Orr, Barbara Kelley, and Kara Swenson put together the Windows on the World event on the North Shore of Massachusetts. Eddie & Eileen Bernau hosted Cheers for Children at their home in Newburyport, MA. Patty Tarpey got together passionate donors and sponsors in a Cheers for Children event in Washington, DC and Deirdre & Steven Ginns, Patricia & Paul Mikus, and Charlie & Barbara Sullivan hosted the second annual Cocktails for A Cause in Hingham, MA while the pequenos were here from Mexico. Thank you to all for your support!
• The MA-NE Associate Board and Junior Board have both had a successful year with many fun events and fundraisers in the surrounding Boston area. The associate board has expanded to include members in both NYC and DC! Reuniting returned international volunteers with passionate NPH supporters! Both groups have been helping to raise awareness and funds in support of University Education for the Pequenos.
• The NPH USA Mid-Atlantic Northeast office facilitated many mission and donor trips to a variety of NPH homes this year, including Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Mexico. After seeing the direct impact of NPH and falling in love with many of the children at the homes, trip participants have become some of our most passionate advocates in raising funds and spreading awareness about NPH.

 

Haiti Initiative/St. Damien Pediatric Hospital Fund

• We celebrated a matching grant challenge this year when a very generous foundation pledged $500k per year for three years if we could find two other donors who would join them for the same amount and duration, and thanks to two additional generous donors, we completed the challenge and received the support for St Damien Pediatric Hospital!
• Fr. Rick and Jennifer Rayno, President of the NPH Haiti Board of Directors and Director of the St. Damien Pediatric Hospital Fund respectively, visited St. Louis Church and the community of Pittsford, NY in August. This generous and faithful community has been supporting St. Damien for over thirty years and raised nearly $60k this year through various efforts!
• St. Damien graduated the first group of 6 new pediatricians trained at St. Damien in October! After 3 years of training, these 6 new pediatricians are ready to take care of children’s health in Haiti. There are approximately only 300 pediatricians supporting 3 million children under 5 years of age with great vulnerability in Haiti. We have retained 3 of them for our own needs. The 4th class of 6 physicians started their training October 1st.
• St. Damien was able to offer continuous care during a 5-month strike of all governmental hospitals in Haiti from the end of March to August 2016. The hospital experienced a 2% to 25% increase across departments in the volume of the population served during the first 3 months of this strike. St. Damien proved once more that it is poised and always ready to help the Haitian community during crisis. St. Damien was recognized by the executive director of the Ministry of Health for the role it played for the country during a press conference when the strike ended.
• The heart program at St. Damien has grown significantly. 11 children received heart surgery in February 2016. A second mission scheduled for September 2016 was postponed until January 2017 due to insecurity in the country. More than 150 children were screened during 5 visits of pediatric cardiologists from the US, France, India (from an Indian hospital established at Cayman Islands). A wonderful partnership with Haiti Cardiac Alliance, Gift of Life International and a foundation from Health City Hospital in the Cayman Islands support this program. A significant proportion of children with heart defects were dying at home or at health centers as families are not able to send them abroad for needed surgeries. St. Damien is the only hospital in Haiti able to offer heart surgery locally thanks to this support our partners. One of our own pediatricians has currently completed 6 months of a one-year training in pediatric cardiology in Martinique. The program will continue to grow offering screening, surgery, and follow up care to the children with heart disease in Haiti. There are 3 surgical cardiac missions that are scheduled at St. Damien during 2017.

 

 

By the end of my week there, I wanted to stay forever!

Below is reflection written by sponsor and Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Junior Board member McKenzie Perkins.

 

My time that I spent at the NPH home in the Dominican Republic was easily the best and most life-changing week of my life. From the moment I stepped foot in the house I was going to be spending time in, I knew that these kids would forever change my life. Spending time in the park with all of the kids was by far my favorite time throughout my week there. Every afternoon was spent on see-saws and monkey bars, or playing a game of soccer. Seeing their constant smiling faces made me realize how truly special NPH is and how the children that live here are truly happy. I made connections that I will never lose. By the end of my week there, I wanted to stay forever. Saying goodbye to some of the best friends I have ever made was one of the hardest things I have had to do. Even though I know I will be back to see them, it was devastating to leave their beaming faces when my time there came to a close. I cannot begin to imagine what my life would be like without NPH, all the children I met, and my godchild in my life.

 

 

I support NPH because they are my family and my home…

 

Below is a reflection written by sponsor and Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Junior Board member Caroline Swenson.

 

I love to travel, but for some reason whenever I leave home there is always a lingering sense of homesickness in the pit of my stomach. The feeling lasts throughout the plane ride, and usually the first few days of any trip. However, traveling to NPH DR is different. The instant I step onto the grounds, through the blue painted gates, I feel like I am home. Each year I am humbled by every single kid I share a smile with. The amount of love encompassed in that one home is incredible. Words will never be able to describe the feeling you get when a kid sprints up to you, shouting your name with the biggest smile on their face after a year of separation. Or the feeling of the tightest, warmest, most loving hug you get before you are forced to drag your feet back into the visitor house for the night. The feeling of knowing that you are unconditionally loved by this enormous family is a feeling I never want to lose.

 

 

There are so many reasons why I support NPH. I support NPH because of these memories, and millions of others. I support NPH because I support opportunities, and that is exactly what NPH gives to deserving kids. I support NPH because I believe in the smiles and giggles and genuine happiness I see when I visit the Dominican Republic every year. I support NPH because they are my family and my home, and I know for a fact that every time I am dragged onto the plane back to the US, the homesickness is a thousand times worse than before.

NPH has changed my life in so many different ways…

 

Below is a reflection written by sponsor and Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Junior Board member Gillian Garvey.

 

I first became involved with NPH during my middle school years at the Glen Urquhart School. We held many fundraisers and sponsored 3 children. I have always been interested in helping my community and trying to make a difference in the world. When I learned about NPH, I was very excited to help. In 8th grade, my class went on a weeklong service trip to the NPH home in the DR. The trip was absolutely eye-opening and life-changing. I had never experienced anything like it and the trip was one of the best weeks of my life. The NPH community was so different than any I had been exposed to in the Boston area.

 

I loved the culture and feel of NPH. There was so much love and happiness and the children were all so amazing, even though their lives have been so difficult. Although I didn’t speak Spanish very well, the kids didn’t care and would run up to me and give me a hug and hold my hand. Those expressions of affection don’t require words. They were very patient with my terrible Spanish skills and often acted out their words like a game of charades.

 

Leaving was the hardest part of the whole trip. There were many tears but one thing that I will always remember was the kids saying “No adiós, hasta luego”. I was so moved by the experience and so passionate while explaining the details of my trip to family and friends that my grandmother decided to sponsor one of the children. In order to extend my NPH experience, I immediately joined the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Junior Board. As a board member, I became aware of additional opportunities to travel to NPH homes. When I saw that a trip was being scheduled over my April school vacation, I jumped at the chance. I wouldn’t have thought it could be possible, but I had an even greater experience and made many more wonderful memories. I also had numerous opportunities to spend quality time with the young girl my grandmother sponsors.

 

 

NPH has changed my life in so many different ways. I have come to realize how lucky I am to live where I do and have a family that loves me unconditionally. My NPH experiences remind me of the simple things that are most important in life, such as food, shelter, health, safety, love and happiness.

I realized that it was a family I was so lucky to be a part of…

Below is a reflection written by former international volunteer and current Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Associate Board member, Courtney Gomez, about her year volunteering at NPH Guatemala.

 

In orientation, meetings, and activities at NPH, the philosophy of NPH-that we are all a family-is regularly discussed, but the truth is, I've heard this in other schools I have attended or jobs I have had. I distinctly remember looking around one day with my girls, watching a soccer game, and I noticed the majority of the children at NPH had gathered around the field. Some were enthusiastically cheering for their favorite tío or uncle as staff at NPH are referred to. Some were at the game but playing with the younger kids, or hanging out listening to music with their peers or biological siblings. Whichever task the pequeños chose to do, there was a great sense of familiarity and belonging amongst them all. It occurred to me this day that this really is a family, and as girls ran up to me asking when I was going to open Chicas Poderosas or if I wanted to play cards, I realized it was a family that I was so lucky to be a part of.

 

Now as I get ready to leave this family and home that I have become a part of, I can’t help but think about all the things I will miss. Not big moments or events, but the little things that make us a family are the things I can’t imagine my daily life without. The way the volunteers help each other through the ups and downs of being away from our own countries. The way everyone tries really hard to pronounce my strange American name. The way my girls will yell "no one more time" after playing the same card games for hours, and despite the fact that it is time for bed, how I will try to fit in one more game. The way they tease me for loosing repeatedly or laugh at me but help me when I say a word wrong. The way they paint my nails in brightly colored patterns, or the way I can walk into a section or the cafeteria and be greeted by kids yelling my name with smiles and hugs. 

 

I am truly grateful to everyone of NPH Guatemala for letting me into their lives, for touching my heart and for impacting my life in ways I will never forget. 

The trip instilled in me a lifelong commitment to helping and supporting NPH…

Below is a reflection written by sponsor and Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Associate Board co-chair Bo Mlnarik.

 

I first visited an NPH home as a sophomore in high school.  My local parish sent a group of young people each year to the home in Mexico, and I was fortunate enough to join one of these trips.  The initial experience was incredible and overwhelming.  The kids and the home were so full of love and appreciation that it forced me to look at my own life and values in a way that I hadn't ever before.  The trip instilled in me a lifelong commitment to helping and supporting NPH as I witnessed firsthand the impact NPH's mission has on the children and community.  I have since been back to the Guatemala home three times, and each time I am reminded of how special and important that mission is.  NPH seeks to break the cycle of poverty in Latin American countries by providing the very basics of life: food, shelter, clothing, etc., to under privileged and disadvantaged children.  Most importantly, NPH provides these children with the essence of a happy and fulfilling life: education, faith and family.  The family community and sense of belonging that all children crave is the very fabric of the NPH home and is what makes it such a special place.  I have no doubt that the work I do and the money we raise to support NPH's continued mission goes to great use, and I look forward to staying involved with this organization in a meaningful way for the rest of my life.

 

 

I owe a heartfelt thank you to NPH Honduras…

Below is reflection written by sponsor and Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Associate Board co-chair Allison Ahern.

 

Traveling to the Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH) Home in Honduras in 2012 was a rare and special opportunity. I feel abundantly blessed that I was able to spend time with the children there, as they quickly refreshed my perspective on having compassion for others, showing gratitude, being generous of spirit, and the value of service. I witnessed the children's unquestioned willingness to share love. I also saw the positive impact of the NPH Model, for I was welcomed into a large, considerate family, in which the oldest members care for the youngest, and everyone sacrifices for the good of the whole. I was humbled by what the children have and do not have. Overhearing that some of the littlest ones graciously prayed to God for chicken, watching all of them lick their bowls after each meal and seeing the ongoing efforts to repair the roof over their heads, made the news that the NPH Homes need financial support very real. What these children do have though is a tremendous opportunity to succeed in this life, despite what they have already lost. Through NPH's support, which is truly the support of their "family," they can thrive academically, learn a practical trade, and grow into adults while enjoying happy, healthy and safe childhoods. This leads to what I consider a successful life, being able to support oneself and one's family while giving and receiving the love of God and neighbor. I owe a heartfelt "Thank you" to NPH Honduras for this reminder, and I look forward to journeying back there in the future.

 

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.