Even though it is popular to label homes such as ours “institutions”, we have always seen Love & Hope as a family. And just like any family, we love to explore and share the talents of our kids. Each one of them is full of ideas, tastes and opinions that make them unique. Today we wanted to share a few of the “hidden” talents that make our kids special.
Jefferson is an artist. He is able to draw incredible images freehand, from memory. Jefferson keeps a notebook just for drawing, but his school notebooks are also full of doodles. If a homework assignment involves drawing, Jefferson takes great care to go above and beyond and loves to show it off.
Michell is a soccer star. She gets excited just to go to practice, and her dedication is obvious; she works harder and hustles more on the field than her teammates. Last year, Michell had the opportunity to practice with the national 17-and-under team. She loved watching the FIFA World Cup and kept careful track of the bracket and collected stickers for her World Cup sticker book.
Ezequiel is a bookworm. He loves, loves, loves to read. Ezequiel often needs to be redirected during homework time because he has a novel sitting on top of his textbook. He constantly raids our bookshelf for more books to read and asks Kirsten when she’ll get more books from his favorite series: Percy Jackson.
Moises plays the recorder. He started learning to play in music class at school, but has made it his own at home. Moises likes to play with Tio Henry, who has taught him more songs, and we often hear him practicing by himself in his room. The sweet, little melody carries itself through the whole house.
Eliseo is a storyteller. If one child in our house has an imagination, it is Eliseo. When he gets into storytelling mode, he entertains everyone around him with his elaborate tales that span the spectrum from animals, to soccer, to lightsabers and more! His adorable little voice makes it impossible to stop listening. We ask him questions and make comments and he deftly weaves each one into his story!
Raquel is a singer. As she moves throughout the house or sits in the micro bus with her headphones, Raquel is always singing or humming something; her talent is amazing! It is clear that Raquel likes to sing, but she is very shy and humble about it. We are hoping that one day she’ll realize how uniquely beautiful her raspy voice really is!
The support we receive from you makes it possible for our children to shine. Love & Hope is able to maintain a great adult-child ratio, send our kids to good schools, and allow them to participate in extra-curricular activities because of your generous donations. Thank you for helping us create a family-like atmosphere for the Love & Hope kids, rather than an institutional-like atmosphere. We love spending time together and celebrating together, just like your family. Providing this family-oriented care wouldn’t be possible without our donors.