Six Questions and Answers about the Traveler Program For the first time, Olancho Aid is hosting trips that individuals, families, and small groups can sign up for. Since the program is new, there are lots of questions about how it will work and who can get involved. Here are some answers! If you have a question that's not addressed below, please email us at info@olanchoaid.org or request a 20-min intro call to learn more. 1. Why is Olancho Aid hosting trips? After connecting remotely … [Read more...]
Welcome, Kerry Lindstrom!
Welcome, Kerry Lindstrom! Please join us in welcoming Kerry to the Olancho Aid Foundation Board of Directors. With her background in education and experience living in Honduras, she will be an asset to the Education Committee. Kerry is a 5th grade English Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at Fairview Elementary in Dayton, OH. Previously she taught Kindergarten and English Language Learners K-4th grades at Warner Arts Magnet School in Nashville, TN. At Warner, she led the school … [Read more...]
High Heels in Honduras
High Heels in Honduras By Monica P Flood Prairieville, Louisiana Through the hole in the roof… The bugs scurried in. The wet trickled in. The dust swirled around carelessly. A unpleasant carpet of dirt and grime replaced the students that once gathered here eager to learn. Poverty can be shaming. People are afraid to look it in the eye because it’s too real - too immensely painful. Poverty calls us to pay attention and act. I said yes because I wanted my friend to … [Read more...]
Teacher Alumni Return for Mission Trip
Recently, Olancho Aid Foundation welcomed back four volunteer alumni who all taught for a year in Santa Clara classrooms. Here is a note from one of them, Dana, describing her experience returning as a mission team member: Going back to Honduras with some of my roommates and co-teachers from the 2014-2015 school year was one I will never forget! At times it felt like we had never left, but it was also great to see the progress that the Olancho Aid Foundation has made over the past few years. … [Read more...]
Joy and Inspiration from St. Philip’s
Joy is the word that keeps popping up for Pat Thompson when she describes her experience in Honduras. Pat was introduced to Olancho Aid about 5 years ago, through a neighboring parish, Holy Family Catholic Church of Brentwood, TN. She joined their mission team so she could participate in the group's clean water initiatives in Honduras. When she returned from the trip, she was full of joy and inspiration. That inspiration turned her into the leader of a mission from her home parish, St. Philip … [Read more...]
Advice from a Team Leader of 25 Years
Advice from a Team Leader of 25 Years In 1993, Mary Roy reluctantly traveled to Olancho, Honduras after being asked by a friend who needed a female chaperone for his mission team. She describes those 10 days as “life-changing” and says she knew right away she would return, but could not have imagined she would lead 26 teams over the next 25 years. What keeps her coming back? On average, Mary’s teams consist of 15-18 people, some return year after year and others are “newbies.” Both the … [Read more...]
Woman on a Mission
At age 17, Hannah made a decision. She was at the end of a 10-day trip as a member of her godmother’s mission team. Full of energy and passion about the experience, Hannah knew that this first visit to Honduras would not be her last. She decided then to lead a team herself so she could share the experience with even more people in her community. It’s hard to say if right then she truly understood what it would take to lead a team. She’d need to inspire a group of people to join her, seek … [Read more...]
2017 Success
Learn more about our work in 2017: Your gift will allow us to bring education and clean water to more children and families. A contribution of $34 covers the monthly gap for one student (the gap is the difference between tuition received and operating costs). Please consider a gift of $15, $34, $50 or more. Every single dollar makes a difference. … [Read more...]
How did I get here?
SPOT CAMERA REFLECTIONS How did I get here? A year after my stint as District Governor, I saw a PowerPoint presentation by a Lion named Claire M. Sullivan. I knew Claire from the Westport (Mass. 33-S) Lions Club. Her presentation was about a religious (Catholic) based organization in the Central American country of Honduras. This organization is known as Olancho Aid and is based in the city of Juticulpa. Olancho is the Department (State) in Honduras where Juticulpa is situated. Her … [Read more...]
“Honduras Mission Trips are Transforming Lives” – Tennessee Register
In January, Bishop Bonello of Juticalpa joined Olancho Aid's executive director, Carlos Najera, and director of advancement, Jessica Santavy, to visit several parishes and high schools near Nashville. During their visit to Father Ryan High School, which has organized student mission trips, they were invited to speak with a representative from the Tennessee Register about Olancho Aid's work. " Mission trips can take different forms depending on each group’s focus and talent, and could include a … [Read more...]