The Power of One

Children of the Americas volunteers are used to hearing this statement:
" I would like to help, but I don't know how." 

Becky never let the "how" stop her. As a recent widow, Becky could have  concentrated on her own issues. She made the conscious choice to do the opposite. Becky has no medical training, but she cared for her sick husband for years. Following Sonny's passing, Becky donated his unused medical items to COTA. She also took it upon herself to purchase many pairs of shoes so that little Guatemalan feet would not go bare in January when we host our next medical team. 

Forrest (below, right) took the "how" one step further when he traveled to Guatemala with us last January. At an employee at Toyota, Forrest had no medical training, but he has a big heart and knows how to network. 

 After spending several days in Guatemala in January of 2014 fitting children with donated shoes, he was impacted by the obvious need for adequate footwear in a country full of parents who could not afford to use precious income for shoes for their children. Forrest came home determined to make the miracle of new shoes happen for hundreds of children. He wrote to shoe companies. He posted on Facebook. He made phone calls. He made more phone calls. And it worked. Hundreds of children's feet will benefit from his diligence in January. 

Mary Cheek (L) from Indiana has amazing talents as a seamstress. She and her friend Marie Kerr have spent many  hours making hand-made quilts for our pediatric patients on our medical teams. Hundreds of blankets and baby bibs later, their care and concern has brightened the day of many of our patients. 

When we need Spanish translators in Guatemala for our medical teams, Bernice (R), a long-term resident of Guatemala, stays with us for some intense days of translating. She works countless hours, eats little and sleeps less so that our patients understand their discharge instructions and leave feeling secure in their knowledge of post-operative medical care.

Every person in this photo (above) is a Children of the Americas volunteer, using their financial resources and vacation leave to meet the needs of our patients for a week every January and many weekends of volunteer hours in-between trips to Central America.

Patients in Guatemala waiting in long lines for a chance at care


The need for our services in Guatemala is endless, but so is the enthusiasm and energy of our volunteers.