International Relief
Here's a list of what LAPA-NCR International Relief has accomplished over the last few years.
Recent Incoming Donations
Since 2000, over 300 boxes of clothing, shoes, school supplies and beanie baby toys collected at St. Mark Parish in Catonsville, MD.
Over 10 boxes of medical and school supplies as well as new underwear have been donated by LAPA members since 2001 at various social events to include the Holiday Parties, Mis Amigos Summer camp, and the Spring Fling weekends at Gettysburg.
As part of their B'nai Mitzvah projects, LAPA members have collected school supplies and new shoes to send to Latin America.
LAPA member Marlene and daughter Nikki have donated several large bags/boxes of school supplies each year for use in various schools in Latin America.
Recent Outgoing Donations
Major recipients of these above-mentioned goods have been the following organizations...
Project leaders of Airline Ambassadors, an organization that allows travelers to hand-deliver aid to needy children and families worldwide, have taken over 70 boxes to El Salvador since January 2002 and approximately 30-40 boxes to various projects in Mexico.
Bea Evans, of the Ties Program, a travel program for adoptive families visiting their child's country of birth, took several boxes to Guatemala in January 2002 and LAPA families traveling with her program to Guatemala and Peru in 2003 also took school supplies and clothing to clinics and orphanages in those countries. This year (2005), The Ties Program will be going back to Peru, Guatemala, and Chile and we hope to send Mrs. Evans and the travelers with more goods to pack in their suitcases to deliver to those in need!
Mi Refugio, a school for children who live in the Guatemala City dump, has received 30-40 boxes per year for the past several years from LAPA. These boxes are delivered by Mr. Harry Engen, who leads several missions each year to support the work of his daughter Kari.
A LAPA family traveling to Bolivia in December 2001 took a box of First Communion dresses to the Amistad mission and La Villa orphanage in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Fr. Luis Cremis and coworkers have taken school supplies, clothing, and Beanie Baby toys to schools high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. The mission there is to teach a trade to the young men and women of the mountains so that they don't have to leave their home to make a living. The trades include carpentry, woodworking, sewing, or weaving. When the young men and women graduate, they not only have a trade, they also are given their own set of tools so they can continue their applying what they've learned. These trade schools are now in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Brazil.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed
