More People Important To Las Sonrisas de los Niņos, Thanks, and some misc. pics

As mentioned elsewhere, our lawyers in Honduras suggested the most proper way for us to purchase land in Honduras was to form a Honduran corporation, and the official name of the corporation is the Rural Community and Child Assistance Project, doing business as Las Sonrisas de los Niņos. We are fortunate to have Barry King and Dr. Jules Comeau on the Board of Directors. 

Barry King is an experienced African missionary, master of aviation, and valued friend since the late 1980s.  Barry also has significant computer abilities and, in addition to serving on the Board, generously donated the space for this website and patiently provided detailed instructions on how to set  it up. 

Dr. Jules Comeau is an extraordinary dentist and fellow former pilot; we were partners for 14 years in a Cessna 172 plus he built by himself an award winning Avid Flyer experimental airplane (subsequent fatherhood put a damper on his flying!).

Matt Rooks was the first person to contribute money to Las Sonrisas de los Niņos... a $100 cash donation  which is a significant amount on its own, let alone the fact that Matt was poor at the time.  He graduated from college in philosophy in 2009 so he probably remains poor! He volunteered with us in Jan. 2008 and later held a fundraiser with fellow volunteer Colin Waters.  Below, Colin and Matt building our computer table; Happy Birthday greetings to volunteer Lisa's father who provided his daughter with money to donate

           

More text below photos: Rick & Digna visit our  rented house in Cacao; Miriam & Hector- where the Cacao Lagoon enters the ocean

                              

We've already mentioned a number of people throughout these pages who have helped and supported us during the development of Las Sonrisas de los Niņos.  Without concern for repetition (but with some concern for omission) we want to thank the following:

Rick and his charming wife Digna; Rafael Linares and the Central American Spanish School (www.ca-spanish.com); Miriam of the El Cacao Patronato and her esposo Hector; Jesus Peņa, master builder, and the construction crew; our neighbors in El Cacao Don Julio Cruz (and his elegant wife Doņa Juanita); Kyle Heath, her mother, and www.utopiadivevillage.com; Kyle's sister Kim Heath Van Maren (who has made several very generous donations), Cindy and Mark Dodge; Susan, Paul and Tony Provost, Nissa Harvey; Joan Talley, Joe Szwed, the Rotary Club of Tupper Lake, NY as well as Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, Stephanie Dejong (our first volunteer who has unexpectedly made very generous financial contributions);  Patricia's children Dr. Amy Corneau and Joshua H. Corneau; Reid's son Lt. William FitzSimons; Lee Ann Simons and Dr. David Huenemoerder; Les Bond and his wife from New Mexico; Raynie and Samantha Ormsby; Marie McBride, Bruce Van Vranken, Barbara Haddock, Amber and Fernando Romero, Fatima Schmidt, David Lewis, Anna Brown and Project Heal, Gail Becker and Becky Hernandez, Ben Umhoefer, Frank and Joanne Shanksky, Debbie Turner, and friends going all the way back to junior high school Paul Edlund and Bob Millard.  Below the Rotary Club of La Ceiba (left) and Tupper Lake, NY               

    

Special thanks to Patricia's late parents, Harold and Patricia Clark Huenemoerder, whose generous gifts to their daughter, including financial ones, have helped lead us to where we are.  More text below photos: Patricia and her mother in 2006.  While in Honduras in Feb. 2008 we were notified that her mother had a terminal illness.  Patricia returned home to care for her until she died; she was laid to rest on her 86th birthday in June 2008; kids playing under a tree at the project

                 

This site is primarily written by half of Las Sonrisas de los Niņos, Reid.  The greatest thanks of all goes to the other half, Patricia, who has sweated profusely, walked endless miles, wielded the machete, stepped over end mounds of cow manure (caca de vaca in Spanish), and ridden for hours and hours on filthy buses over bone-jarring roads, but always with a smile, class, and infinite compassion for all those suffering and living in poverty.

Below: mountains with a waterfall a few miles south of La Ceiba; digging a well at the project site then driving a well after the dug well caved in; finally us, Reid and Patricia, on a cloudy day at the beach outside of the Cacao Lagoon

               

                        

Las Sonrisas de los Niņos is a project of Congressional District Programs, Inc (www.cdprograms.org)– a registered 501(c) (3) public charity.  Those making donations are encouraged to review the following policies:  Privacy Policy   State Fund Raising and Solicitation Guidelines    Nondiscrimination Policy    All moneys raised by Las Sonrisas de los Niņos are received by Congressional District Programs and become the sole property of CDP which, for internal operating purposes, allocates the funds to the Project. The Program Manager makes recommendations for disbursements which are reviewed by CDP for approval.