An Ambassador’s Perspective: A Photo Collage

TMF — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:18:11 +0000

Our Ambassador’s are truly amazing! They are incredibly loving, compassionate, and dedicated, and always finding new ways to speak on behalf of the children we serve and to spread the word about the work The Miracle Foundation does in India to empower our children to reach their full potential.

Following the March 2012 trip to Bethel, Ambassador Daniel Marsili returned home and promptly created an amazing photo collage to share with his friends and family, letting them know of his experience in India. Through his collage, he beautifully captured all the elements of the trip: the children, the camaraderie, the hard work, the fun, the joy of seeing the children’s beautiful Colgate smiles, the thrill of making new friends, and the deep satisfaction of knowing he had made a genuine difference in the children’s lives!

Check out his eight-page collage and get a real feel for what an Ambassador trip is all about!

Our thanks to Amanda Wolf!

TMF — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:29:29 +0000

Our sincere thanks to Amanda Wolf, Anderson High School National Honor Society member, for organizing and hosting a charity/bake sale benefiting The Miracle Foundation this past Saturday (April 14) at Lakewood Community Center. Because of Amanda’s excellent preparation and organization, it was an incredibly successful event and not only raised awareness of The Miracle Foundation, but also more than $500 to help support our precious kids in India!

Some of the Volunteer Crew: Michael (Amanda's Father), Hannah (Volunteer), Amanda (Event Coordinator), Lucas (Volunteer), Jim (TMF Staff), and Mark (Volunteer)

A volunteer manning the cupcake booth

Amanda did an amazing job recruiting her family members, friends, and fellow students to donate items and to help set up and run the event. Matter of fact, her father Michael really pitched in and proved to be an exceptional assistant! The night before the sale, he helped Amanda bake more than 75 delicious cupcakes and tasty cake balls, placed signs throughout the neighborhood directing people to the event, and helped to arrange the numerous donated sale items, including dress shirts, blouses, coats, shoes, toys, knickknacks, as well as a very large umbrella and a bed!

: The Miracle Foundation banner hung above a doorway

The Miracle Foundation Information table

The checkout table also had The Miracle Foundation touch!

On the day of the event, Amanda did an outstanding job of coordinating the volunteers, most of whom were fellow members of the National Honor Society. They each took two-hour shifts waving signs outside to direct shoppers to the event, manning the various stations inside, telling customers about The Miracle Foundation, and inspiring them to make a purchase and/or a generous donation. Amanda’s devoted dad even used his exceptional selling skills to successfully sell the bed, large umbrella, and the police radar detection device in record time! And then there was Hannah, a very dedicated volunteer, who worked the entire day, assisting the shoppers and playing with the children.

It was a very successful event and a job well done! At the end of the day, Amanda continued her good work when she and one of the volunteers delivered the few remaining cupcakes to a nearby organization that benefits the homeless.

Our marquee on Monday morning, expressing our appreciation to Amanda for her dedication to our children!

Thanks Amanda. We so appreciate your efforts, your dedication, and your love and compassion for our children!

Extreme Makeover: Bethel Edition!

TMF — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:31:16 +0000

“Day two at the Bethel Home was full of hard work mixed with fun. The kids are painting an amazing mural on their school wall which we hope to finish tomorrow. Everyone is pitching in and everyone has paint on them (even the stray dog that slept through getting her toes painted).”

Daniel Marsili, March 2012 Ambassador

Photos Courtesy of Daniel Marsili

The Bethel Mural Comes Alive!

TMF — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:41:32 +0000

The March 2012 Ambassadors have arrived at Bethel and they hit the ground running. They were welcomed with a lighting ceremony and immediately got busy working on the mural. Rumor has it, we’ll receive a blog entry with more detailed information. In the meantime, here are a few pictures!

: Dick represented the Ambassadors during the welcome lighting ceremony.

: Mona meets a young girl in her group.

: Erik on top of the ladder, as the children get ready to sketch the outline of the mural in chalk.

: Mona, Ambassador/Artist/Photographer, has taken the lead on the mural project. She recruited six of the children to act as her painting assistants. Together, they sketched five of six walls today. The mural begins to come alive!

: One of the beautiful children of Bethel.

Giraffes and Elephants and Monkeys, Oh My!

TMF — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:28:10 +0000

Every child needs a clean, happy and stimulating environment in which to learn. With this in mind, 14 ambassadors from New York to Seattle leave March 9th to meet the 118 children at Bethel. Together, they’ll paint a beautifully designed landscape scene under the school awning.

Bethel, one of our N.E.S.T. children’s homes, is home to 118 children and operates an English Medium school on-site that supports 278 children from the home and the surrounding community, at minimal to no cost!

The ambassadors and children will paint a colorful, two-story mural illustrating the dramatically changing flora and fauna of the regional landscape (ocean to mountains to jungle) under the awning of the school. It will be complete with giraffes, elephants and monkeys! One of our amazing Austin volunteers, Catherine O’Toole of Astonishing Surroundings, helped draft the beautiful design (included below), along with one of our ambassadors, Mona Chamhidray, who also agreed to lead this project and guide the team on the ground in India.

: On the left wall, a beach landscape will be painted with inspirational quotes – “No thing is ever achieved without education”

: The center wall will feature a mountain landscape with elephants holding a sign that reads, “Every child is born a genius”.

: The third wall will feature a jungle scene with children’s hand prints making the leaves on the trees and the inspirational quote, “The highest form of wisdom is kindness”.

These ambassadors are not only donating their time, sweat and love for these children, they have also taken on the challenge of raising $10,000 to cover the costs for painting the interior and exterior of the school! Every donation helps buy a pint of paint. Click here to give what you can towards the Bethel Mural Project. You’ll feel great knowing you’re helping to foster a more vibrant learning environment for these kiddos!

Stay tuned for more updates on this amazing initiative! Safe travels and happy painting to our ambassador team!

Children Helping Children Across the Globe!

TMF — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:30:21 +0000

“No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure. “

Emma Goldman, Author

Two fifth graders, Ashiqa Momin and Sneha Rajendran, led a fundraising initiative at Kathy Caraway Elementary to collect reading books, stickers, colored pencils, coloring books, crayons and pens for the children we support in India. These two compassionate girls even made flyers to distribute to increase awareness about the importance of joining together to give back and make a difference in the world!

Our ambassadors and staff are carrying these donations to India for our children. Thank you to everyone who helped make this drive possible. It is evident the wealth of compassion, kindness, and generosity has been unlocked in the children at Kathy Caraway Elementary!

Building a Playground: Video Documentary from Whole Foods Ambassador Trip

TMF — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:17:47 +0000

In September 2011, Whole Foods Market and Whole Planet Foundation sent 10 WFM Team Members to southern India to install a brand new playground at a children’s home supported by The Miracle Foundation. This is a documentation of their amazing work by Kelly Stevens, a Whole Foods team member, at one of our our N.E.S.T. program children’s homes in India, Sunrise Village.

Song: “Kopeika” from The Agency of Missing Hearts by Et_

“Play keeps us vital and alive. It gives us an enthusiasm for life that is irreplaceable. Without it, life just doesn’t taste good.” Lucia Capocchione

Thank you once again Whole Foods Market and Whole Planet Foundation for making our children’s lives sweeter.

Bethel’s Outing: Parks, Dams and the Joy of Giving!

TMF — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:59:29 +0000

Children that live in orphanages don’t get to experience their community in the way other children do. Aside from daily trips to and from school, orphaned children don’t know much about the world outside their orphanage and, because they live in an institution, rarely get the opportunity to go to a market, see the exchange of money, or experience a zoo, park or picnic. We’re changing that by providing the children we serve with regular outings so they can learn about their community, their world and be more prepared for their future.

Recently, the Bethel Home got to take an outing and they loved it! The younger children (class three and below), went to a nearby park where they played games, experienced a slide and merry-go-round for the first time ever, and got ice cream!

The older children went on a sightseeing tour to Somasila Dam, Penchalakona Kshetram, and Kalleri Dam. They learned about the dam, its engineering and got to see the countryside. For many it was the first field trip ever. There was singing and dance competitions along the way.

Then to make it even better, the children ended the day of excitement with fireworks!

One of the most memorable moments for one of the housemothers was when she saw one of the young boys share his lunch with a man begging on the street. Earlier that day, the children were told that donors from The Miracle Foundation made the outing possible. The conversation soon turned out into a larger discussion about people in need. The message surely took root, because of your generosity, a young boy in India learned the joy of giving. Truly inspiring!

It is so critical for the children to learn about the world outside the orphanage. Thank you to all of our supporters and donors who make outings like this possible. Little things, and little ones, can make a big difference in this world. Thank you for being a part of a miracle.

Sports Day at Sooch Village

TMF — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:40:26 +0000

Remember Track & Field Day back when you were in school? Well, Sooch Village just held Sports Day for the children who attend the on-site school Sardarni Tej Kaur Memorial. Over 300 people attended, including the student participants, the other children of Sooch, and nearby neighbors. The opening ceremony kicked off at 9:30 in the morning with a welcome song and pledge by the students. This was followed by the flag hosting and official opening blessing by the District Education Officer who was the Chief Guest. There were sporting events for children in all age groups, including Biscuits Race (Nursery), Saving the Ballon (Class II), Threading the Needle (Class III), Spoon and Marble Race (Class IV), Sack Race (Class V), Dressing the Little Kids (Class VI), and 50 and 100 meter races for the Junior and Senior boys and girls. Ending at 3:45 that afternoon, the day was a HUGE success and a GRAND time was had by all!

Photos of some of the highlights are included below:

Sports Day Schedule

Taking the Pledge

Acrobats

Chief Guest declaring "Sports Day" officially open

Group Dance

Long Jump

High Jump

Sack Race

Fancy Dance

Guests and Children Enjoying Sports Day

The Winners

“Be The Change” Volunteers Make a Difference

TMF — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:23:47 +0000

by Rosa Gutierrez

Things started very early on Saturday morning, October 1, at The Miracle Foundation office. By 7 a.m., the kitchen was set up with delicious snacks (including Jim’s favorite donuts), volunteers were arriving, children were playing, grownups were greeting each other, and the staff was ready with all the fun activities planned for the day. This was the beginning of the “2011 Be the Change National Day of Service” happening all over Austin (and the nation) in honor of Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quotation, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

As the “Be the Change” website states, “Be the Change Rise Up to Service” is an annual national day of service coordinated by South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) to inspire and foster civic engagement through volunteerism and community service.

Things got underway at our office by showing the volunteers a video about The Miracle Foundation and our mission. Then it was time to get busy!

The younger kids made cards and drew pictures for the children in India. Their excitement was apparent, and they had so many wonderfully creative ideas. One young girl used stickers to tell a story and wrote that she wanted to be a surgeon when she grew up, so she could help others.
Most of the adults wrote and decorated letters of appreciation to our Housemothers in India. They loved the activity, as it brought their creativity to life. One woman had brought her 4-year-old grandson. As she wrote letters, he sat beside her drawing pictures and asking her questions, such as where did these children live and why were they writing letters to them. With her thoughtful answers, it was clear to see how change can happen through even the smallest of actions. Not only was she thanking the Housemothers for all their hard work and loving dedication, but, more importantly, she was instilling the importance of “giving back” in her grandson. It was an inspiring moment and made it very clear to everyone there that change is possible.
Then there was the young man who decided he wanted to work outside. He did a tremendous job and actually filled up 10 large bags with leaves and twigs — all by himself!

Throughout the day, it was clear that everyone felt the joy of giving back. This was true both at The Miracle Foundation office and throughout Austin. Following the event, the “Be the Change” website stated, “WE DID IT AUSTIN!!! 1,000+ volunteers from ages 5 to 50+ rose up in service and showed all of Austin how we all could BE THE CHANGE!!”

Everyone at TMF extends our sincere thanks to all of the “Be the Change” volunteers. Because of their desire to give of their time, effort, and creativity, our yard is free of leaves and our children and Housemothers will all receive beautifully handwritten and decorated cards, letting them know that people on the other side of the world are carrying them in their hearts. There is nothing more meaningful than that! Thanks for “Being the Change.”

http://bethechangeaustin.org/