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Hogar del Niño volunteers diner Last  Thursday the 11th of March, Xiomara and Leo Matos invited the many volunteers of the Hogar del Niño to their house to enjoy a special ‘Thank You’ dinner. The Hogar del Niño children’s home is a very special place, made special not only by the children who are cared for there, but also by the love and commitment of the many volunteers who selflessly give up their time to help in a variety of different ways. At the dinner were a large group of Casa de Campo residents, Abraham Lincoln School pupils and their teachers, who visit the Hogar del Niño every week to help teach English. Everyone agrees that the pupils who have been taught this year have benefited hugely from their classes and their English understanding and speaking has improved more than ever before! Good job guys! abraham lincoln school teachers Also invited were a group of students from Stonehill College in Massachusetts, who forego the traditional spring break partying to spend a week working with the children at the Hogar del Niño. During their time at the Hogar del Niño the group of more than 30 spent time helping out in every possible way from caring for babies in the Crib room (La Sala Cuña) to painting murals and helping to teach English. stonehill volunteers As well as the current Stonehill college students were 3 Stonehill college graduates who are spending an entire year volunteering at the Hogar del Niño. These volunteers are Kristin, Keri and Jose, who have started several different initiatives between them, from revamping the classrooms, to beginning to renovate the sports facilities – I’m sure they will keep us up-to-date on everything they do! In the meantime, follow these links, to read more about them, their volunteer scheme and their various projects: A new volunteer project begins at the Hogar del Niño – the first volunteers tell all! Hogar del Niño: Mission Makeover! Hogar del Niño: Mission Makeover is well underway! keri and kristin Also at the dinner were a number of other Hogar del Niño supporters who help the Hogar del Niño in a variety of different ways, from helping co-ordinate events, assisting at events, photography (that’s YOU Erika!) and many other ways! Now volunteer Candiver Bienvenido (pictured below and centre wearing the pretty blue dress) describes the evening for us! abraham lincoln school pupils
It was a very beautiful evening. We were all received by a cocktail, empanadas and delicious quipes. We met very nice people – some whom were intrigued by our English, as we, the ALS students don’t have any type of accent – it was quite funny because I didn’t realise it! After cocktails, we were guided to the buffet to start the dinner. It was all very nice. There were a variety of salads, a pastelon de platanos maduros, shrimp salad, chicken breast, jam and broiled pork. It was fantastic! We sat at a very nice table where everyone had a quote or a thought from different peoples and writers. For example, my card was very nice, it said: «The be-all and end-all of life should not be to get rich, but to enrich the world,» from Bertie Charles Forbes. I liked it because it said a big truth. After the diner we had a marvelous desert and had a good time chatting. It was my first time to this type of event, and I had a very good time with the rest of the guests. Thank you Xiomara for inviting us! Candiver Bienvenido
A few more photos…
There are MANY ways in which YOU can help support the Hogar del Niño! You can attend the monthly ‘Cafe de La Leche’ events and donate milk to feed the babies in the Sala Cuña, click here to find out more. You could help teach English along with the other volunteers – email: info@pbo.org.do Or you could make a donation, visit their website: www.hogardelnino.com