This weekend Full Hearts will be taking a group of five to Big Springs Ranch for Children for our third visit. Located in the hill country, the ranch is a place for abused and abandoned children from around Texas to receive “long-term therapeutic care and substitute parenting.” As outside volunteers, our goal is to form genuine, supportive relationships with the youth, while educating them about the opportunities that are available to them.
Our first two trips saw us spending the bulk of our time establishing relationships with what we have learned is an incredible group of kids. Despite their backgrounds they are typical kids – smart, optomistic, funny, shy, out-going, quiet, loud, you name it. And they LOVE basketball. No really. They do. Aside from their borderline unhealthy appetite for “hooping,” we found that they are hungry for success. This weekend we’re going to give each of them a chance to discover their individual talents and interests with the help of a personality test. Our hope is that through the process of self-discovery they will gain insight into who they are, build self-esteem, and find the confidence to pursue their interests.
Even though the weather is predicted to be cold and dreary we can’t help but be excited about the trip. Big things are going to happen. As always we want our supporters to share in the joy that is Full Hearts. Thank you so much for all you do for us. We could not do it without you.
With Hopeful Hearts,
The Full Hearts Team
2011 proved to be a difficult year for Full Hearts and company. As many of you know the drug-related violence in Mexico has continued to surge, meaning trips to the orphanage have become too dangerous to justify on a regular basis. Although our face to face time with the girls was severely diminished we were still able to make donations to help support Casa Hogar financially. Unable to visit and interact with the girls as we did in the past was heartbreaking to say the least. Undeterred, though, we picked up the pieces and found new ways to invest our energies.
2012 will see us getting involved with new endeavors, like Big Spring Ranch for Children, a place for abused and neglected children to find comfort and support. We will be making regular trips to spend quality time with the children there. Our pens are being dipped into new inkwells. We are writing new stories of love and compassion. As always we hope you will share in our stories with us. With your help, this may be our best year ever.
With growing hearts,
The Full Hearts Team
It’s that time of year again. You find yourself slumped, half-awake at your favorite study spot on campus poring over slides you barely recognize. As you down another cup of coffee, a freshmen streaks by with a nerf-gun. The only thing your frazzled mind seems to know is that zombies will triumph again. They always do. In the face of another week of all-nighters and last minute scan-tron scrambles you welcome the idea of zombie apocalypse. Your brain is practically mush already.
This time of year also means something else, though. The holiday break is right around the corner and again Full Hearts wants to give you a way to close out the semester right. For those of you who came out and enjoyed last years Variety Show, we assure you that we’ve outdone ourselves once again. This year’s show will include performances from local artists Bobby Pearson, Lindsay Harris, and Jackie Hebert. In addition to the music, Good Ghost Bill will be performing spoken-word poetry. Headlining the show will be the up and coming artist Johnny Stimson, whose poppy melodies and thoughtful lyrics have begun to earn him some much deserved recognition. Best of all, because of the generosity of Mr. Stimson and all of our performers in offering their time and talents, we are able to offer tickets at our usual $5. As always the proceeds will go to benefit the beautiful girls of Casa Hogar Orphanage.
So come out and join us this Satuday, December 10th at Mugwalls for a night of music, poetry and memories that will last a lot longer than finals week. If you don’t have am Abraham Lincoln in your wallet we guarantee this will be a show worth digging in couch cushions for that elusive 20th quarter. We’ll try not to glare as you dump your change out. We hope to see you there.
Con musica en nuestros corazones,
The Full Hearts Team