Psalm 68:4
“Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the LORD.”
DAY OF FASTING AND PRAYER FOR THE ORPHANAGE
HOGAR DE NINAS HIJAS DE LA ALTAGRACIA
IN BANI, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
JOIN US FOR A DAY OF PRAYER
FOR THE ORPHAN AND NEEDY CHILDREN
January 31 - 2012
For information:
Elsa Valdez 321-452-8161
Jan 1, 2012 – Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God
The Latin Rite of the Catholic Church begins the year by celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. On this day, we are reminded of the role that the Blessed Virgin played in the plan of our salvation. Christ’s Birth at Christmas, celebrated just a week before, was made possible by Mary’s fiat: “Be it done unto me according to Thy word.”
Today is the day we commemorate “Our Lady of Altagracia”, the spiritual mother of the Dominican people. This is a special day for the girls at the Hogar, which is named “Hogar de Ninas Hijas de la Altagracia” (Home for Girls Daughters of the Altagracia), and for the religious sisters who managed the Hogar, since they belong to the congregation “Hermanas Hijas de la Altagracia” (Sisters Daughters of the Altagracia). Our congratulations to all, and may Our Lady of Altagracia continue to protect them and guide them.
Our ambassadors in the Dominican Republic, Juanita & Dulcita, paid a short visit to the Hogar last January 14th. Other visitors included family members, 3 ladies from the Rotary Club of Bani, as well as, Nati and Hank, who were at the Hogar on behalf of the Rotary Club of Casselberry to coordinate the initial stages of the Aquaponics (farming of Tilapia fish and aquatic plants) project they are sponsoring. You can see in some of the pictures the 3 initial tanks that will be used to house the tilapias.
The above chart reflects the total amount of donations and expenditures for each of the last 12 months. Donations are represented by the gold bars, and expenditures by the blue bars. The expenditures for December include the customary Christmas Bonus for the staff at the Hogar. Our Foundation’s Financial information is available upon request.
THANK YOU, DONORS, FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT DURING THE YEAR 2011 !!!
As the year 2011 comes to an end, we reflect on all the events that made this year a successful year for the Immaculate Conception Foundation and the Hogar de Ninas Hijas de la Altagracia in Bani, Dominican Republic. Highlights, including links to pictures, when available:
- Our monthly Day of Fasting and Prayer was held each month, as our way of thanking our Lord for the well being of the girls at the Hogar, and at the same time ask for His divine help for the religious sisters at the Hogar to continue their hard work protecting and guiding the children there, and for us to keep up our efforts to provide the material support they need to meet at least some of the Hogar’s needs, as much as possible.
- The monthly donations charts have been published each month, and reflect a great improvement on the ratio of donations vs expenditures, specially the months of September and November, thanks to the generosity of our contributing donors.
- January: Members of the Administrative Circle participated in La Paella Fundraiser in Miami Lakes, which turned out to be a very productive event for the Hogar. See pictures.
- March: The members of the Admin Circle conducted a Lent Retreat. See pictures.
- June: The girls at the Hogar completed their school year with most girls receiving high grades and honors.
- July: The religious sisters at the Hogar attended an 8-day Spiritual Retreat.
- August: The girls put on their pretty uniforms to start the new school year. See pictures.
- September: Our foundation applied and was accepted to participate in the Microsoft Nonprofit Software Donations Program. Thus far we’ve already acquired Microsoft Office Professional Plus, a $765 package for only a $31 administrative fee. We’re looking at other Microsoft programs as well as donations from other software companies.
- October: 1) Sor Margarita and Sor Yluminada attended a one-month training on Aquaponics at the Morning Star Fishermen Research and Training Center in Dade City, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Casselberry. They joined us for a morning of prayer at the home of the Fernandez’s, and participated in the Foundation’s Annual Membership Meeting. 2) Annual Membership Meeting and Fundraiser, which turned out to be quite successful and productive. See pictures.
- November: The Henriquez and Hernandez families visited the Hogar and had a great time with the girls. See pictures.
- December: 1) Three sisters at the Hogar received the Sacrament of Baptism. See pictures. 2) Annual celebration of Birthdays and Christmas at the Hogar. See pictures.
The members of the Immaculate Conception Foundation Administrative Circle and the Sisters, Staff, and Residents of the Hogar de Ninas Hijas de la Altagracia would like to thank you for your support, and wish you all a Blessed New Year 2012 !!!