Hazel: Closing the Chapter

2010

I received the letter in the mail today that formally informed me of Hazel's withdrawl from the Program. The letter states:

"Unfortunately, we've just learned from our field staff in the Philippines that Hazel's family has unexpectedly moved out of our sponsorship area because a better job became available for one of her family members ... I want to assure you that although she will no longer be a part of our program, this is a very positive step for her family ... Since Hazel's family has moved out of the area, not only is it impossible to continue her sponsorship, I'm sorry to let you know that we will not be able to deliver any final letters or photos you might want to send."

2011

So, it's about what I expected--very similar to the letter I received when Joan left. I appreciate the included details that they moved so a family member could take a better job--Joan's family moved without specifying why, and the uncertainty was awful. I am sad that I cannot send a final letter ... and I wonder what will become of the DP that's somewhere en route from me to her for Christmas?

CI included information for a young lady named Jossa to take Hazel's place, but I've already told them I'm not ready to take another child at this time. For now, I will put that $25 each month aside, to help provide SNGs for my girls on their birthdays. When I feel ready to again add a tenth child, I will probably investigate taking a younger sibling of Anna Marie or Yojana.

Goodbye, my dear Hazel. May your new life bring with it all the hope and possibilities of the future and a new sense of security and comfort for you and your whole family.

2012

Letter from Hazel!

I love opening my mailbox and finding a Children International envelope inside! This one held a CP letter from Hazel!

Dear Shannon,

Hello, how are you? Me and my family are in good health. Since it's rainy season here in the Philippines, I also enjoy taking a bath in the rain, but I'm afraid of lightning. After that I review my lesson although our school is suspend for almost one week, still I'm doing my assignment to be ready for our class discussion. Thank you for the post card, letter. It's a very beautiful card.

Again, thank you for writing to us! God bless you always.

Your Sponsored Child,
Hazel Ann

She bathes in the rain? Oh my. What does she do, I wonder, when it's NOT the rainy season? According to the most recent family record I have, Hazel's family has running water in their home. I guess I had always assumed that meant she had a shower of some kind.

I'm not surprised in the least to hear that school was suspended--I'm actually surprised that it was only for a week! The photos of the flooding looked pretty devastating. I'm glad to know she was able to return to school pretty quickly.

Hazel's Fundraiser Still On-Going!

As many of you already know, the first part of Hazel's fundraiser was completed very fast, thanks largely to an astonishlingly-generous contribution from a fellow Sponsor. The refrigerator has been delivered to her family, and I have received photos and Hazel's thank-you letter.

But there is work yet to be done! If you recall, the refrigerator was only half of the entire Income-Generating Project. Funds also needed to be raised for construction and supplies for her mother's store. This was the online portion of the fundraiser, and it is still on-going. I am raising the funds through FirstGiving--an easy, secure way to collect contributions for charitable causes!

You can view my fundraiser and make a contribution here. Truly, no amount is too small--you can see at the bottom of the page how quickly many small donations have added up to 47% of the goal amount!

I truly appreciate any support--financial, well-wishes, or otherwise--you are able to give! Hazel's family has been through so much this year (losing her father, the devastating floods), and it would be such a blessing to be able to ease their burdens and provide them with the security and peace of mind that the small store will bring to their lives.

Hazel's Annual Photo

I'm receiving lots of Hazel updates lately! Today when I logged into my account, I discovered her new annual photo:

Her hair has grown a little bit longer! She actually looks younger to me in this photo than in last year's. What do you think?

Back from Vacation

I was away on vacation for a week, and came back to a whole host of goodies!

Most excitingly, Hazel's refrigerator has arrived! There was enough money left over after purchasing it for the family to also purchase some supplies for the business, and some school snacks for Hazel!

She sent a lovely thank-you letter:

Dear Sponsor,

Hello! How are you? About us, we are doing good. I am very happy and thankful for the special gift you gave to me and my family. The refrigerator will help my mother a lot in her small business. As of now she is cooking food that we are selling in our neighbors. The left over food, we keep it in the refrigerator. We also bought snack items that I can bring when I go to school. I am now in grade five. I am enjoying school.

Thank you so much again for your big support in me.

Your Sponsored Child,
Hazel Ann

Next, I found two new photos of my girls when I logged in to my Children International account. One was expected ... one was not!

Maria's annual photo was the expected one. Her birthday is coming up in September; she will be twelve.















 Joyce's photo was definitely NOT expected! Her last photo was updated in February, so this was definitely a surprise! Joyce's birthday is in just a couple days; she will be fourteen.

Then, I learned of the devastating flooding in Manila and Quezon City--all together, five of my girls live in these two areas.  I logged online for the first time in the week, only to be confronted by images like this one:

Children International issued a statement, saying that their centers were closed due to safety concerns. They also said that they would contact Sponsors whose children are directly impacted by the flooding. I haven't heard anything ... yet. I am praying that no news is good news.

Postcrossing

I have been an on-again, off-again participant in Postcrossing for over five years. It's a really fun project for people who like to receive mail and see other parts of the world. The basic premise is that for every postcard you send out, you will receive one back from a randomly-assigned participant somewhere in the world. And there are thousands of participants ... including my fellow Sponsor and LiftOner, David.

David came up with the idea to change his Postcrossing profile to include a request for people to send him cards for his sponsored children instead of for himself. I thought this was a brilliant idea! So I updated my Postcrossing profile as well, requesting that people send me cards for my girls. And send they have!

The first cards I received were from a direct swap with a lovely lady named Helen--she had already sent card for David's kids, and he recommended her to me. She lives near Disney in Florida, and sent me cards for Cristine and Yulliana:

From Helen, for Cristine!

From Helen, for Yulliana!

Next, I received cards from Katya, who lives in Belarus--she sent cards for Chris and Cristine:

From Katya, for Chris!

From Katya, for Cristine!

Then I received a card from Vihbash in India, sent for Hazel:

From Vihbash, for Hazel!

 So I would say that, so far, this experiment has been quite successful! I can't wait to send these on to my girls with their July letters ... and I can't wait to see where we receive postcards from next!

Why I Love Saturdays

I've noticed over the past two months that my correspondence from CI tends to arrive in the Saturday mail. Today was no different! The postal carrier delivered to me another of those beloved envelopes, which proclaimed, "Enclosed is a special message from your sponsored child, Hazel." This was a surprise, since I have very recently received a letter from her (in response to a letter I sent). Today's letter is a "CR" letter -- one of the two letters each year she is required to send.

Dear Ms. Dillon,

Have a great day to you.

Mother's Day was celebrated every month of May. First thing I did when I woke up in the morning was to greet my mother a "Happy Mother's Day." She looked at me and gave a smile. I also thanked her for always guiding me to be a good child. I am thankful too to God for giving me a mother who was always there when I needed her.

Thank you for all the help. The shoes that you gave were my favorite shoes. It helps a lot to me. God bless you more.

Your Sponsored Child,

Hazel Ann

This is the second letter I've received from her describing a holiday and how her family observes it -- I love it! I didn't know they celebrate Mother's Day in the Philippines just like we do here in the states!

Also enclosed in the envelope was a "CW" (welcome) letter from Joyce!

Dear Ms. Dillon,

Good day!! Thank you very much for having me as your sponsored child.

Hi! I hope you are doing okay as you read this letter of mine. 

I am Joyce T, eldest daughter of Mr. Benjamin and Mrs. Miraluna. I have 1 brother and 1 sister. At present I am a Senior student of a Public School here in our place. My favorite subject is Math because I want to work in a bank as an accountant someday and I do really love numbers. Aside from Math I also love Science and Mapeh. 

My eyes are brown color, with long black hair. I am a little chubby because I do love to eat vegetables, meat and fish.
My mother is only a plain housemaid and always takes care of our needs. My father is a refrigerator and cooler daily labourer. He works hard to support our daily needs, especially with regard to our educational needs. I can say that I belong to a very simple family  but I am blessed with love and care.

Until here my letter. Thank you very much!

Sincerely yours,

Joyce T.

Wow! What a letter! She wants to be an accountant -- that's certainly different from my other girls thus far! I can tell her about my Uncle who is an accountant. I wonder what "Mapeh" is?

I am a little worried that she thinks she is chubby. She looks a very healthy weight in her photo (as opposed to many other sponsored children, who seem very skinny). Of course, I must remember that I am looking at this from an American perspective -- chubby may not have the negative connotation there that it does here.

I love the details about her family that she gives, too, especially about her father. On the family report, it only specifies "daily worker", so it's nice to know what sort of daily work he does!

Hazel's IGP: Update #1

Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of a fellow Sponsor and a couple of non-Sponsor friends, I have in hand more than enough to fund the refrigerator portion of Hazel's IGP, a short three days after receiving the report! I can't believe how quickly that came together, and I was left literally speechless by the generosity in particular of someone I've never even met. I cannot even find the words to adequately express how touched I am by this whole experience thus far. And I know the best is yet to come--when Hazel and her family receive the gift, and their lives change forever for the better. I know that my joy today will be dwarfed by theirs ... and I will be sure they know that joy was the work of several generous, kind, wonderful people who ALL want them to have the hope of a better future!

I will be sending this first portion of the IGP in the morning! The second portion, the FirstGiving Fundraiser for construction materials and sellable grocery stock, is coming along nicely as well -- hopefully that will complete soon and they will be able to begin the construction to improve the store!

I will be sure to post another update and photos as soon as I receive them! I'm so excited for Hazel and her family -- and so grateful for everyone who has helped make this possible!

Hazel's Fundraiser

After conferring with several more experienced sponsors and also having a few friends ask for an off-line way to donate, I've decided to split the fundraiser in two!

Part One: The Refrigerator
Cost: $380.96

This will be the off-line fundraiser. It was pointed out to me that, because I was planning to make a large portion of the donation myself, it is wiser to do it this way and avoid the FirstGiving fees. So, if you wish to contribute but aren't comfortable giving your credit card info to the FirstGiving website, please contact me directly and we will discuss the various options! Truly, no amount is too big or too small, and the total amount raised (even if it goes above the target) will be forwarded to Children International for Hazel and her family to use for their store.

Part Two: Construction and Supplies
Cost: $400

This will be the online fundraiser. The amount includes a rounded total of the quoted price for construction materials and labor ($120.64), the quoted price for grocery items to sell in their store ($238.10), and an extra 10% to cover FirstGiving fees. You can view my fundraising page on FirstGiving here, and can contribute online directly from that link as well! I've used FirstGiving several times as a donor--it is a safe and secure way to contribute money.


Thank you in advance to any and all who support this endeavor, be it monetarily or with words of encouragement and prayers for Hazel and her family. Words are insufficient to describe how much it means to me that there are those willing to help my precious sponsored child.

Hazel's Inquiry Report

It is with mixed emotions that I read the report I received in the mail today.

On her latest family report, Hazel's father was listed as deceased (previously, he had been listed as a daily worker). The family's monthly income also dropped dramatically, from $190 to only $60. Additionally, an older sister who hadn't previously been listed appeared on the report. I sent and inquiry to Children International, asking about the circumstances of her father's passing, the appearance of the new sister, how the family's current income is generated, and what (if anything) can be done to boost the income a bit.

The report states:

Hazel's father died of brain cancer last January at the age of 47. According to the mother, he was always complaining of severe headaches since July 2011, but due to lack of money, he did not consult a doctor about his condition until December of 2011, when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

The mother at present is getting income from selling cooked food in front of their house and sometimes frozen meat products when there's available capital. With a capital of PHP500.00 or $11.71, she gets a net income of PHP100.00 or $2.35, but most of the time she is only selling cooked food due to very limited funds.

That's why the mother was overjoyed to learn about the inquiry of the sponsor regarding the IGP. she said, if this will materialize, the additional income would surely help them a lot in their everyday expenses. The mother has been dreaming of opening a small variety store in a small space in front of their house, but due to limited budget, it remains a dream until this inquiry. The whole family is very grateful for this opportunity. Since they are selling cooked food and sometimes frozen meat products they are requesting also for a refrigerator to keep the meat product frozen. They need the following to have their small store:

Assorted Construction Materials, Including Labor: $120.64

Refrigerator: $380.96

Assorted Grocery Items for Sale: $238.10
Total: $739.70

As regards to Joanna, the sister of Hazel Ann, she was out for more than a year because she had to work as a house maid in another place to help her mother with their expenses. She is now back home with the family after the father died, and if funded she will be helping the mother to manager their IGP.

Thank you.

Whew! That's a lot of information in one report! So .... $740 is a LOT of money, and it's far more than I can swing on my own. However, I can set up a FirstGiving fundraiser to try and raise the full amount. I really, REALLY want to help Hazel and her family in the wake of the loss of her father--what a sad time for them, and to be faced with such economic hardship on top of it is just unthinkable.

I will post again when I have the fundraiser page set up and ready to go. Thank you in advance to any and all who can support this endeavor--either monetarily or with words and thoughts of encouragement.

So Many Letters!

When I got home from work tonight I found an envelope in my mailbox with that beloved Children International logo. The envelope proclaimed, "A special message from your sponsored child, Jie!"

"Woohoo!" I thought, snagging it from among the junk mail. I was surprised at the thickness of the envelope--it felt like far more than a single sheet of paper inside. I scurried into the house and tore the envelope open. BEHOLD! Inside were FOUR letters from my girls!

Dear Shannon,
Have a blessful day!
Thank you for the letter. I'm happy to know that you're planning to visit our country. Hope you can come and see our beautiful country spot. In school I'll be in grade five this coming school opening. I try my best to be good in all my subjects. But now I just enjoy my school break. I stayed at home and helped my mother doing some work at home. My free time was spent in reviewing my past lesson because school opening is fast approaching. My favorite color is yellow.

Bye. Thank you for your help and God bless.

Your Sponsored Child,

Hazel

Yay, she answered my question about her favorite color! Now I can get to work on her afghan. =)

Dear Shannon,

Hello!! A pleasant day to you of course and your family. It's been a long time that I didn't write to you. By the way, how are you? I hope you're okay and your family, too.
This time, I'm so busy for the exam in studying my lesson. I always do my best to have higher grades. At home, I always scan my notes during my free time to assure myself that I never get a low grade. I passed all my subjects and projects on time.
I spend my time doing household chores, like washing the clothes and cleaning the house. I never forget to take the holy mass during Sunday. I pray to God to take good care of my family and yours, too.

I want to say thank you for all the benefits and things you have shown me.
May the lord Jesus bless you always.
Your Sponsored Child,
Jie

Mt girls are so focused on their school work -- it's fantastic! Sounds like Jie and her family are definitely Catholic. That gives me something else to write to her about--my family is Catholic, too! She didn't answer my question about her favorite color ... guess I'll just have to ask again. =)

Dear Ms. Shannon,
Hello! We hope that you and your friends and family are always in good health.
I am writing on behalf of Jasmin Jane. We would like to thank you for your good heart to help others like our family. We see some photos from you. Jasmin was so happy to see you and your pet Ali`i and some of your family and friends. She loves pets too. We have two cats, Staz and Nacky. she always plays with them.
Jasmin is excited this coming school day. She loves to draw and sing and she wants to become a teacher someday.
Thank you for your support. May God bless you always.
Sincerely yours,
Lea

Staz and Nacky -- what interesting names for her cats!

Dear Miss Shannon,
Good day!
Thank you for choosing me as your Sponsored child. It's so nice to see your photos and your letter to me. I appreciated it. It's summer here in the Philippines and I enjoyed my vacation days. I am now a sixth grade student this coming school year.
God bless you and your family!
Your Sponsored Child,
Chris
"Whoever wants to enjoy life and wishes to see good times must stop from speaking evil and stop telling lies."

That's quite the quote she chose to write at the end of her letter!

Receiving these letters has just made my night! I can't wait to sit down and write to them again in June (I'm trying my hardest to limit myself to writing only once a month, so as to not overwhelm my girls or the translators with letters!). In June, I'm sending each of my girls a sheet of stickers with her letter!