“Hope is grief`s best music” (unknown author) was

The
Perennial
Path
Brittany Ann O’Connell
12/22/1975 - 01/19/1999
sary
Anniver
Special
2010
Edition:
0
Founded 200
2003
First Home Tour
ope is grief’s best music” (unknown author) was certainly
“H
the rationale when Brittany’s Hope began 10 years ago
following the sudden passing of Brittany. Our mission to
il W
ar C hrist m as 2
00
4
First Annual Walk of
Love
2005
Sunflower Child
re n
Pro
jec
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00
6
Continued on Page 2
Civ
help waiting children became the melody to restore our
wounded hearts and give purpose to grief. Since then so
many wondrous stories have emerged
that our hope literally has become a
joyful sonata.
But how do we maintain hope in
a world of challenging economic
times, corrupt leaders, and
repeated human catastrophes? A
decade ago, 9 million children
worldwide lived without
families
while
today’s
census indicates that these
numbers are more in the
range of 163 million. Multiple
natural disasters, wars and
new adoption policies have
left more children in need
of care. It seems every day
we are confronted with a new
photograph of a crying, dirty
child sitting alone in the
midst of chaos.
A
M
Candace Abel
aintaining Hope
Executive Director
Continued from page 1
I
n our fight against such opposition, Brittany’s
In this newsletter you will read so many
Hope has responded with a number of
wonderful stories, all containing the common
successful humanitarian programs, last year
thread of triumphant hope; hope that shines
feeding 1,400 children in our nutrition program
through in the letters from our kids in the House
alone. But the famous author and humanitarian,
of Love, in a young mother’s recovery and in a
Pearl S. Buck cautioned, “To
college student’s fresh view
eat bread without hope is still
on what is significant in
slowly to starve to death.” If
life. It is hope that spurs an
hope is the antidote against
adoptive mother of a teen
discouragement
of
any
daughter to create beautiful
kind, then sustaining hope
quilts for waiting children
becomes as important to the
and hope that sends board
children we strive to serve,
members and young people
as it is to our staff, donors
abroad for service trips;
and volunteers who work to
hope that propels the board
uphold our mission. In this
and staff daily and creates
light, hope is essential no
an uplifting Walk of Love.
Candace Abel visiting the House of Love
matter what the outcome.
It is these common notes of
So how do we preserve our hope? A colleague
hope which become the united song of a global
and good friend of Pearl Buck, Lin Yutang wrote,
community; together WE are the change if we
“Hope is like a road in the country; there was never
never lose the voice of hope. If we walk together in
a road, but when many people walk on it, the road
the same direction we will create a just path where
comes into existence.”
hope exists and joyful symphonies arise.
House of Love:
Vietnam 2008
2007 Elizabethtown Colleg
e Service Learning Trip
Medical Interv
After, 2009
Medical Intervention: Hie
u Before, 2006
ention: Hieu
2
www.BrittanysHope.org
W TH
10 Years of GRO
Former Board Member
Zane Gizzi
It is remarkable – and inspiring – to reflect on how far
Brittany’s Hope Foundation has come in such a short time.
During my brief time on the Board, which was shortly
after the Foundation was established, Brittany’s Hope was an
extremely small, all-volunteer entity composed solely of folks
from the Elizabethtown area. I vividly remember one of my first
meetings (in the basement of the E-town Church of God) as
we reviewed the profiles of prospective children on whom we
would place grants to improve their chances of being adopted.
It was painstaking and painf
ul work; we struggled to alloca
te our meager
resources to make the most sig
nificant difference possible wh
ile sadly
understanding that each child
was precious and deserving
of so
much more than the circums
tances in which they were liv
ing.
At that time, with scores of children to consider, we
had
only enough money to place grants
on
seven
children
just
seven.
Didn’t each one deserve a family?
ily
Tr
ee
As difficult as that process was,
the joy of actually seeing a child
come home was overwhelming.
My moment came at Park City
Mall in Lancaster. As I was
browsing through the Disney
Store, I glanced down at a
little girl and immediately
recognized her, it was a child
on whom we had placed
a grant on about a year
before.
Her parents were
understandably
confused
that this stranger knew their
daughter’s name, but when
I mentioned my connection
with Brittany’s Hope, they
couldn’t say enough about what
the Foundation meant to them
and the joy their daughter had
brought. I will never forget that
experience or the transformational
difference Brittany’s Hope makes in
the lives of children and their families.
rF
Ou
3
am
www.BrittanysHope.org
Janie VanDyke, Bethany Christian Services
Bringing Families and
Friends together through
HOPE
SA M
G YTIS
W YATT
Sam, Gytis and Wyatt were friends who grew up in the same Lithuanian orphanage, all with
significant needs. All three boys received a grant through Brittany’s Hope. Families were found,
and through God’s grace, the boys live close enough to spend occasional weekends together!
Bethany looks forward to the next decade in partnership with Brittany’s Hope. Together, we agree
wholeheartedly with the words of Kate Douglas Wiggin, “Every child born into the world is a new
thought of God, an ever fresh and radiant possibility.”
Bethany Christian Services, International, began their affiliation with Brittany’s Hope in 2004. It has been an
amazing journey!
There are an estimated 163 million orphans living around the world. (UNICEF-12-09) These staggering
statistics are heartbreaking and overwhelming. It is hard not to become discouraged, especially knowing a
large number of these children have special needs. Anyone who has traveled to orphanages around the world
knows that children with special needs have little or no value. They are left to languish in institutions, where
they receive minimal care and live hopeless, helpless lives. Older children who age out of orphanages leave,
with little education or skills and few are able to adapt to society.
Forever Friends
Best Buddies, Home & Together
Wyatt
4
www.BrittanysHope.org
Sam with Dad
My job at Bethany is to recruit families to adopt children with special placement needs. After working at
Bethany for over 11 years, I know the biggest challenge for families is the financial burden of international
adoption. Brittany’s Hope Foundation has made tremendous efforts
to do something! As the point person between Bethany and Brittany’s
Hope, I am involved in the day to day working relationship. Brittany’s
Hope staff and supporters truly
Sam and Family
manifest the heart of God!
Brittany’s Hope has blessed
many of Bethany’s waiting
children since 2004. Together,
we have experienced the joy
of watching children join
families.
You
have touched lives
around the world
Grante
d 2002
Alex
&
YOU have made a huge impact on
the lives of so very many children
throughout the world. Families have
been built, comfort, nutrition and
education have been provided, but
most of all, Love and Hope have been
shared. Brittany’s Hope develops the
programs, but you make them happen.
Without you, we would not be able to go
forward with Brittany’s dream.
Andrey
A Special Thank You
To DAS, its Associates and the
Abel Family, by underwriting
our expenses, you make it possible
for 100% of every dollar raised
to directly benefit abandoned
children around the world. Your
generous monetary contributions
to the Foundation have been
instrumental to its success. Your
positive and life changing impact
on the lives of God’s children
cannot possibly be measured!
nted 2001
Ashley - Gra
Anna
Gra
nte
5
d2
003
www.BrittanysHope.org
We Walked Together,
To Make Changes in Orphans Lives Worldwide!
O
n May 2, 2010 we took Steps to Bring Children Home at our 6th
annual Walk of Love. Brittany’s Hope welcomed approximately
200 friends, families and for the first time “teams” who came out in
support of our adoption grants and humanitarian works. We were
especially thrilled to welcome our recipient families who have adopted
Brittany’s Hope granted children to the Walk. It is such a joy to meet the
children and come full circle from the time we had placed their grants
and anxiously held them in our thoughts and prayers until they were
united with their forever families! These precious children,
along with their amazing parents, led the first lap of
the Walk, skipping, smiling and proudly carrying the
flags of their birth countries.
The weather was not cooperative for the pre-walk
festivities, but that did not dampen the fun as we
simply moved indoors to the Thompson Gymnasium
on the Elizabethtown College campus. The many
children in attendance participated in games, face
painting and the ever popular Moon-bounce! Young
and old alike joined the Reeses Peanut Butter Cup in dancing along
to the sounds of DJ Mark Hoover. At
2:30 we walked indoors and
out as the sun broke through
the rain, to raise funds and
awareness for the plight
of orphans around the
world.
To date, we’ve raised
$32,446 of our $40,000
goal thanks to our generous
supporters.
Many thanks to our 2010 Walk of Love sponsors!
Help us meet our 2010 goal!
Contact Brittany’s Hope
717.367.9614
6
www.BrittanysHope.org
s
r
se
i
a
r
d th Annual
n
Fu 9Golf Benefit
Recipient Families
in
Medieval Times
Team Alpha Dog
The PA Renaissance Faire outing was a great success this year. 6
Recipient Families joined the festivities and enjoyed a beautiful
Saturday at the Mount Hope Estate in Lebanon, PA.
Return
2 Manassas
For five years, Brittany’s brother
Courtney Abel (right) has put on
a re-enactment event to benefit
Brittany’s Hope. This years event
was bigger than every before, raising
nearly $20,000!
Team D
AS
M
a
In 2001, Mike Abel of DAS
graciously offered to hold a
Golf Tournament for the benefit
of Brittany’s Hope.
This VERY
successful event has become a staple
in our fundraising budget. 2010
b h a rt - D
AS
will mark the 9th
year t G e
t
DAS has held this annual
event! We would like to
extend a special thank
you to Mike Abel,
Wendy Hippensteel,
and Trish Kistler for
their tireless work
and hours devoted
to making the Golf
Tournaments such an
amazing success.
7
www.BrittanysHope.org
A New Approach
I
ntroducing our new direction on grants for
children, the Seedling Gift Program. This allows
Brittany’s Hope to continue advocating for children
while becoming more self sustaining.
Gregory &
John Peter
Home in 2010
Brittany’s Hope will be able to work closer
with our affiliate adoption agencies who help
find forever families for those children who
languish in orphanages, still waiting for a
chance to be loved.
Zeng Tuo
Home in 2010
B
rittany’s Hope Foundation believes in the fundamental right of all
children to have the security and love of a family. It is through this
belief that we have developed the Seedling Gift Program.
Adoption is a difficult process and it takes a unique family with love
and dedication to undergo the challenging process. With the high cost
of international adoption, many willing and able families are forced to
reconsider their financial means to do so. Children that require special
care further compound the already expensive endeavor.
Sanjith
Home in 2010
We can help remove this financial barrier to international adoption!
The Seedling Gift program challenges grant recipient families and
their friends, family and neighbors to support the adoption of special
needs children worldwide. The monetary “seeds” of these communities
come together and help plant children in families where they flourish
forever.
Recipient Family Spotlight
Russ Burden - Recipient Family
Those at the
foundation were
rooting for Ruslan
and loved him
before we ever
heard about him.
Throughout our
adoptions the staff
acted as a sounding
board, a shoulder
to cry on, a friend
to pray with and
finally a fanfare to
rejoice with.
The Connolly Family
W
e have been home from Russia for almost three
weeks. It seems as though Yelenna Michaela
Connolly has always been part of our lives. One of
Lenna’s biggest challenges has been adjusting to
the food.
She just
doesn’t understand
how cheese could be
orange in color. To
her, peanut butter is
disgusting. She will
try different foods, as
long as it’s her idea,
and slowly we are
finding an acceptable
diet.
The progress she
has made is remarkable. Somehow, we are all able to
communicate in spite of the language barrier. I guess
“love” is the same in any language; and we do love her
and she us.
8
www.BrittanysHope.org
We’re Home!
Children Who Have Arrived Home Since January 2010
Betula
Caleb
Ethiopia
Korea
Mylee
& Macy
Haiti
Gedeleine
Haiti
Eduardo
Guatemala
Maria
Columbia
Levi
Korea
George
HarrisonChina
Mongolia
Asmerach
Ethiopia
Sophie
China
9
www.BrittanysHope.org
The mother is the
HEART of the family
Ke
epin
g Up With
s
d
n
e
i
r
F
d
l
O
Nguyen Thi Le Hang: Cam Ranh, Vietnam
I
grew up with very poor parents. When I was in the 6th grade, I had to drop out of school because my family
could no longer afford to keep me there. My husbands situation was much the same as mine. His family was
also very poor. Both of his parents passed away due to an illness that they did not have the money to treat.
Now that I am married, things have not changed. We are still very poor. My husband
works as a mason earning $3.80 usd/day, but because his work is not secure, sometimes
he does not have any work to do. We have two children, a girl who is 11 years old and
a boy who is 6. We think about our children’s future a lot, and tried so hard to earn
money to keep them in school but unfortunately in 2008 I became very ill.
I often felt tired and dizzy, and I started to faint a lot. My husband brought
me to the hospital to find out what was wrong with me. After visiting several
different hospitals, we borrowed money and traveled to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh
City) where we found out that I had a very serious heart disease. I needed to
have surgery which was going to cost a total of 4,010 USD. Of course,
after we heard this we were shocked because we could never
pay such an amount. We had to leave the hospital without
“If I did not
treatment. When we got home, we prayed every night to the
receive the help
Virgin Mary to help us, to please help me overcome this
from you and
fatal disease. Fortunately for us, I went to the House of Love,
where the nuns asked Candy Abel, the Executive Director of
Brittany’s Hope, I
Brittany’s Hope to help me. She supported us with the
don’t know where
amount of $ 3,500. The remaining funds we were
my children
able to borrow from neighbors and I was able
would be now.”
to have the surgery I needed. Fortunately
the surgery was very successful and
now I am feeling fine again.
I would like to offer my
thanks and appreciation to
Candy and Brittany’s Hope for
what they did for me. Without
their help I could not have
overcome my illness. If I did
not receive the help from you and
Brittany’s Hope, I don’t know where
my children would be now. I hope the
foundation is able to do more meaningful work
like this. I would like to wish Brittany’s Hope much success in
your bright future.
poverished
Parents in im e love to care for their re.
en possess th
e child’s futu
countries oft ances to provide for th ildren remain with
the fin
that ch
child but lack r donors, we can ensure ic orphans can grow
econom
lp of ou
e.
With the he ts and therefore these
y can provid
il
n
m
e
r
fa
a
a
p
ly
ir
n
e
th
love o
up with the
10
www.BrittanysHope.org
O rphan C are V illage
Project
Furnish
I
n 2008 Brittany’s Hope Foundation embarked on an ambitious project to build an Orphan Care Village in
Injibara, Ethiopia. We had toured the region and found an urgent need for a safe haven for the precious
orphans in the area.
We are grateful for all of our donors and a generous corporate underwriter who made it possible to break
ground in July of 2008. Father Abebe, who has overseen the building project, encountered many delays due
to heavy rainy seasons and difficulties obtaining materials, but we are pleased to announce the buildings are
complete! The Orphan Care Village includes four children’s homes, a kitchen and dining room, residence for the
Sisters who will care for the children, a dry latrine, laundry facilities, a play ground, fruit trees and gardens, a
guard house and a fence enclosing the campus to protect the children from the wild animals that roam the area.
The construction is complete and the center is soon ready to open its doors.
With your help, we can furnish the center for the Sisters and children.
One very generous donor purchased beds and personal items for the children; however, there is much more
required before the center receives its license and is able to house the children. We have “registered” a list on
our website indicating items the children and Sisters need.
www.BrittanysHope.org/Furnish
Won’t you please visit our website and prayerfully consider making a ‘purchase’ to help furnish the center?
You will be making a tremendous difference in the life of a child! No gift is too small as you will be contributing
to help furnish the buildings so the sounds of children, safe and cared for, may soon be heard throughout the
village!
Images Drawn by Adopted Children
5 Cooking
Pots
$55.97
Kitchen Cabinet
Kitchen
Chair
$522.39
$36.57
Tea
Kettle
$11.19
$9.00
Bottle Opener
Strainer
$2.61
11
www.BrittanysHope.org
Going Forward with Faith
The House of Love Orphanage: Cam Ranh, Vietnam
S
ince 2005, Brittany’s Hope Foundation has helped
a small center run by a dedicated group of Catholic
Sisters. They live in Cam Ranh Bay, a deep water bay
thought to be the best shelter in Southeast Asia and a
base during the Vietnamese War (or the American War as
it is referred to in Vietnam).
When Sr. Maria started the center, she was inspired by
two orphans who were trying to carry a large pail of water
from a local well to a person across town. The water was
too heavy for them to carry, so they sat and cried. She
asked them what was wrong, to which they explained that
they would receive some rice if they carried the water all
the way. She bent down to help them, but it was even too
heavy for her. That night she struggled with the thought
of those two children. That restless night gave her the
inspiration to start the House of Love.
The center is quite a different place
now from when we first witnessed the House of
Love in 2005. They struggled to feed the 30
children at the center. They were living in a
rundown building that was once a convent for
Priests before they had to flee persecution.
The children’s studies lacked because they
had to help work in the rice patties and banana
orchards. How to provide for so many children
was always a primary concern for the Sisters, but
they went forward with faith.
Now, there are over 70 children who call this place home. Each child
has a unique story and their own set of challenges. Yet, they come
together like a kind of family. It’s unorthodox but a family all the same.
The genuine concern and dedication of the Sisters at the House of Love
reflects in the children. Every child has chores. The older children help
out with caring for the younger ones. They learn a holistic approach to
life.
The next step at the House of Love is the construction of a
replacement to their piecemeal, flood prone and aging building. We are
currently waiting on government approval for our one story building
complete with 4 classrooms, 8 children’s rooms, 2 caretakers rooms and
a play/event space.
For additional information
about the House of Love or
to sponsor a child, contact the
Humanitarian Aid Coordinator at
[email protected]
12
New Project Spotlight
Da Nang
Street
Children
B
rittany’s Hope is
proud to introduce
a new humanitarian
project at the Da
Nang Street Children
Center.
The center
was
founded
in
1991 by a group of
progressive thinking
Vietnamese citizens
who noticed the need
of the street children
around the Da Nang
area. It consists of
5 “families” of 30
children with a couple
serving as the house parents. This
trusted center sets an example to
other centers on how to provide
the best care to abandoned
children. The children are treated
as part of a family. They provide
the children with food, clothing,
shelter, education, health care and
employment skills while they are at
the center. After 18, they help the
children with training, finding a
job, small loans to start a business,
and even fulfill the traditional
parental roles in weddings.
As a part of our HOPE (helping
children by providing education)
project, we have begun the
sponsoring of the vocational
training center.
There are a
total of 90 students training for
the in-demand skills of sewing,
embroidering, computer science,
and small engine repair.
This
training provides the children with
vital skills to attain independence
and self-sustainability. It costs us
$14 to provide a month of education
to each child. In the near future,
we hope to establish a sponsorship
program like the one at the House
of Love.
www.BrittanysHope.org