2017 Highlights from NPH USA!

2017 was another wonderful year at NPH USA, where along with the generous support of our donors, sponsors, and volunteers, we were able to continue our work to break the cycle of poverty and truly transform the lives of children in need throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Below are some highlights from each regional branch of NPH USA! Thank you for being a part of this life-saving work!


Northwest Region

• In the NW, we graduated the sixth (and welcomed the seventh) annual cohort of 6 young leaders from NPH to the Northwest for a year-long program of study and leadership development.
• 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!
• Support of our events grew dramatically, including our third annual NPH USA Northwest Golf Classic, which nearly doubled in size, and our record-breaking Gala, which raised more than $400,000! In particular, we increased our corporate sponsorship significantly from past years.
• We welcomed 180 new child sponsors, and 21 Northwest donors contributed $5,000 each to provide a scholarship for a university student at NPH.
• We celebrated 8 successful years of leadership from Katie Hultquist as Regional Director and transitioned in new staff roles, with Ross Egge as Regional Director and Glory Visario stepping into new responsibilities as Development Manager!
• We raised more than $1.9 million in general funding to support our children and the work of NPH. Thank you to all!

Carnaval Fun


NW Golf Classic
 

Seattle Institute and I-Leap

 

Southwest Region

• In 2017 we had the most successful turnout we�ve ever had with our golf tournament, Holes Fore Hope! It was great spending the day with our wonderful donors playing a fun and charitable round of golf.
• In September we made it a goal of ours to start up an Associate Board in our region, and we got off to a great start! In the first three months we hosted a holiday party and an event at three Kendra Scott locations across Arizona, and were able to raise nearly $11,000! For 2018, we plan to raise more funds for NPH by hosting monthly events and expanding the size of our associate board.
• In the Fall we were thrilled to have the Pequenos from El Salvador here with us. We spent time in Danville, California and Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona. We were able to see them perform at several events, and learned more about what life is like at Casa Sagrada Familia.
• In 2017 our team was able to grow our footprint in the Southwest region. We hosted events in Tucson, Texas, and Colorado, that we never had done before. We also continued to grow our presence in Northern California and locally in Arizona. By reaching out to these new areas we have been able to connect with long-time donors, former international volunteers, and new supporters to NPH!
• Each year we look forward to our Faces of Hope Dinner. We had an amazing turnout and our silent and live auctions were a huge success. Frank Donaghue and NPH Honduras National Director Stefan Feuerstein gave very inspiring speeches!

 

Frank Donaghue and supporters at Faces of Hope

The growing Associate Board

 

Midwest Region 

• The peque?os from NPH Nicaragua provided great music and folkloric dancing during their tour of the Chicago area this past spring. The group was hosted by families from Sts. Faith, Hope, and Charity Parish in Winnetka and Our Lady of the Woods Parish in Orland Park. We raised a little over $70,000 in revenue and opened up new sponsorships with an annualized value of roughly $11,000! Many thanks to our host families and local organizers. We couldn�t do it without you!
• The weather cooperated this year for our fifth annual golf outing featuring NFL Hall of Famers and other football greats from years past. Stately Biltmore Country Club in North Barrington was once again our beautiful and accommodating host for this event, and the event set a new record in terms of the amount that was raised!
• The historic and eclectic Hotel Allegro in Chicago�s Loop was the location for our annual Gala and After Dark events. For the fourth consecutive year, the NPH USA Midwest Region Associate Board hosted the always fun Gala post-party, aptly named After Dark.
• Thanks to the organizing and running efforts of Midwest Region Board member Chris Ambroso, Team NPH USA�s marathon runners raised $5,200 for the children of NPH!
• This year, the Midwest Region directed seven trips to NPH homes in Guatemala (three times), Honduras (twice), Nicaragua, and El Salvador. Participating on those trips were 159 people who were able to experience for themselves what life is like at an NPH home!

 

 

NFL legends and members of the golf outing committee

MW Gala

Midwest Region sponsors Colleen and Jeff Knupp visiting NPH Nicaragua in June

 

Upper Midwest Region

• Thanks to the generosity of benefactors, the Upper Midwest Region raised $2,165,000 in 2017!
• Our region�s Young Professional board hosted four successful fundraisers, and through these events, they raised $14,864 for the children of NPH! Congratulations and well done to this dedicated group of individuals.
• A shout out to a group of 15 youth for starting up a new youth ambassador group this past year in the Twin Cities and surrounding area who raised $2,016 collecting donations from friends, and hosting a scavenger hunt and a jingle bell run!
• Celebrando a los Ni?os Gala was yet again a successful event with over 400 attendees and raising over $378,000 to advance the mission of NPH PLUS an additional $100,000 matching gift!

Celebrando a los Ni?os

 

Young Professionals

New Youth Ambassador Group

 

Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Region

• The Greater Boston Irish community came together once again to celebrate the 8th annual Irish Hearts for Orphans Benefit Dance that raised more than $160,000 for NPH USA in April! Multiple Irish bands provided entertainment, a Caribbean Cruise was raffled off, and there were amazing silent auction and raffle items.
• Eleven schools throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire opened their doors and hearts to the children of NPH Guatemala this fall during our 2017 Peque?o Tour. Also, four parish communities welcomed the NPH Guatemala pequenos into their Churches�including one brand new to NPH! Not only did parishioners host children, but the parishes combined for more than 100 new child sponsorships!
• Our NPH USA Duxbury Council threw their first house party fundraising event, Oysters for Orphans, which was a resounding success! Originally set to cut off tickets at 75, the demand was so high for this event that our hosts graciously allowed us to increase that cut-off to 90! In total, this event raised more than $25,000! Our hosts for the event, Ben and Victoria Lloyd, also helped lead a youth trip to the NPH Mexico home in June of 2017. The Duxbury community has truly embraced NPH USA and the future looks bright for this partnership!
• Our NPH USA Hingham Council threw their first annual Love without Limits Masquerade Ball at the South Shore Country Club in Hingham. Local band, The Catunes, rocked the house and got everyone out on the dance floor as they raised money and learned more about the mission of NPH USA. The event raised more than $50,000 and set a wonderful foundation for future events in Hingham!
• Twelve groups took trips to various NPH homes in 2017, including school and church groups! In total, 147 people from our region went on group trips. Thank you to St. Paul�s School in Hingham, the SMASH LifeTeen program out of Hanover/Norwell, B.C. High, Holy Family Parish in Duxbury, Northeast Catholic College, and St. Anselm�s College for running trips, and for all other travelers who choose to spend their time with the children of NPH!

Youth from Duxbury had a great time at NPH Mexico

Irish Hearts for Orphans Honorees Dr. James O�Connell, Steven & Deirdre Ginns, and Fr. Joe Raeke pose for a photo with event co-chair, Winnie Henry

Love without Limits Masquerade Ball

Pequenos from NPH Guatemala played soccer games with the students at schools they visited on the tour.

 

Southeast Region

• In early March 2017, a talented group of 12 Nicaraguan Peque?os in their late teens came to participate in activities in Miami. The Peque?os, who were hosted by families involved with NPH USA, toured museums, enjoyed a beach excursion, visited a family-oriented festival called Carnaval on the Mile and attended mass at Church of the Little Flower during their three-day visit!
• On the last evening of the Peque?os time in Miami, the Southeast Region Board held a celebration with a reception for 50 donors and new friends of NPH USA, featuring a wonderful program of traditional music and dance performed by all the Peque?os.
• In April, NPH USA and India Hicks Collection collaborated on a Great Shopping and Philanthropy event. Friends of NPH USA were invited to shop the Collection to benefit the children of NPH, where 40% of the total sales were donated to support NPH homes!
• Spring Fling 2017 was held in May as a reception for NPH USA donors and supporters. It was a fun evening of food, drink and a raffle. Along with networking among the attendees, a short program of wonderful stories about NPH homes was shared with the 40 guests.
• A premier dinner event was held in November at the home of a board member. It was a gathering of 22 invited guests, as well as a special visitor, Frank Donaghue, our very own President and Chief Executive Officer at NPH USA. The focus of the evening conversation was the NPH University Scholarship Program that provides financial help for over 400 motivated university students and how companies and individuals could support university education for these NPH scholars!

 

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 peque?os from NPH El Salvador provided great music and folkloric dancing during their 18-day Peque?o 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 Coraz?n 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 Ni?os 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 Peque?o 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.

 

 

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 peque?o 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^thanniversary. 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 Peque?o 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.

 

 

 

*Manuel�s New Home

The below entry was written by Stefan Feuerstein, National Director of NPH Honduras. Stefan reflects on the emotional experience of bringing eight-year-old Manuel permanently into the NPH family due to the closing of the home where he had lived.

I don�t know if I will ever really understand this world, where small children can be so totally lost and desperate that they will happily get in a car and drive away to a new place to live with complete strangers, while smiling and laughing.  I don�t know if I will ever understand how children can become so disappointed by those who should love them, that they find hope in those they don�t yet know.

But today reminded me of the role that we can all play in the lives of the lost to make things just a little bit better, and it reminded me of the huge responsibility that we all bear together as we embark to do just that. 

Today I felt my heart get ripped to tiny shreds and stitched together again a thousand times as we drove back from San Pedro Sula to the Ranch with Nidia, our Social Worker, and Manuel*, a child of eight years, in the back seat of my car.  A small, innocent boy with a sweet laugh, missing front teeth and a lisp, Manuel talked and talked and laughed and talked as Nidia laughed and listened. He talked of his favorite foods that he had not yet eaten, and compared in great detail the hamburger that we bought for him, to the previous one, the first hamburger he had ever had. He tried for a while to count the stars through the window as we drove on winding roads through the mountains once it got dark. He explained to us which robots are the strongest, and why. But in his stories, so sweetly told, you could also find bits and pieces that reminded us over and over again how broken we have let the world become. He proudly told us that he is never afraid of the dark, not even when he sleeps outside in the grass at night to avoid beatings from his step-father. He spoke of his dreams of becoming a soldier, because they have bigger guns than the murderers who walk the streets. In childish pragmatism, he tried to figure out how many pizzas you would need to take with you if you tried to walk to the United States in three days from Honduras.

But watching Nidia and Manuel in my mirror as they talked and laughed together, I saw how one broken little piece of this world can maybe fix another broken little piece. Nidia came to NPH when she was nine. She worked hard, studied well, and graduated from university as a Social Worker a few years ago.  And here she is today, negotiating with politicians, arguing with government social workers, formalizing the legal guardianship of NPH for 20 children from a closing government home, and laughing with a lost little boy in the back seat of a car as she takes him to the place that will be the foundation for his future.

It�s been a long, tiring day, with long tiring drives to and from the murder capital of the world. But it�s been a truly beautiful day.

I am so proud and grateful to be part of this amazing endeavor that Father Wasson started so many years ago. There is so much that we will never understand, and there is so much that is broken, but there is also so much that is good in the people around us.

Tonight I go to bed thinking of broken pasts and promising futures, and thinking of those little things that might mean that some little worlds and some little lives just might be ok soon. 

Tonight is Manuel�s first night of many on the Ranch.

Good night, and God Bless,

Stefan

*names have been changed to protect the privacy of children 

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 

Bringing �First Moments� to Donors and Sponsors as They Visit NPH Homes

Below is a reflection written by Gaby Driessen, Regional Manager of Child Sponsorship in NPH USA�s Midwest office, about the wonders of introducing new visitors to NPH homes for the first time. 

I directed my first trip to NPH nearly three years ago, so my first NPH visit experiences are long gone.  I don�t feel the nervousness of driving into NPH for the first time; rather, I feel comfort and familiarity.  I do not get anxious about meeting the peque?os for the first time; rather, I feel excited to see them again and pick up right where we left off a few months ago.  I do not get to fall in love with NPH for the first time; rather, I continue to fall more and more in love with the organization and its people.  Since I no longer have those �first moments� when I visit a NPH home, bringing new donors and sponsors to visit one of the NPH homes is, in my opinion, the best part of working for NPH USA.  To witness someone step onto NPH grounds for their first time, build meaningful relationships with the peque?os, and feel so at ease and at home is so remarkable.  With each trip that I lead, I am given the unique opportunity to see the light flicker in someone else�s eyes when they realize that by visiting NPH they are helping break the cycle of poverty.

In a recent trip to NPH Guatemala, I asked the trip participants to share their �aha!� moments.  What about NPH has surprised you the most?  What has made you realize the importance of you visiting NPH?  What has been your favorite moment thus far?  One participant, who was visiting NPH for his first time, shared that his �aha!� moment was when he realized that NPH is the Kingdom of God.  His answer left me speechless.  My entire education, kindergarten all the way through college, had been in Catholic schools, so at a remarkably young age I had been taught that the Kingdom of God was Heaven.  One high school religion teacher liked to say for those of different faiths, �The Kingdom of God is a place where love is all around.�  The trip participant went on to explain his reasoning for believing that NPH is the Kingdom of God � he witnessed Fr. Wasson�s pillars of unconditional love, shared responsibility and helping others in every child, caregiver, teacher, nurse, gardener, international volunteer, visitor, donor, and sponsor.  He explained that he had never seen so much love in one place, and, in his opinion, all this love could only mean that NPH is the Kingdom of God.  Throughout the rest of the week, I kept an eye out for Kingdom of God moments. 

On the last day of the trip, the youngest boys section walked past me, each boy carrying a large garbage bag filled with folded clothes.  When I asked where they were going with all the bags of clothes, they explained that they were walking into town to donate the clothes to those in need.  All of sudden that lesson from my sophomore high school religion class of love being all around made sense, as did the trip participant�s �aha!� moment; there, in the midst of the Guatemalan highlands, with a volcanic and mountainous background, on the grounds of a place that provides a home, healthcare and education for approximately 300 children, I was standing amongst a group of nine-year-old boys who were, and are, living the Kingdom of God.  

Highlights from 2013 at NPH USA!

2013 has been another wonderful year at NPH USA. Our family of dedicated supporters and happy, healthy children continues to grow and flourish. Thank you to all of our friends who have supported our cause to nurture this family over the year. 

Check out some highlights from each of the regions from the previous year; highlights YOU helped to make possible! 

Northwest
In the Northwest region we welcomed the third annual cohort of six young leaders from NPH for a year-long program of study and leadership development. We also celebrated 25 years in the Northwest, having raised over $11 million from more than 10,000 supporters all across our region! As part of our Gala celebration, we gave Silver Circle awards to our closest and most generous supporters from the past 25 years and welcomed guest speaker, former NPH Mexico student, Aurora Zacarias. We had 10 volunteers from the Northwest who lived and served at one of the NPH homes this past year, while we also mourned the passing of key supporters, including Sr. Virginia McMonagle, who was a committed supporter of NPH in Haiti, and Fr. Lee Hightower, who sponsored 6 children in Mexico and Haiti, and left a significant legacy gift of more than $80,000 to NPH. Our Associate Board for young professionals ended its second year with a bang, raising more than $40,000 for NPH and sponsoring a variety of fun and successful events and campaigns in Seattle and Portland. To top it all off, we raised more than $1.25 million from NW supporters, the most ever and 70% more than we had raised just four years ago! We also welcomed more than 100 new sponsors in our region.

Southwest
In the Southwest region we were all thrilled to have 315 new sponsorships this past year! We hosted four mission trips to Mexico and Guatemala with teens and young adults to our NPH homes abroad. We welcomed 16 children from the home in Nicaragua to the States. They performed at fiestas, liturgies and our Gala in both Arizona and California. In Arizona the children were at fiestas at Our Lady of Perpetual Help-Scottsdale and Our Lady of Perpetual Help-Glendale. The students from the Diocese of Phoenix schools participated in the 14th Annual Nuestros Peque?os Hermanos Mass and Cultural Exchange Day. The culmination of the events in Arizona was our Faces of Hope Gala that raised $175,000! For the first time, we visited Palmdale, California and were hosted by two schools in the Palmdale area where many new relationships were formed. We then moved onto to Danville, California where the community of St. Isidore�s and Father Frank�s kids hosted us for the seventh year. The children performed at a school mass, a fiesta and the weekend masses and at De La Salle High School. This year we also had several third party fundraisers where our supporters hosted events to support NPH USA, including a Crazy Hat Party, a dinner, and a Men�s Poker Night. Our first annual golf tournament was held in September and was very well attended raising $16,000 to support the children. We also continued our wonderful partnership with the Brophy school that has been sponsoring children for over a decade, and we were so pleased to welcome the new Home Director at NPH Guatemala this past year, a former Brophy student!  

Upper Midwest

2013 was a wonderful year for the Upper Midwest region. The annual Celebrando a los Ninos Gala was yet again a great success. We raised more money and had more attendees than any previous year and had a great program with fantastic speakers!  In addition, the Gala had a new $100,000 fund-a-need match that helped tremendously with our fundraising efforts. Our region's volunteer power was enormous this past year. The University of St. Thomas has many students who have made NPH USA their mission and their help and support has been phenomenal. More sponsors from the UPM were able to meet their sponsored NPH kids by joining one of the trips to our various homes this past year as well. Our region was proud to host trips to Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and El Salvador in 2013!

Midwest
Throughout 2013 the Midwest Young Professionals Board, which was launched in February with a simple informational gathering, has truly flourished. Beginning with a group of just 20, fast forward to December � the YP Board now has a Chair and other leadership positions, various involved committee members, and numerous applicants for board membership consideration for 2014. Ashley Spataro, a child sponsor and capable and experienced fundraiser, has hit the ground running as the very first Midwest Young Professionals Board Chair. With her enthusiasm and leadership, the YP Board has hosted a series of networking happy hours called �Cheers for Children�, a successful bar crawl throughout Chicago�s Old Town neighborhood, a pumpkin carving party with peque?os from NPH El Salvador, and most recently a holiday gathering that raised over $5,000 in donations! 2013 was a wonderful year for Midwest child sponsorship with a total of 269 new godparents joining the NPH family � the highest number of new sponsors in one year that the Midwest has ever seen! We ran five mission trips to various NPH homes, giving several sponsors the opportunity to meet their ajihados for the first time. We also had several amazing events in the Midwest this past year. In August we gathered for our first annual Football Legends Classic, where 19 football legends, including NFL Hall of Famers and former Chicago Bears players, teamed up with our supporters for a great day of golf and fundraising making over $173,000 to support NPH! A few weeks later we hosted our annual Gala, where attendees heard the story of Merlin Antunez, one of the first peque?os at NPH Honduras, participated in raffle games and a live auction, danced the night away, and helped raise over $145,000 for the peque?os. The Gala also honored the region�s first Unsung Hero Award recipients: Chris Ambroso, Scott and Mary Lane, and Ellie O�Connor were all recognized for their contributions for the children of NPH. In October, five individuals ran the Bank of America Chicago Marathon with Team NPH USA. These dedicated individuals gave back to NPH with 26.2 miles and raised over $17,000. The year ended with 10 children from NPH El Salvador visiting Chicagoland for the annual Peque?o Tour. The children were hosted by parishioners from Holy Cross in Batavia, IL, and they visited donors and sponsors all over the Chicago area. 

Mid-Atlantic/Northeast
The Mid-Atlantic/Northeast region would like to thank each and every one of our loyal donors, incredible sponsors, dedicated volunteers, and passionate friends who joined our team to go above and beyond for the children of NPH in 2013. We are honored and privileged to announce that our region raised $1.8 million last year in unrestricted funding to help support the basic needs of the 3,300 children in our homes! The amazing generosity of the Flatley Foundation, which made a $1 million gift, and also is matching 1:1 the more than $800,000 we raised, will bring us to an astounding total of approximately $2.6 million! In addition, our donors have helped us to obtain 140 new child sponsorships, welcome 905 new donors, and partner with Puma in donating over 700 soccer balls, cleats, sneakers, and mixed products to our homes. We also wish to send a special thank you to our new and current international volunteers who are at the NPH homes giving a year or more of their time for our children. 

Southeast
2013 was an incredible year for the Southeast region. In March, we celebrated our fabulous Equestrian event, with scores of people turning up to support our special needs programs in Haiti, raising over $20,000. Our annual Faces of Hope luncheon brought together almost 300 people, with our largest child sponsorship sign up to date, numbering 25 new godparents. NPH Mexico National Director, Rafael Bermudez, spoke passionately about the impact sponsorship has on the children at our homes. NPH Haiti Peque?o, Billy Jean, brought his first-hand experience of growing up in our home in Kenscoff to a festive house party at the home of NPH USA SE Regional Board Member Tomas Hauff. Billy shared his powerful story of success and how NPH changed his life. He is now studying law in Port-au-Prince, so that he can bring legal counsel to less fortunate Haitians in his home country. World renowned Haitian photographer Carl Juste was on hand to talk about the outstanding work NPH is doing on the ground in Latin America and the Caribbean. (Check out an awesome article about it here!) The summer was smoking in Miami as we held our first collaborative yoga event with Equinox gyms, and had a packed class of yogis, raising thousands of dollars for the children of NPH. The end of the year brought a priceless gift; Fed Ex Latin America sponsored several scholarships for women studying business in Latin America. We were also listed as one of Miami�s preferred charities for the Holiday Season. Our family also got bigger, bringing on a new Regional Director, Leah Stern, and several new regional board members, Theresa Rice, Maria Shojaee, Dr. Ingrid Vesiliu Feltes, Dr. Robert Jacobson, and John Price. We are excited for 2014 when we will start the year off with a Haitian Shabbat dinner. Stay tuned for an August trip to our home in the Dominican Republic!