Crescent-News.com
Hicksville woman to spend months in Mexican orphanage
By: Lisa Nicely
Tuesday July 29, 2008
HICKSVILLE -- It's a chance to travel and help others at the same time.
A Hicksville woman will be spending four months in a Mexican orphanage, helping children.
Annemiek Verwaijen, 21, will be volunteering at an orphanage in Colima, Mexico, for four months. She will leave in October and return in February.
"I am very excited," she said, adding that a friend told her about the orphanage. "I really always wanted to travel and I enjoy the Spanish language. They also offer a language class there, too."
She said this would be a way to help others and learn more Spanish.
The Casa San José orphanage, which has room for 100-150 orphans, has its own primary school and receives very little money from the government.
Volunteers are asked to help out with fund-raising and other activities. Volunteers, like Verwaijen, will teach children, organize activities and provide maintenance work at the facility.
"They prepare activities for the kids to do," said Verwaijen. "People can also help out in the kitchen and do laundry. It will be the daily tasks that need to be done."
The project is organized through Amiguito foundation. Verwaijen is paying for her own trip and expenses, but wanted the public to know the foundation is always looking for donations.
"It's just for the kids and the orphanage itself (to pay) for food and clothes," she said.
Free-will donations will be accepted. Checks should be made payable to the Amiguito Childcare Foundation. For more information on the foundation, visit www.amiguito.nl.
Donations will be used to buy school supplies, food, shoes, hygiene products and other needed items for the children at Casa San José.