Our story began in 2005 when one of our sons and his wife decided to go to Thailand to  work with a large orphanage.  They now have a foster home in Thailand with eight orphans, whom they adopt as official documentation is available, and two of their own children.  That same year we also learned about the benefits of retiring to Mexico. After retiring to Mexico, we joined with an orchestra that traveled to a variety of countries bringing the gift of music.  As part of this experience, we saw many orphanages around the world that were reaching out to give hope to homeless and abused children.  A year after we moved to Mexico in 2007, a boy's home was being launched to bring hope to homeless and abused boys. This was Hope House located in Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos, Mexico (Casa Hogar Una Esperanza en el Corazón, A.C.).   The need spoke to our hearts, and we got involved.  Almost every facility on the campus has our fingerprints on it.  We got to know the founders, the staff and operations and liked what we saw.  

 

In getting involved with this project, a secondary need became obvious.  Once the children in orphanages reach a certain age, the opportunity for a higher education often eludes them.  This is also true of children in poorer homes that cannot afford a college education.  Tuition in public universities is very inexpensive relative to the US.  For example, the tuition for law degree in Meixco is approximately $350 per semester. A real need existed to have a not-for-profit entity available so that donors from the US can have funds directed to support the various orphanages or children's home or provide scholarships for those that desire a higher education but cannot afford it.  WIthout this education we have found that children will follow in the footsteps of their parents.  So a gardener's son will become a gardener or a maid's daughter will become a maid.

 

For this reason we launched Hope House Children's Relief (HHCR) to provide a funding conduit for volunteer donors.  The name comes from the boy's home, Hope House in Mexico, which was our first venture into this arena.