AUF Annual Report 2014 - Adopta Una Familia, Inc

Adopta Una Familia, Inc.
Annual Report 2014
President’s Message
I would like to greet you on behalf of the Board
of Directors and to tell you how significant 2014
was for AUF. We completed our first year with
501(c)3 status and restructured the Board of
Directors to include an Executive Board and
four working committees: Operations,
Finance, Marketing and Governance.
AUF joyfully continues to partner with the
This year we welcomed two young
children who came with their parents
who were past participants.
people of Guasmo Sur. We work hard, build
relationships and during our time in Ecuador,
A whole new generation is being exposed to the
lives are changed. Not only is significant
beautiful quilt of global connectedness and
love between people.
improvement visible in the community, but the
effect that the people of Ecuador have had on
participants from the United States is lifechanging.
Thank you to all who have continued to
support our efforts with financial gifts and
as participants in the different projects. I hope
you will continue to tell the stories of your
experiences to family and friends.
Linda Smith, President
www.auf-ecuador.org
Adopta Una Familia, Inc.
Introduction
AUF is a United States based, non-profit, 501(c)3 organization partnering with community
leaders in Guayaquil, Ecuador in three key development areas. Our goal is to use local and
global resources in the most efficient and effective way
to promote opportunities for quality housing,
education and health.
Created as a grass-roots community project in
the barrio of Guasmo Sur, Ecuador in 1999, AUF
began with building bathrooms in families’ homes. It
has since grown into a multi-tiered program that has enriched the lives of hundreds of people in
Ecuador and North America. As a by-product of the program’s success, AUF is proud of its
history of inspiring service in those that have participated over the years. www.auf-ecuador.org
Adopta Una Familia, Inc.
Our AUF Support Team in Guasmo
(l) Tania Tapia Sanchez, Jairo Vargas Solis, Angelica Montaño
Reyes, Lilibeth Guerrero Ordoñez, Marjory Galarza Mora, Jose
Luis Echeverria Lara
By partnering with local leaders, AUF provides resources for community advancement
and development through the support of volunteers with common values. The mission and
programs of AUF are facilitated by our partners “on the ground” in Guasmo.
Jose Luis Echeverria Lara is the General Co-ordinator of AUF projects. Jose Luis
serves as liason between the AUF Board of Directors and Mi Cometa, our partner organization
in Guasmo.
Tania Tapia Sanchez is our Director of Building Projects. Angelica Montaño Reyes is Director of Education Projects. In addition to the
programming direction provided by Angelica, our Education Project is assissted by Jairo
Vargas Solis and Lilibeth Guerrero Ordoñez, two additional teachers. Jairo and Lili are
both graduates of CASF (Creacion de Alumnos sin Fronteras, Creation of Students without
Borders) and are now university students.
Marjory Galarza Mora is Director of Health Projects.
www.auf-ecuador.org
Adopta Una Familia, Inc.
Housing
Our housing project provides financial and
h u m a n
resources for
one to two
building trips
each summer.
Volunteers'
fees cover
travel expenses
and a large
portion of
construction materials.
We work with the Ecuadorian non-profit, Mi
Cometa, and provide grants so that they may
hire local community experts, Project
Managers, and trades people to partner
with U.S. Project Leaders to plan and complete
building projects. Recipient families are
associated with, and selected by, Mi Cometa.
Our building trips cultivate a rich cross-cultural
experience for all involved through rigorous
construction work and also through family time and
fun!
AUF responds to the long term, as well as
acute, needs of the community by looking for
projects and relationships that foster
developmental progress. We finance and assist
with additional building or community projects
at the request of community leaders.
www.auf-ecuador.org
“It feels better to have a
home where everyone has
their own space. When you
enter the house now, it is
beautiful, organized.
It
makes me feel good inside
to show people my home."
Adopta Una Familia, Inc.
Each year the reach and impact of the housing
programs grows both in Ecuador and the
United States. In 2014 the summer build trip
included 60 volunteers from more than six
different communities across three states!
Additionally, as a working Board of Directors it
The more in depth and complex nature of
these projects speaks to the long term
commitment of AUF with the Guasmo Sur
community and the compounding effect of
more than 15 years of construction projects.
In the early years, projects would include a
single bathroom for a family or just security
walls; now we have the experience and ability
is of critical importance to fully engage and
participate in the core programming, and eight
to evaluate family needs more completely and
build a comprehensive architectural plan.
board members joined the building volunteers
in 2014.
As the architectural designs and the needs of
the families have evolved, it is common for a
family to be engaged in renovations with AUF
for more than one build trip. In 2014 two home
renovations were completed and the first of two
phases was started on a third home renovation.
www.auf-ecuador.org
Adopta Una Familia, Inc.
"The change has been
marvelous! Before, we lived
in a house with holes in the
ceiling that would flood the
floors when it rained. But
now, I feel protected and safe.
It's all I could have hoped
for."
of the success and smooth operations of the
actual construction. Her work and
partnership with the board of directors on
building projects ensured that the cross
cultural, cross language teams, with varied
skill levels, that were providing the
construction were able to work in harmony.
2014 was also the inaugural year for the
core local roles including Tania Tapia
Sanchez as the Director of Building Projects.
Her leadership, dedication and commitment
during as well as before and after the actual
volunteer trip was an essential component
www.auf-ecuador.org
Adopta Una Familia, Inc.
Education
AUF provides scholarship opportunities for local
youths to attend primary and secondary school.
In addition, AUF provides financial resources for
the development and implementation of a weekly
tutoring program for students receiving
scholarships. This educational program CASF
(Creacion de Alumnos sin Fronteras or Creation
of Students without Borders) educates the
participating
students
in
multiple content
areas
in which
they would not
otherwise receive
e n r i c h m e n t
including
health,
poetry, astronomy,
cooking, cultural
awareness, human rights, and history.
Stohler, a former CASF summer intern and
current student at Harvard University’s
School of Divinity. Hannah worked with the
CASF staff to help clarify and implement
roles and responsibilities and to guide
Angelica out of the classroom and into her
new role as Director of Education Projects.
Hannah also helped the CASF staff begin to
design a more transparent application
process for potential students.
The summer was a very busy time for our
educational programs, with many other
initiatives running concurrently. The CASF
program was graced by summer intern,
Maggie Rowe, a sophomore at Brown
University majoring in Biology. She worked
Our financial resources include funding for local
teachers for the tutoring program, sponsoring
summer interns, and materials for running the
tutoring program’s weekly activities.
Our education outreach took many great steps
forward in 2014. There was continued success in
the Creacion de Alumnos Sin Fronteras (CASF)
program, as well as new opportunities that were
explored in an effort to expand educational
opportunities for the students in Guasmo.
CASF went through a number of important
changes this year while still providing
scholarships and additional instruction to 45
students.
One of the goals for 2014 was to
improve the organizational structure of CASF and
to provide more transparency in the selection
process of potential students. This was guided
through the summer internship of Hannah
www.auf-ecuador.org
Ambar, current
student: "Through
CASF, I have
learned to love
reading, and I have
made friends with
people who I would
not have known
otherwise."
Adopta Una Familia, Inc.
streets of Guasmo with the participating youths
dressed in homemade superhero costumes.
Additionally, the pair lead seminars on Behavioral
Modification strategies to help the parents in the
community with their children. Jenny works as a
Behaviorist, and her expertise was
enthusiastically received.
Ezekiel, recent graduate:
"The support I have received
through CASF has been very
important because my father
did not make enough to
afford my going to school. I
am working now, but I want
to continue my studies so I
can one day have a job that
will allow me to have my
own home."
with the program on a daily basis and lead the
students on an exploration of the Scientific
Method through her creative experiments.
A pair of additional educational programs ran in
addition to CASF in 2014. These were led by two
former participants of Housing projects:
Christine Candler and Jenny Sheflin. Together,
they designed and implemented two programs
during the June Housing project.
The first
project was in the style of one of our Kid’s
Camps, which have run in the past during
housing projects as an opportunity to play with
and challenge the youths in the community.
They designed a week-long schedule of activities
themed around what it means to be a superhero
and how everyone can be a superhero. The week
culminated in a superhero parade around the
Another change in the program occurred with the
departure of Diana Roldan, one of the program’s
teachers. She was one of our first teachers and
one of the first graduates through the Educational
Grant program, the precursor to CASF. The CASF
family is very thankful to her for all the work and
love she has given them throughout the years, and
are excited for her as she explores the next
chapter of her life.
This opened up the
opportunity for a new teacher to join the CASF
team, which will be one of the first activities to
occur in 2015.
www.auf-ecuador.org
Adopta Una Familia, Inc.
Health
For nearly 15 years, AUF has been bringing some
form of health programming to Guasmo Sur.
These initial projects included dental cleanings,
gynecology clinics including PAP smears and
contraceptive services, first-aid
and surgical mission trips.
While community members
readily participated in these
projects, AUF initially focused
on its flagship program,
construction, During 2014,
AUF sought to make health
a more permanent pillar of
programming for the
community of Guasmo Sur.
Five years ago, President of AUF
Linda Smith’s dream became a reality during what
would become the inaugural year of the AUF
Dental Project. Two Dentists and an Oral Surgeon,
as well as support staff including dental hygienists
and dental assistants, provided comprehensive
dental care mainly to children, during a week long
Dental Project. The Dental Project has continued
to flourish and in 2014 a longterm partnership
was created between AUF and the UCONN
Dental School.
This year’s week-long project included four
supervising dentists (including the Dean of
UCONN Dental), six third year UCONN dental
students, one
dental assistant,
one hygienist,
one translator,
and two support
volunteers. One
h u n d r e d
patients, 70
children and 30
adults, received
exams and dental education as well as
restorations and extractions when needed.
Over 200 procedures were performed. Due
to high demand and in order to promote
improved oral health behaviors, priority was
given to those who received a dental cleaning on
their own during the year. Additionally,
partnerships were built with local Ecuadorian
dentists in order to provide continuing dental
services throughout the year.
AUF has begun to respond to the desires of the
community to have more permanent general
health programming. In addition to several new
health related activities, AUF conducted a
basic community needs assessment in order
to make sure that the voices of AUF families were
heard. By garnering data on the community,
AUF plans to design future permanent
health programming that will meet the
perceived and expressed health needs of
the community
www.auf-ecuador.org
Adopta Una Familia, Inc.
Capitalizing on the success of the dental
program, AUF sought to further expand its
health programming to meet the needs of the
community. In 2013, 75 community members
underwent free health screening in which their
weight, blood pressure, and glucose were
monitored. Following this event, a diabetes
support group was created as a pilot health
Preliminary data shows that every
respondent reported at least one
significant barrier to obtaining
healthcare or maintaining her current
health status.
Perhaps most
importantly, nearly every respondent
would like to see AUF further develop
its health programming and a
significant number of respondents
reports a desire for more health
education groups and learning sessions.
AUF plans to utilize the results of the
community needs assessment in order to
develop health programming which is aligned
with community needs and desires.
project, in which 12 participants have received
on-going monitoring and support through
home visits conducted by an AUF staff
member. Indicative of the severity, nine out
twelve participants are considered to have
uncontrolled diabetes. Additionally,
participants attend biweekly group meetings
where they learn about and discuss diabetes
related topics.
In order to better determine the direction of
future health programming, a basic community
needs assessment was completed in 2014.
Thirty-one female heads of household were
interviewed to better understand AUF family
demographics, health information, and
program feedback. Twenty-one additional
females in AUF families were interviewed
regarding their demographics and reproductive
health.
www.auf-ecuador.org
Adopta Una Familia, Inc.
Financials
AUF, Inc. is exempt from federal income taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our
mission is supported by the generosity of our donors and the enthusiastic participants who raise funds to
cover trip expenses each year. All donations for exempt purposes are tax-deductible. AUF, Inc. spent only
7.3% of its expense base on administrative costs and our donors can be confident that every possible
dollar goes directly to fulfill our program missions. We are looking for new and renewed support in order
to build and expand programming in the years ahead.
Profit & Loss
January through December 2014
Income
Project Registrations
124,186.00
Board of Directors Contributions
11,765.39
Special Events
7,146.76
CASF Sponsorships
15,675.00
Online Shopping Donation Sites
1,032.84
Walking The Trail Donations
12,448.12
Holiday Gift Drive
2,330.00
Other Individual Donations
5,890.00
Grants
20,000.00
Corporate Matching
4,913.96
__________
Total Income
205,388.07
Expense
Administration
Travel Expense
Building Project
Education Program
Dental Supplies and Expenses
Mi Cometa Administration
Special Events Expense
Total Expense
Net Income
10,075.67
77,521.00
63,750.00
35,465.00
8,550.00
5,000.00
4,332.41
__________
204,694.08
693.99
www.auf-ecuador.org
Adopta Una Familia, Inc.
www.auf-ecuador.org
Adopta Una Familia, Inc.
Donors
The Board of Directors of Adopta Una Familia, Inc. would like to gratefully
acknowledge our generous donors. Without them, the successes of 2014 would not
have been possible.
$5000 or greater
$250- $499
Asylum Hill Congregational Church –
Hartford, CT
The Massey Cameron Fund
Carol Ann Anyan
James Bannister
Lois Begley
Joan Bombardier
William Carter
Pat & Fred Cotton
The D'Amico Family
Marie Donofrio
Michael Dwyer
Ryan Finnegan DMD PC
First Church of Christ
Congregational- Clinton, CT
Betsy Gay
Joshua Geballe
Peter Grandy
James and Linda Grigsby
Len & Barbara Hooton
Margot & Jeffrey Johnson
Cyrus Kanga
Crystal Kofke
Deborah Lyons
Merrill Preston, Jr.
Suzanne Reardon
David Reif
Bill & Sharon Reynolds
Helen Silchenko
Cindy Staton
Ralph Takala
James Teape
Barbara Tedeschi
Carol Tobin
Kurt Weingartner
$1,000-$4999
Susan Aller
Brian Cameron
The Chaney Family Foundation
M.J. Knudsen
Aetna Matching Gift Program
J.P. Morgan Matching Gifts Program
MetLife Foundation's Volunteer
Ventures Program
United Illuminating Employee Giving
$500-$999
Gwen Bush
David & Barbara Colley
Richard Farr
Gerald Garfield
Robert Hacker
Jack Heflin
Susanne Lendler Marsh
William Lowery
Claudia Matthews
Roy & Lyle Miller
Hazel Teape
Elizabeth Woodard
Travelers Community Connections
Matching Gifts Program
www.auf-ecuador.org
Adopta Una Familia, Inc.
Goals for 2015
Our goals for 2015 include analysis of the data from the Community
Health Assessment, and expansion of health programming based on
evaluation of the data.
In addition, we have commissioned a multi-media, video
presentation which will be completed in 2015.
Officers
President - Linda Smith
Vice President - Erica Thompson
Secretary - Erin Peterson
Treasurer - Bonnie Ballantyne
Board of Directors
Bonnie Ballantyne
Chris Giordano
Stephanie Hackett
Kevin Harrington
Betsy Hyde*
Seila Mosquera
Laurie Parsons*
David Peterson
Erin Peterson
Abby Ruiz*
Linda Smith*
Hannah Stohler
Meg Teape*
Mike Teape
Erica Thompson*
Beth Vossler
*Member of Executive Board
www.auf-ecuador.org