Blog | Hand in Hand Ministries

Trunk sale to raise funds for Hand in Hand

April 15, 2012

Filed under: Nicaragua — Tags: Fundraisers, Nicaragua, Norton Commons, trunk sale, volunteers — hhministries @ 8:01 pm

Sarah Acland and Cindy Rigby along with the folks at Ladybug have set a date for a trunk sale of jewelry, cookies, and small photos to raise money for Hand in Hand’s medical efforts in Nicaragua (including medical team scholarship and supplies). It will be on Saturday, April 21 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Ladybug in Norton Commons, 9426 Norton Commons Blvd., Prospect. The event will be held rain or shine.

They will be promoting and supporting the Pathway to Change program in Nicaragua. We hope that Ed and Barbara Dunsworth from our Nicaragua program will be in attendance, so this can be a great opportunity to meet them as well. We will update this post when their schedule is finalized.

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Meet Ed and Barbara Dunsworth

April 13, 2012

Filed under: Nicaragua — Tags: Arte y Amistad, Dunsworth, Nicaragua — hhministries @ 11:58 am

Barbara Dunsworth and Hellen, a participant n the Arte y Amistad program in Nicaragua..

We have some great news to share with our supporters.
Ed and Barbara Dunsworth will be visiting Louisville next week. Ed and Barbara are the heart and soul of our operations in Nicaragua. Hear first-hand accounts of the many successes and how Hand in Hand is making a real difference in the lives of families in Nicaragua. Molly Malone’s in St. Matthews has generously offered to donate its upper level dining room for those wishing to see Ed and Barbara. For those wishing to join us for dinner, Molly Malone’s will be donating 20% of all checks to support the programs of Hand in Hand.
Date: Thursday, April 19, 2012
Time: 5 to 8 p.m.
Location: Upper level, Molly Malone’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, 3900 Shelbyville Rd., Louisville

Want to let us know you’re coming? Great! It’s a drop-in event so come any time during the allotted time. We’d love to know if you’re planning to attend. (502) 459-9930, or e-mail Marla Cautilli, marla@myhandinhand.org.

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Arte y Amistad: a show of appreciation

April 11, 2012

Filed under: Nicaragua — Tags: art, Arte y Amistad, friendship, Nicaragua, Wolski — hhministries @ 8:33 am

Our Arte y Amistad program in Nicaragua was a wonderful success. We’re just delighted with the number of students who enrolled, their enthusiasm and their enjoyment of the entire process. They produced some lovely works of art and were introduced to the creative process, which we hope will stay with them their entire lives. What a thrill.

The program was led by Bill and Melanie Wolski, who traveled to Nicaragua from Colden, N.Y., to lead the classes and assist with the program. Here’s a few more photos of their class and their work on the final days of the program. Thank you to the Wolskis for going to Nicaragua, and thanks to the Dunsworths for their consistent leadership in Nicaragua. We could not have done this without both couples.

Adrianna presents teacher Melanie Wolski with flowers at the conclusion of the class. Photos courtesy Bill Wolski.

Parents and students viewed the artwork from the class. Photos courtesy Bill Wolski.

Melanie Wolski (back, center) with her large and enthusiastic Arte y Amistad class. Photos courtesy Bill Wolski.

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Nicaragua: budding artists at work

March 30, 2012

Filed under: Nicaragua — Tags: Arte y Amistad, Colden, donations, Dunsworth, Nicaragua, Wolski — hhministries @ 1:49 pm

Earlier this week, we posted about Bill and Melanie Wolski’s trip to Nicaragua to teach in our Arte y Amistad (Art and Friendship) program. We applaud them for their work, and we’re happy to share a few more photos of their week here. Thanks to them and their many supporters back in Colden, N.Y. Also thanks to the children and adults in the Religious Education program at Our Lady of Lourdes in Louisville, under the leadership of Ann Pifer, who donated supplies for the classes.

Melanie teaches the Arte y Amistad class in Nicaragua.

Melanie Wolski and Barbara Dunsworth work with the art class.

Oliver proudly shows the pencil holder he decoupaged. On the left is Barbara Dunsworth, and to his right is Melanie Wolski.

Oliver proudly shows the pencil holder he decoupaged. To his left is Barbara Dunsworth, and to his right is Melanie Wolski.

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Visiting Nicaragua: Day one

March 26, 2012

Filed under: Nicaragua — Tags: Art and Friendship, Arte y Amistad, Bill Wolski, Melanie Wolski, Nicaragua — hhministries @ 8:44 pm

Melanie is with Katherin and Carlos Andres. Bill worked on their house in 2011, and they will both be attending Arte y Amistad.

Editor’s note: We wanted to share with you here the account of Bill and Melanie Wolski, who arrived in Nicaragua on Saturday. They’re planning to share photos and a short account of each day with us as the week goes by. Thanks to both of you for sharing.

Barbara Dunsworth and Hellen, a participant n the Arte y Amistad program.

Bill and Melanie Wolski arrived in Managua on Saturday. They were met by Ed and Barbara Dunsworth, Hand In Hand’s Directors in Nicaragua. On Sunday, they went to the Children’s Center to begin setting up for the program, Arte y Amistad (Art and Friendship). 27 children have been signed up, all 9-12 years of age. They will be divided into 3 classes with each class lasting 60 minutes per day. The first part of the week will be watercolor and the other part will be decoupage.

After leaving the Children’s Center, they went to visit several families who had houses built for them by Hand In Hand and who have children in Arte y Amistad.

Melanie Wolski and Barbara Dunsworth are in the Children's Center in Nicaragua.

In the first photo, Melanie and Barbara are in the Children’s Center.

In the second photo, Barbara is with Hellen in a store run by Hellen’s mother. Hellen is a participant in the art program.

In the last photo, Melanie is wtih Katherin and Carlos Andres. Bill worked on their house in 2011, and they will both be attending Arte y Amistad.

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University of Texas trip to Nicaragua

March 25, 2012

Filed under: Nicaragua, Uncategorized — Tags: college, Nicaragua, University of Texas — hhministries @ 7:29 pm

It always amazes and inspires us when college students – or anyone really – agrees to give up a week of their time to help someone they don’t know, in another country, through Hand in Hand. Last week, a group from the University of Texas University Catholic Center went to Nicaragua, and came back with wonderful stories and photos from their trip.

We’ve collected some of the photos and a link to a blog produced by Corina Goytia, one of the students who went on the trip. There are lots of photos and reflections posted there, and you can find that blog here: http://corinanicaragua.blogspot.com/

The photos below are from Zach McKenzie. Thanks for sharing these, Zach! An album of many more photos is posted on our Facebook page.

Building a home in Nicaragua

Hard at work in Nicaragua

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Watch WAVE-3 on Sunday at 7:25 a.m.

January 27, 2012

Filed under: Nicaragua, media appearances — Tags: Dr. Grimaldi, Marla Cautilli, media, news, Nicaragua, WAVE 3 — hhministries @ 4:24 pm

WAVE-3 will have our very own Marla Cautilli on Sunday morning, January 29 at 7:25 a.m. We’re thrilled to have Marla representing us, and to have the chance to share our story on WAVE-3. She’ll be appearing with Dr. Manolo Grimaldi and Suzanne McGee, who journeyed with a team from the Greater Louisville Medical Society Foundation and Hand in Hand to Nicaragua. Dr. Grimaldi and Susanne will discuss what the team did in Nicaragua, and Marla will help tell the story of Hand in Hand’s work overall, emphasizing upcoming trips.

WAVE 3 also came to the airport to see our team off, and they had Board Chair Harry Borders on in the fall to discuss the Legacy Breakfast. We’re extremely grateful for their help.

Thanks, WAVE 3!

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Medical volunteers in Nicaragua

January 20, 2012

Filed under: Nicaragua — Tags: medical, Nicaragua, trips, volunteers — hhministries @ 1:49 pm

Hand in Hand Ministries and the Greater Louisville Medical Society Foundation have a team of physicians and medical workers in Nicaragua right now. We were delighted to receive a batch of photos from the group this week. As expected, they’re digging deep into the work and meeting with local families and residents to learn more about Nicaragua.

Those going on the trip include several physicians as well as a medical technician, a psychiatrist and a dietician.The doctors group are working at Berta Calderon Maternity hospital most mornings and at the San Francisco Clinic in the afternoons. At the clinic, they see the children and members of their families of our Pathway to Change families. We have a Family Practitioner (Nanine Henderson), OB/GYN (Cynthia Rigby), and Internist resident (Nathan Whitmore) and medical student (Suzanne McGee) working at the clinic alongside Manuel Grimaldi, Sarah Cowherd and Terry Todd. Neurologist Dr. Timir Banerjee is working at Lenin Fonseca hospital in the neurology department and bio-medical technician Courtney Nanney and Hunter Harpool are working to repair medical equipment at various hospitals.

Psychiatrist Sarah Acland and Nutritionist Sue Wulf are meeting with families at the Children’s Center to discuss family health issues.

They will have time to visit our families in their homes, take the children swimming and visit the schools where HHM sends the children through our scholarship program.

List of participants

A total of 12 people are on the trip. Eleven of the 12 are from the Louisville area. They were joined by one person from the Boston area.

Those on the trip are:

Dr. Sarah Acland, Louisville
Dr. Timir Banerjee, Louisville
Sarah Cowherd, Brookline, Mass.
Dr. Manolo Grimaldi, Louisville
Hunter Harpool, Elizabeth, Ind.
Nanine Henderson, Floyds Knobs, Ind.
Suzanne McGee, Louisville
Courtney Nanney, Prospect
Dr. Cynthia Rigby, Prospect
Terry Todd, Louisville
Nathan Whitmore, Louisville
Sue Ann Neal Wulf, Louisville

Details

The families in the Hand in Hand Ministries’ Pathway to Change Program will benefit from the opportunity to see the doctors and dentists to help Hand in Hand support their medical needs as well as their educational and family needs. This year’s trip is the sixth trip made in collaboration with Foundation.

The goal of these annual trips is to address the medical needs of the families served by the Hand in Hand Pathway to Change Program. Hand in Hand also wants to develop an ongoing relationship with the local medical community in Nicaragua in order to help by offering needed medical care and supplies that can be provided through volunteers associated with the Greater Louisville Medical Society Foundation.

In addition to offering medical service, immersion trip participants educate themselves as they learn the story of the work that Hand in Hand Ministries is doing with our “Pathways to Change” program. By visiting the homes of families in the program and meeting with other personnel who serve the poor in Managua, Nicaragua, participants come to understand the conditions that impact the lives of the poorest of the poor.