Bless the Children - John Grove High School Renovations - Part 1

The Bless the Children - John Grove High School is located high in the
Mico Quemado Mountains of Northern Honduras, Central America.  (top left)

(School, top right)

In early March, 2011 Bless the Children took a medical and construction team to the Mico Quemado Mountains composed of members from the Church of the Epiphany in Richmond, VA.  The medical team delivered clinics at four elementary schools in the mountains helping hundreds of poor children and their families.  (A total of 6 clinics were delivered...blog post to come soon on this!)

The construction team was very eager to get right to work to make improvements on the high school and so much was accomplished.  In just a few short days, working side-by-side with the students, they completely broke up and removed the old cement floor!  We hired a professional mason to lay the new one and he did a fabulous job.  In part 2 of this blog you will see that walls of decayed wood were torn out and replaced and a lovely, new door was installed.  As well, new paint was purchased that the students applied after our trip to beautify the school.

The beginning of the construction adventure!

The original floor of the school is shown here.  It was not level so the teacher and students had such a difficult time properly utilizing the space.  When the property was first purchased in 2006 a small house was on the land and while the floors suited that arrangement we needed to make the floor just right for our classroom setting!

The team jumped in with lots of energy and enthusiasm for the very big job of taking up the old floor.  It was truly a site to behold!  Vince, Joe and Will were unstoppable!

Our students were on the team and worked hard to help break up the floor and remove all the concrete and debris.

The buckets of concrete and dirt were much, much heavier than they appear!

Everyone was so happy when step one of the floor project was completed!

Then came time to haul the sand from the bottom of the hill for the NEW concrete preparation!

Our teacher, Oscar, jumped in to help the students mix the concrete! (in yellow shirt)

And even the Honduran Air Force was on board with making this project a success!

Our students really got into this hands-on learning experience!

Next to lend his energy to the project was a professional mason!

And here it is...the new floor!  It is amazing what can be accomplished in such a short time when good people come together with love in their hearts for children.  It is an honor to work with all of you!

With all our hearts we thank every member of the Church of the Epiphany and those who went to Honduras and worked so hard to make the needed improvements to the school.  We thank you too for befriending the children and working with them, teaching them skills during the improvements that will last throughout their lives.  Your interest in their education and their welfare will have such far-reaching effects.

We are also deeply grateful for the support of so many of John Grove's friends for doing all they can to keep the school in operation for the children.  The McCroskie Threshold Foundation (MTF), the Air Commando Association and members of the 20th SOS (Special Operations Squadron) have kept the dream alive.  MTF, your donation made it possible for the construction supplies to be purchased.  The children, the community and everyone with Bless the Children is so very grateful for your long-term support of this school.

The John Grove High School has been a program of Bless the Children since 2006.   Our best friend and humanitarian aid partner, John Grove, was instrumental in the founding of this school.  While talking with his good friend, Karen Hubbard, founder of Bless the Children, he learned there was no education available beyond the 6th grade for the children of the Mico Quemado Mountains he said, "To help these people out of the cycle they are in, generations of poverty, an education is necessary.  It is my plan to help with this effort..."   To the heartache of all who knew and loved him, John passed away in December of 2008.  This school is a tribute to our combined love for children and exemplifies the fact that dreams of the heart never die.

Please help us to continue the education of these students.

As a team we can provide them the opportunity of a lifetime!

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Coming soon...in part 2 of this blog we'll share the removal and replacement of the walls and the installation of the new door - another amazing project!

Honduras Mission Trip - March, 2011

In early March, 2011 Bless the Children traveled to Honduras and while there hosted a medical and construction team from the Church of the Epiphany in Richmond, VA.  Together we delivered medical clinics benefiting the poorest of the poor in the villages of Monte de Olivo and Mezapa, the El Progreso prison, the coastal area of Tela, and Las Crucitas and Fuerzas Vivas high in the Mico Quemado Mountains.  The communities we serve in Honduras are abundantly blessed by the long-term support of the Church of the Epiphany.

The medical team served an average of one hundred children and adults at each clinic.  The construction team worked hard to make much-needed improvements to the Bless the Children - John Grove High School in the Mico Quemado Mountains.  Our high school students and adults from the church worked hand in hand to accomplish the job.

On the ground our mission trip was organized by our dear director of programs in Honduras, Mr. George Mealer. 

Mr. George Mealer and Colonel Nunez

We extend our great appreciation to the Honduran Air Force for their tremendous support of this mission.  Throughout the week they provided transportation, security and clinical support.

We are excited to share this mission trip to help the poor of Honduras with you in the next several blogs.  The children and communities have been a major part of our lives for a very long time and it is an honor to introduce them to you...

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Welcome to Bless the Children's blog!

Bless the Children was founded by Karen Hubbard and born from an intense love of children, especially those who suffer unnecessarily.  When taking an honest look, anyone can see for himself that the world's children are desperately in need of a tremendous amount of help.  Most of the people living in poverty are children.

The most common dream among poor children is to go to school.  They want to become doctors, nurses, lawyers, policemen...just like our children here in the United States.  But for millions, an education remains a dream.  In the countries we serve "free" education is only provided through the 6th grade, but even then the inability to afford school supplies and uniforms prevents children from attending.  Many are forced to work to help support their families.  Still others have no school to attend.  They are trapped in the cycle of poverty; they know it and yet they can do nothing about it. 

It can seem nearly impossible to provide education to all the children of the world but in truth it can be very simple.  When looking at the global repercussions stemming from illiteracy, providing school supplies and uniforms is a rather light matter all in all.  We have found that when we provide lunch at school, parents who kept their children at home to work send them to class since that is one meal they can count on.  And building a school is like anything else in life - you join together with like-minded people and get to work.

Our supporters come from all income levels.  Each of them knows their donation makes a true impact in helping children.  Over 98% of donations to Bless the Children are received by beneficiaries.  Please join us today to help orphaned, abandoned and deeply impoverished children - step by step we can help children escape the chains of severe poverty.  donate today

All of our work to help children is done in the direction of peace.  Creating lasting peace for the future begins with helping children who will be the next generation.  People who are hungry, have disease and are illiterate are unable to be the social motivators needed to create peace.  They are easily upset, have little physical capacity and are easily influenced in harmful ways.
 
Our programs help children overcome the cycle of poverty.  With good health, nutrition and education they become strong in body and spirit and are able to create enduring change for themselves, their families and their communities.

Children can bring about world change.  They need help to get there.

We are looking forward to sharing good news with you regarding our work to help vulnerable children!

Visit our website! http://www.blessthechildreninc.org/