St. Damien Pediatric Hospital is working 24/7 to care for Haitian children and families in crisis. Please help.
MAITLAND, Fla. December 13, 2022 – The American Fundraising Foundation (AmFund) announced recipients of the 2022 Golden Pear Grants during a live stream on Facebook in a record breaking $250,000 distribution of funds and an additional $100K in-kind donations through its Educational Foundation.
With deep sadness, the NPH family mourns the loss of an inspirational leader, fundraiser and mentor, Rose Schaffhausen. She passed away on November 22, 2021, at the age 91.
The Liem, Murphy and Spread DLove families have all come together this year to Feed the Need-dlove with NPH USA.
We are committed to raising $37,500 to help support the food budget for the NPH Mexico. Casa San Salvador, Miacatlán (main home) and Casa Buen Señor in Cuernavaca (home to the high school students) are the homes to almost 700 children ranging from ages 3 to 25 years. Our families are excited to share that we will match each dollar raised to achieve our goal. Please know that your gift will double!
Feed the Need-dlove wants to make sure the home can continue to provide the healthy meals every child deserves.
Our passion was started in 1978, when Barbara and Don traveled to NPH Mexico, which at the time was the only NPH home. There they met happy and outgoing children who had been rescued from poverty and given a safe home by NPH founder Fr. William B. Wasson. The children of NPH, called pequeños (Spanish for “little ones”) deeply touched the Liems and soon became their passion in life. Today, NPH has homes in nine countries and the Liems visited many of them to meet the children and evaluate the organization’s needs.
Since we first became involved with NPH 40 years ago, Barbara and Don have tirelessly demonstrated their commitment to the children of NPH. We have done this through our own personal financial investments, as well as decades of volunteer service. In the early 1990s, Don served as Executive Director of the Arizona office of Friends of the Orphans (now NPH USA Southwest Region) and Barbara was a volunteer staff person. Don subsequently served as President of the Board of Directors and then as a member of the Southwest Regional Board for many years. Our family is committed on carry on our beloved Don’s passion to continue to make a difference in the lives of the children.
NPH USA transforms the lives of vulnerable children in Latin America and the Caribbean by supporting the homes, health services and educational programs of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH, Spanish for “Our Little Brothers and Sisters”). Together, we empower children to grow to their full potential, shaping better futures for themselves, their families and their communities.
Founded in 1954 by Father William B. Wasson, NPH is currently supporting more than 6,100 boys and girls in Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. In addition, our community outreach programs provides over 100,000 services in each year.
Donations to NPH USA, Federal Tax ID # 65-1229309, are tax-deductible as provided by law and subject to our Donation Disclosure Statements.
Frank Donaghue, President & Chief Executive Officer of NPH USA, has announced that he will retire in 2020.
Many organizations have a tough time finding people who are able to volunteer more than a few hours a week. Imagine having a volunteer who has given 40-plus hours per week for over 50 years raising millions of dollars. This is the story of Ann Arnold, a remarkable volunteer for Nuestros Pequeño Hermanos (NPH, Spanish for “Our Little Brothers and Sisters”) formerly known as Friends of the Orphans.
Ann was very familiar with NPH Mexico while working at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, for the Office of the Legal Attaché (FBI). Ann first became acquainted with our founder, Father William B. Wasson, during visits to Cuernavaca. Ann volunteered at the NPH Mexico home on weekends for 27 years. She would type correspondence for Fr. Wasson on weekends and in her free time she gathered much needed supplies and medicines. Ann was a frequent visitor at the NPH Miacatlán home. She loved to load a swarm of pequeños into her big yellow Ford convertible and drive them around the property.
For those of you not acquainted with Ann, she started Minnesota Friends of the Orphans with her sister Rose Schaffhausen. When Ann retired from Mexico she volunteered over 20 years serving in various positions including accountant, sponsorship coordinator, business manager and fundraiser extraordinaire!
Ann has been wheel chair bound for several years living at Little Sisters of the Poor in St. Paul. She slowed down with age but always kept NPH close to her heart. For you who have not seen Ann recently her last big, feisty appearance was at the NPH Gala in St. Paul, MN, October 6, 2019 marking the 65th Anniversary of NPH and honoring her sister Rose Schaffhausen’s tremendous contributions to NPH.
Visitation:
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church of Little Canada
380 Little Canada Rd. E
Little Canada, MN 55117
Mass of Christian Burial
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
11:00 a.m.
St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church of Little Canada
380 Little Canada Rd. E
Little Canada, MN 55117
Memorials to honor Ann’s life and her amazing volunteer work to support Fr. Wasson’s kids can be sent to NPH USA, 1400 Van Buren Street NE, Suite 210, Minneapolis, MN 55413, or made securely below.
In 2015, Ann was awarded the Rose Shaffhausen Award for her tireless work to support the NPH homes. View her tribute video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB1y85QfTAI
NPH USA transforms the lives of vulnerable children in Latin America and the Caribbean by supporting the homes, healthcare and educational programs of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH, Spanish for “Our Little Brothers and Sisters”). Together, we help children overcome poverty and become leaders in their own communities.
Donations to NPH USA, Federal Tax ID # 65-1229309, are tax-deductible as provided by law and help provide nutritious food, clothing, loving homes, health care and quality education to thousands of children in Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru.
In taking a moment to reflect on NPH this month, I cannot help but to share my gratitude for all our blessings. We are blessed to have you as a part of our NPH family and we are excited to celebrate this year’s 65th NPH anniversary! On behalf of our Celebrando Gala honoree committee, Rose Schaffhausen, founder and executive director of Minnesota Friends of the Orphans, will be recognized as a recipient of the Father William Wasson Humanitarian Award. Rose Schaffhausen has served as a chief fundraiser, cheerleader, mentor, advisor, and friend to so many individuals. For the month of May only, we are offering a discounted table price! Join us on to celebrate Saturday, October 5th, to honor Rose Schaffhausen.
Gratefully,
Stephanie Pommier
The NPH family sadly mourns the passing of long-time dedicated benefactor Don Liem of Tempe, AZ.
NPH is Ours: A reflection from Upper Midwest Development Coordinator, Natalie Hursey
I started working at NPH nearly two years ago and from the beginning I felt a certain level of ownership in this organization. I feel proud of the work we are doing and the network of volunteers and donors that we’re building. I love telling people about “our” organization and what “we” do to ensure that these amazing children are given a real chance in life. Who wouldn’t be excited to be a part of something like this? Despite this enthusiasm though, I felt a bit strange taking ownership in something that I did absolutely nothing to create.
In my first few months here, I would get a call every once in a while from a woman named Joanne. She was funny, and I genuinely enjoyed talking to her. I could tell from the way she talked about her experiences that she had been involved with NPH for a while. She knew so many people within our organization and was on a first name basis with my colleagues. I really didn’t know a lot about her though, or what her specific connection was to NPH USA.
One day, last summer, she called me to RSVP for an upcoming event and we chatted for a little while. I finally asked her how she got involved and she told me that over 30 years ago, she held a garage sale at her house in order to provide Rose Schaffhausen (our region’s founder) with some seed money to start Minnesota Friends of the Orphans. Reflecting on our conversation later, I thought of the handful of times that I had thanked her for supporting “our” work and immediately I felt a little silly. How could I take credit for something she built? NPH wasn’t mine, it was hers.
There are hundreds of stories like Joann’s and each one is an important piece in our intricate puzzle. This region is more than 30 years in the making. It was built dollar by dollar, person by person, and every story I hear gives me a deeper understanding of just how much work went into creating this organization.
What I’ve come to learn is that NPH is mine. And it’s yours. It belongs to all of us—a community linking arms in support of these children.
Maybe you’re like Joann, and you helped Rose with startup money in the early stages. Maybe you’re like our friends Joel and Yvonne who heard someone speak at their church and felt called to start leading annual mission trips to our homes. Maybe you’re like Claire, who had visited on trips but felt inspired to donate a year of service. Maybe you’re like Robin, who started sponsoring children after hearing stories first hand from some of our pequeños. No matter what your role in this organization, NPH belongs to you. You’ve created it, you’ve built it, and you’ve strengthened it.
From the very bottom of my heart, thank you for making NPH what it is today, and thank you for letting me be a part of it.
1953Fr. William B. Wasson of Phoenix, Arizona, is ordained in Cuernavaca, Mexico, on May 24.
Fr. Wasson is given custody of a boy jailed for stealing from his church poor box because “he was hungry.” By the end of the week, eight more boys had joined the family. Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos was officially founded on August 2.
Hurricane Hilda hits the port of Tampico, Mexico. Father Wasson obtained a free airline ticket to the stricken city and began to collect orphaned children. Thirty-nine boys were flown by cargo plane to the warehouse in Cuernavaca. There were now a total of 69 boys in the family.
Girls join the NPH family.
There are now 396 Pequeños – 300 boys and 96 girls, and 60 were under the age of six. The children were living in various homes and warehouses in Cuernavaca and Acolman.
NPH builds its own high school in Cuernavaca.
NPH USA (then Friends of Our Little Brothers) incorporates as one of Arizona’s first non-profits.
Our Little Brothers and Sisters, Inc. is established in Virginia to raise funds for NPH. It will subsequently establish fundraising offices in Europe as well as Canada.
1970Casa San Salvador in Miacatlán, México, is acquired. Work begins to refurbish the old sugar plantation — now home to nearly 1,000 NPH children.
Fr. Wasson receives the Mexican National Prize for his outstanding contribution to the children of Mexico. He was, at the time, the only U.S. citizen to have received the award.
The National Catholic Development Conference gives Fr. Wasson the Good Samaritan Award.
• Fr. Wasson, Fr. Rick Frechette, and Reinhart Koehler found an NPH home in Honduras.
• Fr. Wasson receives the Franciscan International Award.
• An affiliated but separate NPH USA nonprofit support group forms in Minnesota.
1987A new NPH home opens in Haiti.
A NPH USA office is established in Washington.
• Fr. Wasson and Fr. Rick Frechette found a medical center in Petionville, Haiti. This would later become St. Damien Pediatric Hospital.
• NPH Honduras opens Casa de los Angeles opened in the capital city, Tegucigalpa. Originally meant to house children with AIDS, the center soon grew to house orphaned youth with severe disabilities.
• On October 30, the Mexican Government awards Father Wasson the Aztec Eagle for his work on behalf of Mexican children. This is the highest award the government confers on a foreigner.
NPH Honduras opens Casa Eva, a home for elderly adults who have been abandoned.
Fr. Wasson establishes an NPH home in Nicaragua.
Guatemala is the site of the fifth NPH home.
The Caring Institute of Washington, D.C. gives Fr. Wasson the National Caring Award.
Fr. Wasson National receives KFC’s Colonel’s Way Award honoring amazing seniors and El Sol de Nuestra Comunidad Award presented by the Hispanic community of Phoenix, AZ.
• An NPH home opens in war-torn El Salvador.
• A NPH USA office is established in Illinois.
Fr. Wasson receives Kellogg’s Hannah Neil World of Children Award for his life work with orphaned children. The $100,000 prize is given to individuals who make a world of difference in the world of children.
2003• An NPH home opens in the Dominican Republic.
• Fr. Wasson celebrates his Golden Jubilee as a priest and his 80th birthday.
• Fr. Wasson receives the Jefferson Award for Public Service, which is recognized as the “Nobel Prize” for public service in America. Nominated by a former pequeño, Fr. Wasson was recognized for his volunteer service to the Hispanic community. From June 16 – 18, a total of 57 individuals were honored at events in Washington D.C.
• Peru becomes the first country in South America to have an NPH home.
• At a ceremony in Germany on October 3, 2004, Fr. Wasson receives the International Erich Fromm Society Annual Award “in recognition of his work as founder of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, as spiritual father of the orphanages in Latin America and for his permanently lived example of his ‘Love of Life’ in the spirit of Erich Fromm.”
• Father Wasson travels to Italy with children from NPH Dominican Republic and meets Pope John Paul II.
• NPH celebrates its 50th anniversary.
• The ninth NPH home, located in Bolivia, opens.
• NPH Honduras opens Pasos Pequenitos, a day care for single mothers in Tegucigalpa.
• Fr. Wasson wins the Ivy Humanitarian Prize, awarded by the Ivy Inter-American Foundation to “recognize individuals who have made extraordinary humanitarian contributions toward improving the lives of children and their communities in the Americas.” He received a $10,000 prize to support NPH on September 22, 2005, in Washington, D.C.
• The Opus Prize Foundation gives Fr. Wasson a $100,000 prize at a ceremony at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on November 7, 2005, for making a significant difference in the lives of people who need help the most.
• On July 1, the fundraising offices in Arizona, Illinois, Minnesota, and Washington became regional offices of the national organization – NPH USA. In addition, new regional offices were formed in Miami, Florida, and Washington, D.C., which were made possible by the fundraising support of Our Little Brothers and Sisters.
Fr. Wasson dies on August 16 in Cottonwood, Arizona. A funeral is held in Phoenix and memorial services are held at all of the NPH homes.
• Founded by John Shinsky, Ciudad de los Niños (“City of the Children”) opens in Matamoros, Mexico, as a project of NPH International.
• Holy Family Surgery Center opens at NPH Honduras and offers surgerical services to NPH children, employees and the general public.
• In response to devastating twin disasters of a 7.0-magnitude earthquake and cholera outbreak in Haiti, NPH creates new and expanded programs in childcare, healthcare and emergency aid.
• NPH Nicaragua launches the Good Samaritan Program to provide medical services and therapies to children living with disabilities, and counseling and tutoring for parents so they may provide quality care for their children.
Fr. Rick Frechette, CP, D.O., co-founder of NPH Haiti and St. Damien Pediatric Hospital, receives the Opus Prize, a faith based humanitarian award that recognizes unsung heroes solving today’s most persistent social problems.
• Friends of the Orphans changes name to NPH USA in order to create a global brand with consistency to our donors, to more closely align the brand with our mission and the children we serve, and to expand the focus to both the children and programs that we support.
• NPH Dominican Republic and NPH Honduras complete construction of special needs homes, and NPH Haiti constructs Kay Gabriel adult and pediatric rehabilitation therapy center.
NPH International celebrates 60 years of raising children.
• NPH Guatemala launches their NPH OneFamily program, reintegrating 29 children into their biological families’ homes.
• On June 7, Dr. Pilar Silverman, Director of Medical Services for NPH International, receives the United Nations Women Together Award.
NPH El Salvador opens Centro Bienestar Infantil (CBI) daycare center to provide children aged 1 – 7 who live in vulnerable communities in Santa Ana, and the children
of Hermanos Mayores (“Older Siblings”) who were raised at the NPH home, with preschool education, health care, and meals.
• NPH Dominican Republic opens a transition home in Monte Plata to provide protection, emergency, or short-term care to children and adolescents, focusing on family reintegration.
• NPH Honduras opens Casa Mi Esperanza in Catacamas to provide a temporary home for at-risk children while a safe and permanent living situation is found.
• NPH Guatemala opens Sagrada Familia Daycare Center on the NPH property to provide care and early stimulation for 2-to-4-year-old children of single parents with limited resources.
• NPH Honduras opens San José Family Center in Mata de Plátano to provide vulnerable children, adolescents, and families with tutoring, physical and psychological therapies, training, healthcare, and nutritional assistance.
NPH collaborator One World Surgery opens at NPH Dominican Republic and carried out 15 mission trips and 6,215 primary care consults.
NPH Guatemala opens the Father William Wasson Family Center opened 5 miles from the NPH home in Chimaltenango to focus on supporting and strengthening families by filling vital gaps in services to help children, people with disabilities, and single mothers. The Center offers free nutrition, daycare, and tutoring for children; speech and physical therapy for children and adults; and training for parents.
Young people may find it very rewarding to help children who are less fortunate. By planning and staging a fundraiser, they can raise money for their monthly child sponsorship contributions, general donations and/or special projects. In the process, they may learn about culture and geography, economics, and teamwork. Following are ideas of fundraisers that can be both fun and successful.
Sell donated cookies, cakes, etc. at a special event, or coffee, juice, donuts and/or bagels at a school meeting or following a church service.
Ask individuals, book stores and libraries to donate new or gently used books that you can sell.
Charge a fee or request a donation.
Do chores, such as mowing a lawn, shoveling snow, or walking a dog, with the fees collected going to Friends of the Orphans.
Ask your family members to donate 10 cents each time they visit Facebook, use Twitter or Instagram, or download a song. Collect the money for a month and give to Friends of the Orphans.
Collect favorite family recipes to produce and sell a cookbook.
Make/decorate gifts, cards, holiday wreaths, etc. to sell.
Do one on your own, or organize a multiple family sale.
Ask for monetary donations to Friends of the Orphans instead of birthday, graduation or other special event gifts for yourself.
Show a popular movie and charge admission. Also sell donated popcorn and other snacks.
Organize an event with games, refreshments and booths/tables with information about the countries where NPH homes are located. Charge admission, and sell food and tickets for games.
Charge admission and/or use a jar or bowl for donations.
Sell tickets in advance. Utilize volunteers for set-up, cooking and cleaning. A soup-and-sandwich lunch is another idea.
Obtain and sell pencils to fellow students. We can recommend vendors to purchase pencils printed with our name or Web site.
Collect donations in cans or boxes decorated with photos and facts. Ask local businesses to let you put the containers out in their establishments.
Charge admission and sell tickets in advance. Assign groups to be responsible for food, decorations and information appropriate to a country where an NPH home is located.
Ideas include bowling, basketball and volleyball tournaments, walkathons, bike races and dance marathons. Collect pledges and/or entry fees.
Collect aluminum cans, newspaper and other materials to sell to a recycling center.
Participants skip lunch and have juice and a small snack instead. Most people in Latin America and the Caribbean do not eat three times a day, and skipping one meal can help us to understand what it feels like to be hungry. Money saved on the skipped meal is given to Friends of the Orphans and helps provide the children of NPH with three daily meals!
Discuss this idea with the school principal. Charge $1 or more per student.
Organize a tournament for the game of your choice, such as tennis, and collect an entry fee.
These are just some of the possibilities to raise funds for NPH USA. You are welcome to think of your own!
Related Information:
• Host an Event
• Top 5 Event Ideas
• Fundraisers Guide (PDF)
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