First Colombian Drop-in
Center Opens!
(Mayor Gentil Palacios speaking in front of the Espinal Drop-in Center)
(Children of the Espinal center with Colombia Chapter President Dr. Rosario Meneses)
Saturday, November 4th, was a spectacular day filled with music, dance, food, and good cheer. SXHU, in conjunction with the City of Espinal in the state of Tolima, inaugurated its first Drop-in Center for children in Colombia. The newly remodeled Espinal Center can serve up to 80 children with 78 already registered. We will begin by feeding lunch 6 days a week. A local foundation called DANAVE, will provide volunteers to service the children as well as give pyschological, emotional, and nutritional care. SXHU Colombian Board Member Luz "Mery" Gutierrez will manage the center. At the end of the evening a humble poor widow begged to let her three children come to eat there. Local SXHU Vice-President Rosarito had told her we were already full, but how could we turn her away? Somehow there will be room.
Your help sponsoring this new Drop-In center would be greatly appreciated - www.sxhu.org.
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Turbaco, Cartagena, Colombia Drop-in Center
Right on the heels of opening our first Drop-in Center in Colombia, the following plea was sent:
"Laura, I think I just approved another Drop-in center here in Cartagena. Our Turbaco center is going to cost us less than planned since we are using a house and we can remodel it for less than $2000. Most of our cost is a shower, water tank on top, and a pump to get water up from a well. It will also help pump water for the neighbors. Electricity is "free" since the whole neighborhood is hooked up illegally and the municipality doesn't care, so the people can survive. This area is so poor. (I have naked and near naked children here. I need panties, socks, pants, shirts ASAP.) I authorized breakfast 5 times a week and lunch 2 times a week.
(Turbaco, Cartagena Drop-in Center volunteers, Left to Right:
Heidi, Teresa, Alicia, Mercedes, and Rosali)
Local community members, church members, and municipality will pay for lunch up to 3 times per week. We have as many as 190 children every day, but average 150 kids daily for breakfast. They are so hungry they hold the bread to their chest so no one will take it out of their hands. Sometimes other little kids fight to take it. I told them to feed them MTWTH and Saturday, so the children don't go 2 days in a row hungry. Right now breakfast consists of a hot oatmeal/nutrition drink made with milk and bread with butter. If we can get a sponsor for this home, even $250 per month times 2 persons, we can increase lunch and/or add 1 more day of breakfast with an occasional egg or fruit. Alicia (Director for the center) says that once the word is out that breakfast is every day, the number will increase to nearly the full 278 registered.
They are so hungry my heart aches. Please find me someone who can support this center.
Your help sponsoring this newly approved Drop-In center would be greatly appreciated - www.sxhu.org.
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Colombia Welcomes Southern Cross Humanitarian
Southern Cross Humanitarian -Colombia is official! SXHU Colombia Board has a great team in place and is ready for major expansion. From Left to Right:
· Jose, our CPA
· Rosario Meneses, President
· Luz Dary Barragan, Treasurer
· Rosarito Vasquez, Vice-President
· Luz Mery Gutierrez, Secretary
· Sandra, assistant
· Rosa Ines Puleciio, Social worker
Rosario, our Colombian Chapter President, has a superior infrastructure in place. Americans are trusted and welcomed, and Southern Cross Humanitarian is one of the first foreign non-profit organizations in the country.
Rosario met with ICBF Regional Director William Santa Maria in Bogota, the day before the inauguration of our first Drop-in Center, and he invited them to participate in a solicitation for income for children in his region (Bogota). He was so impressed with Rosario, that he called them back 30 minutes after the meeting and said he had arranged for Rosario to meet with the Top Director of the ICBF for all of Colombia. Something powerful is beginning to happen in Colombia. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
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Spotlight:
The Sunflower
By Edy
(Dictated to & translated by 2007 Summer School Teacher Colleen Burns)
Who am I?
I am Edy. I am eight years old. I like to play and I like cake. I am a happy boy.
Before The Sunflower
Before I came to the orphanage, a person found me. This kind soul brought me to the orphanage.
Now
Now, I live at The Sunflower. Here, I have clothes, a television, and a DVD player. We eat, read, study, and work. Here, I feel happy and cheerful.
What is The Sunflower?
The Sunflower is a beautiful place with good parents. The Sunflower is important because there are many good kids. I like this place because it is an orphanage with good kids and parents.
My Future
After high school, I want to fly an airplane. I want to have a television and DVD. I want to have many animals and a mother.
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Thank
you for being part of the Southern Cross Humanitarian Family. Bridging
cultures, awakening hopes and dreams-one child at a time- we will make
the world a better place.
Sincerely,
Laura Mabbott-President
website: www.sxhu.org
email: laura@sxhu.org
Office:
2607 E. Casto Lane,
Salt Lake City, UT 84117
For copies of newsletter, you can go to www.sxhu.org. All past issues are archived.
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Tax Information
(If you have a tax advisor, it's best to check with them regarding your personal tax situation)
Expedition:
· If over half the time is spent at the orphanage (which our expeditions do), the entire airfare is deductible.
· Cost of side trips should be deducted
from the expedition total, since only expenses related to the voluntary
portion are deductible.
. For Machu Picchu the cost is about $400.
. For Machu Picchu & Lake Titicaca, the cost is about $300.
General Donations:
· For
donations to Southern Cross Humanitarian, you can use your thank you
letters or cancelled checks for your tax files.
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Greetings,
"Love isn't an emotion, it's an ability." (Movie-Dan in Real Life). One of the truly miraculous things to watch unfold here at Southern Cross, are the ways people connect, help and manifest their ability to love. Thank you!
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Everyone Can Do Something!
U.S. Marine Major Tammy Olsen, stationed in the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru, wrote and asked what she & her husband could do  to help our children on her upcoming leave. About the same time April Goodwin, from the June expedition, wanted to provide fluoride treatments to our children but needed a way send it and administer it. Through a little email effort, the first fluoride treatments were given and the second round is scheduled for February.
Lots of people got into the action, even our own Juan Carlos. (Juan Carlos looks a LOT more squeamish than Hilario! Once the kids realized it didn't hurt, they just enjoyed the attention!  (Edy was the only one that wouldn't believe it, so he's the only one that didn't get his treatment - so Edy!) | |
 Top 5 Ways to Get in the SXHU Action:
#1- Make It Your Own
Brandon Whitmer, who owns a gas station in Nevada and went on the August Expediton, sent in the following: "after many hours of thought, I just could not justify giving out free water or air at our gas station. So I came up with a better idea. Hope this helps out! Thanks for all you do for the children of Peru."
#2- Integrate SXHU Into Your Daily Routine
Registering for and using an Albertsons Preferred Card, a Lucky/Savemart Card, Using Goodsearch as your search engine and/or shopping on-line with Goodshop or iGive (special promotion going on now), is no cost to you, and big benefits to Southern Cross with 1 - 3% of each purchase going to our organization. Scroll down for more information.
#3- Share Your Strengths
Whether it is putting on a cabaret night, inviting Laura to a community forum like a church fireside or school assembly, hosting a dinner at your house or local venue, getting SXHU in your local media or gathering together for a quilting bee, when YOU share your passion, people will feel it!
#4- Gifts that Keep on Giving
Christmas is right around the corner - so consider giving a SXHU gift donation, sponsor a child in someone's name, or buy a cow or alpaca. We're hoping to purchase guitars for the children this year as Papa Juan is a guitar teacher and is hoping to set up classes. Also, "The Sunflower" by Richard Paul Evans is now available in paperback - placing a donation certificate with the book could make a meaningful Christmas present!
#5- Grants!
Many companies are now having their United giving campaigns and will allow employees to designate ANY 501(c)3 charitable organization, please designate Southern Cross Humanitarian as your organization of choice. In addition, please check to see if
your company gives matching grants or grants matching the SXHU
vision.
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| Please feel free to contact laura@sxhu.org for further details in any of these areas. We appreciate your help. |
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 Current & Upcoming Projects:
1. Final Dorm Home: $25,000
· Construction - $22,000
· Sponsored Rooms - $3,000 (6 @ $500 each)
2. Greenhouse Remodel: $1,000 (Enlarge & relocate)
3. Dairy Start Up Costs: $8,000 (Stables, cows, feed, etc)
4. Intern Wing: $6000
· $2,000 - Rms 1-3 Construction & Furnishing
· $4,000 - Rms 4-6 Construction & Furnishing
5. Administration Wing: $30,000
· Bathrooms - $2,000 (fixtures)
· Laundry Room - $5,000 (Big Sinks, 3 sets Washer & Dryers, Shelves & · Closets & Hanging Rods - Tile)
· Storage Room -$1,000 (loft & misc. shelving)
· Dental & Medical Rooms - $500 (Examination areas)
· Office/Cultural Room/Library - $6,500 (Loft, furniture, shelves, hardware windows)
6. Anta Home: $3000
· Bathrooms, retaining wall & water tower - $3000
7.Drop In Centers: $23,0000
· Cusco/Resbaloza Center - $1500 - (Install showers)
· Cusco/Wanchaq Center - $7500 - (Remodel facility)
· Colombia Espinal Center - $6000 - (Refresh & furnishings for "full home")
· Colombia Turbaco Center - $3000 - (Remodel & Kitchen equipment)
· Colombia Cartagena Center - $10,000 - (Remodel and Furnish)
Priorities for additiional funding include:
· Computer Room (Tile, Counter tops, Hardware (computers) & Software) - $15,000
· Drop-in Centers (We can do establish Drop-in Centers for every designated $10,000 we receive)
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 Heartbeats!
"When people donate their time, they are giving of their valuable heartbeats"
· Shane and Dixie Wise, of Idaho Falls, ID., invited SXHU to have a booth at their local Harvest Fest - Many thanks to the folks at the fare who sponsored children for a day, bought finger puppets, and for their general support. We are already looking forward to being there next year. · Michael Benjamin of Caldwell, ID, has gotten thousands of children's chewable vitamins donated to take down on the Dec./Jan. expedition. Thank you to Michael and Rachel at Vitamin Angels. (www.vitaminangels.org) We REALLY need vitamins for our children in all of our homes and Drop-in centers!
· Cub Scouts in Cupertino CA, are at it again! Last year they provided "Christmas in a Bag, and this year they are collecting pieces of Brio track and trains from their personal collections to construct sets for the children at the orphanage. COOL IDEA! THANKS!
· Dana Geddes of SLC, UT wrote the following after the banquet: "As an extended family we have decided to pass on giving each other Christmas gifts and donate all the money to Southern Cross. We are a large family with many teens, young adults and children. We really want to share with them what their sacrifice will be going towards."
· Many thanks to the Pleasanton City (California) Library Children's department for their donations of books and other materials for the children. Whenever they have items that are no longer needed, they first
check to see if they can be used at the orphanage.
Please let us know how we can help you help Southern Cross. We would love to give you lots of support. For more info email laura@sxhu.org. |
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Putting in your 2 cents can make a big difference! Bookmarking and using GoodSearch, an internet search engine powered by Yahoo, is a great no cost way to help SXHU! Just enter Southern Cross Humanitarian for your donation in the messages field and you're ready to search. It costs you nothing, but each time you search they pay SXHU a penny.
Email everyone in your address book and ask them to use goodsearch to benefit the orphans in Peru. 200 searches a day will help us earn enough to support a child at the Sunflower each year.
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Make a HUGE Difference
with No Cost to You!
Register your Albertsons Preferred Customer card with Southern Cross Humanitarian as your charity.
By doing so, Albertsons will donate 1-3% of all your purchases to
Southern Cross. This is a fundraiser where small amounts by many
people can truly make a big difference!
All you need to do is email your name, address, phone# & Preferred Card#, to Ken@sxhu.org or complete the registration form on our website on our "How Can I Help" page. Registering Albertson's cards of
friends, neighbors, relatives and co-workers is an easy, no cost way to support Southern Cross and spread the word.
This is also a great service opportunity for high school &
church youth groups as well as a qualifying Eagle Scout project:
register people in front of a local Albertsons store - for more
information contact Ken@sxhu.org. |
Tell-a-Friend about iGive.com!
More Supporters Mean More Donations for
Southern Cross Humanitarian
1. Tell your friends about iGive and join the surfathon by clicking here. Support Southern Cross Humanitarian It's FREE, private, & easy! http://www.iGive.com2. Shop the Mall at iGive.comYou'll see familiar stores like Lands' End,Office Depot, JCPenney, Neiman Marcus, Expedia,Barnes & Noble, and eBay to mention just a few!3. A $5 bonus donation for SXHU will appear in your friend's iGive.com account if they shop through iGive within 45 days of joining. (This is a limited time offer!)
"I've been using igive.com already and have been surprised at how many stores it includes" - Ken Mano
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Use PayPal for your donation !!
You can make a donation TODAY through PayPal, using your Visa, MC, Amex or Discover Credit Cards --
PayPal is an easy, safe, secure method of making donations.
After clicking the PayPal button, there are two ways to donate:
1) If you don't have a PayPal account (SKIP this section)
2) Using your CREDIT CARD
(Visa, MC, Amex, Discover)
Scroll down till you see the Credit Card images...
3) Please enter detail information for your donation in the messages field).
TO DONATE BY CHECK:Mail to: Southern Cross Humanitarian 2607 Casto Lane,
Salt Lake City, UT 84117-6302
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