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North Country Mission of Hope Story
by Matt Rennell In October 1998, Hurricane Mitch, a category five storm, hit the small impoverished country of Nicaragua. With winds of 185 miles-per-hour, the second deadliest storm in history left 22 thousand people dead or missing. The hurricane poured 36 inches of rain on the countryside, causing mudslides and flooding at catastrophic levels. Volcanoes imploded as water levels rose, wiping out surrounding villages. The people of Nicaragua were left with nothing.
After the three met, they realized that the only way to truly help would be to go to Nicaragua and assist them in rebuilding their lives. They didn’t know what to expect, so they asked Seton Catholic students and community members to come together and help the people affected by the hurricane. “We asked the students here at Seton to each donate three dollars toward the Mission. They did more than that. They raised a total of $3,000.” said Sister Debbie. “We then went to WIRY, the local radio station, and asked them to challenge the community to match that. The donations totaled over $30,000.” “The response from the community was overwhelming. They really understood how important this was, and that it had to be done” There were also plenty of students and community members who wanted to help the people in Nicaragua. “The response from the community was overwhelming. They really understood how important this was, and that it had to be done,” said Sister Debbie. The Mission brings hope In February 1999, nearly four months after the hurricane hit, a group of 52 volunteers departed from Plattsburgh in what would be known as the Mission of Hope. In the Nicaraguan village of Chiquilistagua, they built home shelters, handed out clothing, gave food to families, and provided medical treatment. The Mission has grown over the years. As of October 2005, 16 Mission trips have been made, with 286 different individuals; almost half have been on multiple Missions. The volunteers, ranging from 14 to 78 years old, have represented 17 area high schools, 14 colleges, ten states, and ten countries.
The Mission also works with local Nicaraguan leaders in developing a program called Children Feeding Children. With approximately 75 to 90 percent of the students malnourished, the program is designed to help feed the children in the elementary school at Colegio Nino Jesus de Praga. Children Feeding Children gives North Country children the opportunity to feed a child in Nicaragua for a quarter a day. For $75, North Country students and community members can feed a Nicaraguan student for an entire school year. “I don’t think a lot of people know this. If you can give up one bottle of soda or one mug of beer each week, you could feed a child for an entire year,” said Sister Debbie. North
Country support “I don’t think a lot of people know this. If you can give up one bottle of soda or one mug of beer each week, you could feed a child for an entire year”
The goal, which is to bring Chiquilistagua and its surrounding areas to a point where they can be self sufficient, is dependent on the financial support of the North Country community. “One thing that I think people need to know is that for every dollar that is donated to the Mission, 96 cents of it goes directly to the people in Nicaragua,” said Sister Debbie. The People of Nicaragua According to Sister Debbie, people do not realize how generous the people of Nicaragua are. “I remember on one Mission, we gave this six-or seven-year-old-girl some food. She started to eat it, and after a couple bites she stopped. I asked her what was wrong, if the food wasn’t good. She told me, ‘I am only eating enough so my belly stops hurting. I am bringing the rest of the food to my family.’ That really stuck out to me. You don’t see that happen in America. The Nicaraguan people do not know greed; they have never had luxury.” Those who have gone on a Mission have echoed the same sentiments. “One year the mission had a team working to build a house for a family on a volcanic site with ashy soil,” said Cherisse Dandrow, a Mission volunteer. “While team members were working in the heat, dust and ash were stirred up and folks were coughing because of it. The mother of the family poured her only drinking water onto the ground to keep the dust from flying into our crew's faces. That was a true act of generosity” As a result of the generosity shown by the people of Nicaragua, Sister Debbie believes that every person who has gone on the Mission has been touched in some way. “Every volunteer who has ever gone on the Mission has come back with their heart filled with more love than when they left.” Continued Support As the years go by, an increasing number of people want to be part of the Mission. For each Mission, approximately 90 people apply. However, due to a limited number of beds, only 50 are chosen to be part of it. But that doesn’t mean that the others can’t contribute. “We are always looking for people to organize fundraisers, help package the supplies, and donate money to help the people of Nicaragua,” says Sister Debbie. |
Where do the volunteers Throughout the years participants in the Mission of Hope have come from many different high schools, colleges, states, countries, and religious organizations. Here is a breakdown of where the volunteers have come from. High Schools Colleges/Universities States Countries Religious Organizations |
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