INDEX TO AUGUST 2009 UPDATE
1. One of at least 3 Cups of Tea
2. Help from Howard
(a) Norm Illsley, Agricultural Engineer and Professor at CSU, Fort Collins, CO
3. Visit from Mr. Mayal Tshiabuila, Congolese Partner of the Loving Hugs Sewing Program, and Founder of Les Ecoles du Coeur, his literacy and vocational school we help support
4. Food Growing Program in the Congo
5. US Navy Delivers Very Special Hugs
6. A Sweet Inspiration
(1) One of at least 3 Cups of Tea - Tea with the Senator!
One recent early morning, while quietly sipping my morning cup of tea before starting the day, I was startled by the ringing of the telephone. On the other end of the line was Welford, my Caped-Crusading Cohort, and a great man who is a tremendous help to many of us ‘do-gooders’! “Good morning Wendy”, he said– “It’s Welford here, and I’ve got Senator Denton on a three way with me”, and made introductions. I tried not to choke from my excited and incredulous surprise, while I swallowed my sip of tea. What a wonderful and engaging phone conversation we had!
Senator Denton is a former Senator from Alabama (his son currently holds that position), a retired Rear-Admiral from the Navy, the Founder of The Denton Program and The Jeremiah Denton Foundation, former P.O.W. in Vietnam, and an American hero– and there I was in my kitchen, having a cup of tea with the Senator and Welford– What an amazing way to start one’s day! Loving Hugs, Inc. is currently working with his Foundation to get our hugs to children in hospitals in the Philippines.
Learn about this great man, and read about the new edition to his book he is currently writing at: http://www.admiral.dentonfoundation.org/index.html.
(2) Help from Howard
A Wall Street Journal newspaper article was sent to me recently by my father, about a man I knew… 26 years ago! The article told of the tremendous work he is doing through his concerted efforts in Africa (and other parts of the world), to help solve among other things, the problem of hunger and starvation in Africa, through his agricultural efforts and programs.
I had just learned about problems with my own Food Growing Program, with the corn that had been planted on one of the parcels of land, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Africa. I don’t believe in coincidences, so I got to work in tracking him down; not that I thought he’d actually remember me– it was a long time ago (!), and back then I was incredibly shy; but I believe in the philosophy of “You don’t succeed without trying.”
I tracked down the friend who had originally introduced us so long ago, and he gave me what he thought to be this man’s current addresses. I sent letters of inquiry with our brochure to every one of the addresses. This good man was about to be assaulted by letters from me, in every direction!
Imagine my surprise and incredible delight, when the message floated up on my computer screen that I had just received an email in my Inbox from 'Howard G. Buffett'!
I am so grateful to say that some people and things in this life don’t change. Howard is still the compassionate, giving, and kind man that I met 26 years ago! He has been so helpful in sharing his advice– when asked; some of his lessons learned from a lot of agricultural experiences in Africa, and giving me direction and leads to connect me with the organizations working on the ground in agriculture in Kinshasa, to help my organization. He has been so kind and so helpful, when he is so extremely busy and could so easily, and with every right– say he hasn’t time to answer my questions about growing maize and cassava in Africa!
Howard, among many other achievements (!), has been named UN Ambassador Against Hunger for The World Food Program, and I want to let you know that he has published a number of books (On The Edge, Tapestry of Life, Threatened Kingdom, Spots Before Your Eyes, Taking Care of Our World, Images of The Wild) with his own photography work done while traveling; these are all available for purchase. I thank him with my whole soul, for taking his very valuable time to give me what help he can. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Howard!
During this time I was also introduced by Welford (Cape-Crusading Cohort, mentioned earlier) to agricultural engineer, consultant to USAID, and professor at CSU, Fort Collins, Colorado, Norm Illsley. Norm has also been very helpful in giving me important and very helpful information about corn seed varieties that have been engineered to resist draught and disease in Africa, and where I might be able to find and purchase the good corn seeds in Kinshasa. Thank you, Norm!
Non-profit organizations such as Loving Hugs, Inc. could not succeed nearly as well in our missions if it weren’t for people like Welford, Senator Denton, Howard, Norm, and so many others who give so freely and generously what they know, and who they know in order to help us all to help each other, for greater growth and expansion of good for people in need all over the world. My great gratitude is sent to all of you!
(3) Visit and Update on Congolese non-profit partner in Kinshasa, Mr. Mayal Tshiabuila
Mr. Mayal Tshiabuila, our Loving Hugs, Inc. partner in the DRC, stayed in our home for 11 days this
month, during which time my husband and I had set him up with a multitude of speaking engagements– sometimes two a day! What a blessing it was to have him here, helping us to raise awareness about the Congo; the war in the eastern provinces, daily life and challenges, government, education, street children- you name it, he covered it! The purpose of his talks was also to help raise needed funds to help support his school for the most vulnerable children and women in his area of Kinshasa. (photo at right, Wendy & Mayal)
Almost $5,000.00 was raised to help support his school during those 11 wonderful, busy awareness-raising days. We are so grateful for the contributions for his school. It is critical to educate their people in order to help move them– and their country forward and upward, out of their difficult past they have experienced. If you wish to contribute to this worthy school, please go to our website (click on the link to the right on our blog page), and click on the ‘Giving’ tab, then on ‘Cash Donations’, and note “Mayal’s school”.
One of the many needs of this school is for help with teacher’s salaries ($1,040.00/month), help with funds for the construction of the new school, purchase an adjoining piece of property so the children have a safe area to play in (instead of the street), and fencing around the property at their new location. Can you help?
(4) Food Growing Program
One year ago, the Food Growing Program started when I read an article about KickStart Siphon Irrigation Pumps in a magazine published by Heifer International. One of the men I’d been working with in Kinshasa, had shared with me that he had a small parcel of land near his school (a different school than the one we work with for Mr. Tshiabuila) that he wanted to plant and grow food on, to help feed the children at his school. The World Food Program (WFP) was no longer supporting Kinshasa’s meal program for children going to school, with their guaranteed daily meal for every child attending school– sometimes the only meal many of the children might get in a day.
With the thought of possibly growing food for these children by this school Founder (based on his earlier request for money to buy corn seeds), I sent an email to Heifer International for contact information on the KickStart Pumps. The next day– in the meantime, I was having lunch with a woman I’d just met 3 weeks prior, at an Africa Committee meeting for another organization. ‘Out of the blue’ she told me of an amazing woman she’d just met and had had lunch with the previous day. She then asked, “Have you ever heard of this amazing tool that this woman reps called, The KickStart Pump?” Honestly! –And the rep happens to live right here in our town in Colorado! Again, I don’t believe in coincidences…
After many emails back and forth with the Congolese partner for this new project, and with agreements discussed and promises agreed upon, Loving Hugs, Inc. purchased 6 KickStart pumps from Nairobi, Kenya, and had them air-freighted to Kinshasa. This partner added another partner, a man whom he trusted who had more land, and who was personally well acquainted with
agricultural programs on his land. So from one small plot of land to be planted, we suddenly grew to planting over 21 acres of land, and employing over 200 people! Think of the multi-faceted blessings for the children and their families that could be realized!
Unfortunately, I have to report that our Food Growing Program has failed. My partner in Kinshasa was not faithful to his word, the work, or to our agreement, because he was focused on, and faithful to his other businesses that he runs. I believe that a food growing program for the local people is important, and so would need to be designed differently. It provides so many critically needed things: much-needed employment and income for families, and much-needed food for them. I hope that Loving Hugs, Inc. will be able to get another, different food growing program underway in the future; but if not, our focus will be on something else that can also help those people directly.
(5) US Navy Delivers Special Hugs
First! Read about the U.S. Navy's special delivery of these five very special hugs given to Wendy by 5 teens on the streets of Denver, staying at the Urban Peak Shelter, that have just been given by the Navy to a special group of children in the Solomon Islands.
Navy Article
Read the original newspaper article about the experience of receiving these five very special hugs, by five very special teenagers who were staying at the Urban Peak Shelter in Denver, Colorado in December, 2008.
Denver Post Article
(6) A Sweet Inspiration
I received a phone call from a young girl who recently had a Hugs Drive for her birthday party, and she now has a group of ‘hugs’ from she and her friends to donate to us– What a sweet Inspiration!
With joy and many loving hugs,
Executive Director,
Loving Hugs, Inc.
www.lovinghugs.org
