Dave and Danielle

St. Vincent Trip--Week in Review

This is Seab and his home in St. Vincent, where he lives with his mother and 4 brothers and sisters. Through the Denniston Thomas Foundation, Seab has received scholarship money for the past 5 years. He is now in Taiwan on an educational scholarship, going to the university there. We're so proud of him! Seab's sister attends our partner school, and I was able to catch up with her quickly during my visit.

Some of our currently sponsored students.

These shots from the girls home project--construction in progress. They've actually made a lot of progress since the last time I was there, but they continue to struggle with raising the money to complete the home. As you can see from the photo above left, there have been donations of items, but many are inappropriate for the age of girls living in the home, or not in good condition. We are trying to determine how best to accept donations, and how to request specific items that the girls really need. I will keep you posted on how you can help!

All in all, the trip was a fast one, but productive. On my last night in St. Vincent, I had dinner with Sr. Jacintha and Salene, and we discussed future plans for the Denniston Thomas Foundation's involvement with the school and the girls home. Over the coming weeks, please check the Foundation's website at www.dennistonfoundation.org for the latest news and information. On the home page, you'll also have the chance to donate if you'd like! Thanks for being part of my journey this past week! Tre thanks you too!

St. Vincent--Day 3

I travelled back up to the school again today and met with some of the sponsored students individually. One of the students is a teen mother. Our partner school has a long tradition of accepting teenaged mothers into their classrooms when other schools have put them out. Shanel is one of these students--her son is two years old. Her mother helps with her son and also works at the community health clinic. Shanel stressed how much the sponsorship helped her and her family. If her school fees were not paid by the Foundation, her mom wouldn't be able to take care of her son without the sponsorship, because she would have to work full-time. She was so appreciative.

St. Vincent-Day 2

Wow--what a day. I came back a little while ago from a meeting with current and prospective scholarship students and their parents. It was so powerful. Parents told their stories of why they needed help from the Denniston Thomas Foundation. One family with three children has a roof leak so bad they are forced to move--they have no electriciy or running water, and yet the two children going to the school are among the brightest in their classes. The young boy, Layton, who was there, tutors another student to help her out--Talk about selflessness. One young woman stood up--she was the oldest sister of three children sitting by her. Her mom couldn't come to the meeting--she is a farmer and was still out in the fields for the day, working for the small amount of money it brought into their single-parent household. The oldest sister spoke about how much the money would mean to the mom--to the family. Another was a parent whose child has been one of the Foundation scholars this past year. She started crying when talking about how relieved she was that her daughter didn't have to be sent home from school this year for not paying school fees. One after the other, I heard these stories--each one a greater reminder of the importance of the Denniston Thomas Foundation and the generous donors who sponsor these students. And these students--these were not children to be feeling sorry for. They are much greater than that--these are students with so much hope and promise--I looked out at them and saw how bright their futures could be with a little bit of help. They are trying hard in school, they are helping out so much at home, they are helpful to teachers and students. These students are the future of St. Vincent--and the face of our organization. So amazing.

We're Here!!

  So, I now realize there's a reason why staff at most international nonprofit organizations don't travel with children. The 5-hour plane ride to Trinidad with Trajan was like a WWF wrestling match--and believe me--I did not win! I thought it would work out great because Trajan could sleep on the red-eye, but he mostly screamed, ate, screamed for milk, and then screamed some more. It didn't help that there were two babies on the plane his age who slept the ENTIRE time. And then there was the panic that there was still the one-hour flight to St. Vincent on a small plane!! He actually did a little better on that one. So, the two of us are going on no sleep, but our spirits are high. We were greeted at the airport by Sr. Jacintha, the principal of our partner school, and Salene, who is the director of the girls home project. It felt nice that they made the effort to come to the airport--each of them is very appreciative of the involvement of the Denniston Thomas Foundation. These trips are great because nothing beats face-to-face interactions to stay involved with the faces behind the work here. Sister and Salene started updating me right away so that I'm ready to go tomorrow with the students and the Board of Directors of the girls home. I'll be meeting with parents of the students we sponsor tomorrow, along with parents of potential sponsorships for the Fall. Until then, I'll be doing my best to recover from the flight!!