NICARAGUA CHRISTMAS 2014

Last year my Dad and I decided to "opt out" of Christmas gift exchange. Instead of giving gifts to each other we sponsored Christmas dinner for a needy family. What we discovered is that a lot of people were interested in what we were doing in Nicaragua and looking for an alternative to the usual materialism of the season.

I decided to go "all out" and asked everyone in my family and circle of friends to leave me off their Christmas list. People at work approached me and asked if they could donate money too so Dad found more people in need and new ways to help.

The events that followed were the best gifts I never received.

ROUGHLY $1200 IN DONATIONS

• Christmas dinner for family of 7+
• Hygiene kits for men going back to work
• Medical bills paid for select individuals
• Financial aid for select victims of violence
• Christmas dinner for 2nd family

A MESSAGE FROM MY DAD:
Greetings from way down South! Hope you all have a great holiday with your loved ones. This year my daughter and I, her fiancés family and a couple coworkers decided to forego gift giving this year and to instead donate to helping out some very needy families here that will not have shyte to look forward to...

...We put together some hampers and some individual items for some single moms, handicapped people and mostly seniors that seem to have been forgotten by their families.

Have a great holiday from myself, Karla, Taylor and Bodie the Wonder Dog

DYLAN
"Anna was delighted that she has a crib for the baby and some much needed baby things."

This family was sponsored by Cory Sturge.

"This family lives in poverty in the middle of nowhere. The mother has a day per week of work that is 4 miles away. Their motorcycle does not run so she walks. The other children were too shy to have a photo taken."

75 YEARS OLD
"This woman makes clay tile for roofs in her backyard as her only means of support. She makes about 15 cents per tile and, believe me, she is not pumping them out. Very friendly gal. She was very grateful."

"This woman lives alone in a one room shack on a beach. She earns about $50 a month as a caretaker for the property next door. Her health is not the greatest and assistance was much needed."

"This is a family of 5 that makes their pennies husking corn and then making tortillas to sell. Very shy people that really did not want their pictures taken. I think that they were either ashamed to accept charity or they were simply embarrassed. Regardless, they were so happy to have some basic necessities for the month."

"This lady is very sweet. She has 2 teenaged children that are mentally challenged. She lives alone with them in the house on the left. Not sure how she makes ends meet. Very poor but a very happy person."

"This couple are both in their 80s and not in great health. The old guy I have seen walking on crutches every day down the road. It would probably take him 2 hours to go a block and return. Again, really happy people, but needing help."

WHEELCHAIR BOUND
"This woman sits all day on her porch watching the world go by. She lives in a 3 room house with probably 7 other people. She was extremely delighted with the hamper and wanted us to stay and talk. Very lonely person. We chatted a while but had to leave to make more deliveries."

"This was probably the hardest one to imagine. This lady lives in an old cow barn on top of hardened manure with no running water or furniture that I saw. A lot of people just accept their position in life and live as best they can. Almost all of them thank God and have a solid belief system in place."

GRATITUDE
"That's all the photos I have for now. A few people absolutely did not want their photo taken, but were nice about it. One lady was 105 years old living with her daughter in a plant house. We put together a special package for her needs. All were so grateful and surprised when we made the deliveries as all of them came unannounced."