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Father Frank Page 2 A Pequino’s Story Page 3 Fiesta Page 4 Host Families Page 5 Teen Visits to Mexico Page 6 Reaching out to Haiti Page 7 March 2011 inside... Fiesta With entertainment provided by pequenos from Mexico Father Frank’s Kids What a wonderful experience for both the St. Isidore School students and pequeños to meet and learn about each other. These young musicians and dancers obvious- ly enjoyed themselves as they performed in their brightly colored costumes. A Silent Auction Too The silent auction that takes place during the fiesta has become an “event within an event”. This year 279 quality items were available. There was something for every- body. Nice jewelry, a selection of wines and tours, there were parties for children and adults, garden statuary, iPods, sports items, hand made items from Nicaragua, Mexican items such as shirts-hand bags-hand painted crosses, and religious items covered the tables and floor in the gymnasium. Knowing that the proceeds would go to help the NPH homes made for spirited bidding. The fourth annual Fiesta, like each of it’s predecessors, turned out to be “the best one yet.” This year, 750 people at- tended and enjoyed the great food, Mari- achi music and lively dancing. Twenty pequeños from the NPH orphanage in Miacatlan, Mexico (77 miles south of Mexico City) travelled to Danville to provide the entertainment. From the mo- ment they arrived they were busy. They were greeted by ten host families who generously opened their homes providing a place for them to stay. The entertainers spent their first day at St. Isidore School where they interacted with the students and demonstrated the traditional Mexican music and dance. On Saturday and Sunday they provided entertainment for the Fiesta and music at all weekend masses at St. Isidore Church. But it wasn’t all work. The pequinos had lunch and played Spanish Bingo with the 8th grade class and had yogurt at the local Yogurt Shack. They were given a tour of the Giants’ baseball stadium, toured the Academy of Sci- ence Museum and did some sight seeing with a trip to see the Golden Gate Bridge. No doubt their time here will be a wonderful memory. “...Never in my 25 years of doing this have I seen an event that had over 700 people par- ticipate! And more, the warmth with which the kids and I were received there. Many thanks to all of you and God’s blessings on you for all you have done for our children.” - Father Phil

FFK Newsletter 2011

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Father Frank’s KidsMarch 2011FiestaWith entertainment provided by pequenos from Mexico“...Never in my 25 years of doing this have I seen an event that had over 700 people participate! And more, the warmth with which the kids and I were received there. Many thanks to all of you and God’s blessings on you for all you have done for our children.” - Father PhilThese young musicians and dancers obviously enjoyed themselves as they performed in their brightly colored costumes.The fourth annu

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Page 1: FFK Newsletter 2011

Father Frank Page 2

A Pequino’s Story Page 3

Fiesta Page 4

Host Families Page 5

Teen Visits to Mexico Page 6

Reaching out to Haiti Page 7

March 2011

inside...

Fiesta With entertainment provided by pequenos from Mexico

Father Frank’s Kids

What a wonderful experience for both the

St. Isidore School students and pequeños

to meet and learn about each other.

These young musicians and dancers obvious-

ly enjoyed themselves as they performed in

their brightly colored costumes.

A Silent Auction Too

The silent auction that takes place during the fiesta has become an “event within an

event”. This year 279 quality items were available. There was something for every-

body. Nice jewelry, a selection of wines and tours, there were parties for children

and adults, garden statuary, iPods, sports items, hand made items from Nicaragua,

Mexican items such as shirts-hand bags-hand painted crosses, and religious items

covered the tables and floor in the gymnasium. Knowing that the proceeds would go

to help the NPH homes made for spirited bidding.

The fourth annual Fiesta, like each of

it’s predecessors, turned out to be “the

best one yet.” This year, 750 people at-

tended and enjoyed the great food, Mari-

achi music and lively dancing. Twenty

pequeños from the NPH orphanage in

Miacatlan, Mexico (77 miles south of

Mexico City) travelled to Danville to

provide the entertainment. From the mo-

ment they arrived they were busy. They

were greeted by ten host families who

generously opened their homes providing

a place for them to stay.

The entertainers spent their first day at

St. Isidore School where they interacted

with the students and demonstrated the

traditional Mexican music and dance.

On Saturday and Sunday they provided

entertainment for the Fiesta and music

at all weekend masses at St. Isidore

Church.

But it wasn’t all work. The pequinos

had lunch and played Spanish Bingo

with the 8th grade class and had yogurt

at the local Yogurt Shack. They were

given a tour of the Giants’ baseball

stadium, toured the Academy of Sci-

ence Museum and did some sight seeing

with a trip to see the Golden Gate

Bridge.

No doubt their time here will be a

wonderful memory.

“...Never in my 25 years of

doing this have I seen an event

that had over 700 people par-

ticipate! And more, the warmth

with which the kids and I were

received there. Many thanks to

all of you and God’s blessings

on you for all you have done for

our children.”

- Father Phil

Page 2: FFK Newsletter 2011

Page 2

Father Frank Colacicco

Father Frank Colacicco was called home five years ago on February 14, 2006. Some of you did not know Father. For those of you that did, this will renew memories. Father Frank was one of eight children born to Italian immigrants. The family owned an acre of land in the Ocean Avenue district of San Francisco. Father Frank helped to tend their vegetable garden and said he was not destined to be a farmer. He joined the Navy and was assigned to their medical corp. When he was dis-charged, he became a Brother in the order of St. John of the Cross. This order specialized in the medical field. He vividly remembered assisting in the frightening and bloody Watts riots in 1965. He was a Brother for over ten years. He quit and did various jobs, saved his money and opened a retirement home. In 1975 he had a calling, sold the home and went to Rome to study for the priesthood. Father was ordained on May 19, 1979 at age forty-eight and was as-signed to the San Angelo, Texas dio-cese. He served in parishes in Carls-bad, Andrews, Ft. Stockton, Menard, Stanton, Junction and San Angelo. Father drove hundreds of miles say-ing masses at multiple parishes on Sunday and attending to marriages, funerals and sick calls. Willie Ruiz, a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes in Andrews, remembers Father well. He said: “I was nineteen that night at the parish hall and we were bobbing for apples. When I went down I felt a strong hand holding me. Coming up looking for the culprit, Father Frank with his wet hand was laughing at me. He said „Priests have fun too you know.‟ “ Art Gandor, a parishioner at St. Josephs in Stanton said: “Father Frank was a holy man. He was brave and always ready to defend Holy Mother Church. His convictions were unwavering. He was real.” Father Frank was a type 1 diabetic and also had coro-nary bypass surgery. Due to health problems, he retired on July 1, 1997 at age sixty-six. He returned to his home area and was accepted in residence by Father Cardelli at St. Isidore parish in Danville. Dolores Raskob, a St. Isidore parishioner (she was the widow of John who built the Empire State Building) and Dudley Kennedy, whom she married, supported Nuestros Pequinos Hermanos. They were close friends and original supporters of Father Bill Wasson who found-ed NPH in 1954. Dolores and Dudley invited Father Frank to be their guest at the annual NPH conference in 1998 in Mexico City. At lunch Father Frank sat next to Sister Phyllis Kelleher who worked with NPH in Mexico from 1972 to 1978. In 1995 Sister came back to NPH

and opened Casa Asis, a NPH home in Nicaragua for children ages five and under. Father Frank and Sister Phyllis were not attired in their religious garments. Father said: “I am FATHER Frank.” Sister replied: “I am SISTER Phyllis.” Father asked “Where is your habit?” Sister replied “Where is your Roman Collar?” That was the beginning of a strong and productive friendship. Sister Phyllis persuaded Father Frank to form a support group at St. Isidore Parish. After listening to Father Frank‟s homily in 1998 about the children of NPH, St. Isidore parishioners Tori and Ann Ferrante, with assistance from the Ital-ian Catholic Federation, collected goods, stored them in their garage, and shipped the first container to

Casa Asis. Pat Black, a parishion-er, said: “I was relieving at Casa Asis for two weeks at Christmas. Father Frank and Sister Phyllis used to argue about how to do things like a couple married for fifty years. But he was always there when she needed something for the children. Dick Sanders and his wife Pat were in Managua at the hospital when Father died from the stroke he received two months earlier. The nurse opened his hand and gave Dick a rosary which she said he held since the day of his stroke. Dick gave the rosary to Ishmael Leon, director of NPH Nicaragua, who was like a son to Father Frank. The funeral mass was held at the church built by funds from

Father Frank‟s inheritance and assisted by St. Isidore parishioners. Father Ron Hicks said the mass with the six hundred children from NPH Nicaragua attend-ing. Father was buried in a beautiful grave down the hill in front of the church. The next day, St. Isidore pa-rishioner and current president of Father Frank‟s Kids, Mike Hertel, along with Father Paulson Mun-danmania, a St. Isidore parish priest at the time, came to visit the grave. They were attending an an-nual NPH conference in Honduras (too late for them to attend the funeral mass). Father Paulson said: “I saw the work that NPH does and was very im-pressed. Every dollar collected is spent on a great cause. The children are well fed and cared for. The houses and school are institutions of love. Praise the Lord for what our parish does through Father Frank‟s Kids.”

We are committed to maintaining Father Frank’s Legacy.

Page 3: FFK Newsletter 2011

Page 3

A Pequino’s Story

Pequeño is the nickname of orphaned and abandoned children who live in a Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (Our Little Brothers and Sisters) home. They maintain that nickname when they leave the home. In 1973 Gustavo “Gus” Cruz was eight years old when he and his two older brothers entered the NPH home in Mexico. His mother had just died from breast cancer. His father who fathered and lived with another family was almost unknown. His Godfather arranged for them to join Fa-ther Wasson‟s home. Two bus-ses stopped to pickup he and his brothers. He got on the first bus and was told the brothers would see him soon. His bus went to Acolman Hacienda for the younger children and his older brothers bus went to the home in Cuernavaca. for older children. He kept waiting for his older brothers bus which never came. His first day was in tears. But he soon made friends and was happy. Gus and the other children had adequate but meager food rations. He said they were always hungry. He and some of the boys used to hike in the hills and roast cactus to satisfy their hunger. In the early days the home was growing fast. Father Wasson travelled frequently to the states to raise funds. (In later years John Wayne, Helen Hayes, Raquel Welch, Placido Domingo to name a few along with support groups in Arizona and Vir-ginia helped to support the chil-dren). Gus was a city boy (Mexico City). At the home he saw cows and hogs for the first time. This was exciting to him and he spent as much time as possible watching the animals. Gus joined the musi-cal and dance group. He was on the first fund raising tour to Virgin-

ia . He was thrilled touring Wash-ington DC. Gus remembers getting in big trouble. He and some of the boys were sent to the fields to pick to-matoes for the home. They were caught selling some of the toma-toes to neighbors. Father Wasson told them that instead of the one year service they had to give back to the home after completing high school it would now be two years. After Father cooled down instead of the second year of service, he gave each boy ten pesos. He told them they were to go to town and give the pesos to someone in need. Gus was a good student. After high school he gave his one year of service working as a cook and in the fields. He was one of four out of sixty in his graduation class chosen to go to Yarnell College in Prescott, Arizona. He studied busi-ness for two years. But due to lan-guage difficulties he dropped out. He returned to the home and was made director of Casa Buen Senor overseeing twenty boys in tech-nical school. He became close to Father Phil Cleary. He also worked doing bookkeeping for the home. Although he dropped out of school in Prescott. Fr. Phil arranged for him to go again to school in Tyler, Texas. He struggled and after six months he dropped out. In the meantime Gus over the years became friends with another pequeña – Caridad. She started Acolman at age five with four sis-ters and five brothers. At age fif-teen she was his official girl friend. After dropping out of Tyler Col-lege , Gus felt ashamed and did not want to face Father Phil. Ra-ther than work at the home, he decided to get married and go to Northern California where Caridad had two brothers. Gus found work as a janitor. He has worked hard to achieve his current position. He is in charge of maintenance for Shea Properties “Elan” complex in San Jose con-

sisting of nine hundred and forty one units. He has a secretary and ten people working under him. Gus and Caridad‟s ambition is to someday own their own apartment house that they could manage and maintain. They are saving toward that goal.

Gus and Caridad have two boys , one in high school and one in junior college. They were thrilled to visit with Father Phil last year when the musical group came to St. Isidore Church in Danville, California. Their future looks bright. By the way Gus‟ english today is excellent.

Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos creates families for life, enabling children to transcend poverty and grow into caring, contributing em-bers of their communities. It is a love-filled journey that began long ago with one man, whose vision and philosophy remain the driving force behind NPH‟s dedication to the children. Over 16,500 children like Gus have grown up in the NPH family. Today there are 3,380 pequeños living in the nine NPH homes:

Bolivia 69 Dominican 196 El Salvador 446 Guatemala 348 Haiti 597 Honduras 527 Mexico 806 Nicaragua 320 Peru 71

In 2010, 755 pequeños were attending secondary and voca-tional schools. An additional 188 were attending a university.

Page 4: FFK Newsletter 2011

Page 4

Fiesta 2010

Thank you!!!

Your amazing generosity at the fiesta provided $89,000 (before expenses)

to fill the following open requests from orphanages in six countries:

Peru

Medical supplies for the in-house

clinic and baby care for a year

Provided $1,400 to help build needed

bed rooms

Honduras

Fund Little Steps Day Care Center

which enables single mothers to work

and study

El Salvador

Purchase Cookware for the kitchen

which feeds 500 people 3 meals a day

Haiti Purchase Medical Supplies which are

not normally donated

Nicaragua

Musical Instruments and material for

uniforms

School Supplies for 350 children

Mexico School Supplies for pre-school

through middle school and after

school work

We Want to Thank You for the

great donation we received from you

and your team this month, the con-

tainer arrived to our house finally,

and the things on them has been dis-

tributed in all the areas of the house.

And we will start a baseball team,

every body is very exited about it. Thanks again for helping our

home. Best regards

Bianka Garcia-Granados Directora Administrativa

N.P.H.Guatemala

Guatemala

Tonantzin Amapola Fabian Lauriano Age 15

Tonantzin is beginning her third year of middle school this year, which is equivalent to 9th grade. She enjoys listening to music, playing soccer, jumping rope, and reading books, especially the Twilight series. To-nantzin has been in danza for seven years, and feels alive when she is dancing. She enjoys identifying more with her culture by learning different regional dances. When she grows up, Tonantzin wants to be an ac-tress in Hollywood. She also wants to open an orphan-age in France, where one of her godparents is from, and help others like NPH has helped her.

Francisco Jesus Ortiz Diaz Age 15

Francisco will be entering his third year of middle school this year, which is equivalent to 9th grade. He is excited to be in his last year of middle school, and have more responsibilities in the home, such as providing help where needed on the weekends. Francisco enjoys swimming and playing volleyball. He got to swim a lot this summer in the pool in Miacatlan. His favorite foods are pizza and hamburgers, and his favorite color is red. Francisco would like to study architecture when he is older.

Meet two Performers

Being Godparents

NPH has made it possible to con-tribute towards the care of a child in one of their homes. This oppor-tunity to be a godparent has been offered during the four fiestas at St. Isidore Parish and the results below show the tremendous ongo-ing generosity of the people who attended these events:

Children Annual Amt 2007 39 $19,480 2008 47 $22,580 2009 60 $27,120 2010 18 $ 7.080

Total 164 $76,260

Page 5: FFK Newsletter 2011

Page 5

Host Families

Last October, my family and I hosted two girls from the Father Frank‟s Orphanage in Mexico and it was a week I will not forget. The language barrier wasn‟t even a problem with these girls who were so sweet and funny. We in-stantly bonded and I felt as if we had been friends our whole lives. We did things that I do with my best friends here and it showed me that no matter their situation, they were really girls just like me. We read magazines and made faces to express our opinions on different celebrities, and even though we couldn‟t talk, we could still understand. We sang popular mod-ern-day songs even if we were each singing in a different language. We even played the Wii and they sure were great at it! Having them here made me feel like I had two

sisters and I missed them so much when they left. Our whole family fell in love with them and we were all crying when they had to go. Not very

many people can make them-selves a member of the family in just a week, which just goes to show how incredible these girls were. I learned so much about their culture and about them and I am so glad that my fami-ly chose to host this year. It was a week that, without a doubt, I would call one of the best in my life. With their ener-gy and their spirit, they are not

people I will soon forget. I had the best time ever and I can‟t wait to host again next year.

- Marina Gee (12 Years Old)

Marina Gee (Center)

with guests

A Letter from Father Gerry

Page 6: FFK Newsletter 2011

Page 6

"Last summer was my first time traveling to Mexico

with Father Frank’s Kids and it was truly an amazing

experience. My favorite part was bonding with my six

year old godson, Luis. When I met Luis for the first

time, the only things that I knew about him were sim-

ple facts, like his name and birthday. As I interacted

with him and became more familiar with him over the

course of the week, I learned more about his life and

his personality. We had fun playing on the playground,

going to a water park, eating pizza, and coloring pic-

tures together. He showed me his favorite stuffed ani-

mals and taught me some new games. Although I was

able to play and interact with Luis through games and

gestures, it was much more

difficult to actually talk to

him. We did simple things

together that did not require

speech because I only spoke

and understood Spanish on a

very basic level. Despite this

language barrier, we got

along well together, and most

of time, I could understand

what he was thinking or feel-

ing by his body language. His

adorable smile won me over when we first met and our

time together has become one of my most cherished

memories. It is amazing that a small child could make

such a profound impact on my life. I am staying in

contact with him through letters and the drawings, and

I hope to visit Mexico again next year so that I can

continue to get to know Luis and be a part of his life."

- Katie Wolfert

For the past three summers I have spent a week at the happiest

place on earth. This place is not Disneyland; it is an orphanage in a

small town, three hours outside of Mexico City. The orphanage is

called Casa San Salvador in Miacatlan, Mexico. I go there with an

organization called Nues-

tros Pequenos Hermanos

which raises awareness and

funding for eight orphanag-

es in Latin America and the

Caribbean. This trip is the

highlight of my summer.

Each of the more than 600

kids is amazing to spend

time with. Even though

most of them come from

battered homes or from life on the streets, they are the happiest kids

I have ever met. They are so happy, with so little, it makes me ap-

preciate how much I have. After each trip I come home and am

thankful for all the material goods I have, but also for my family.

While these kids have each other, most of them do not have parents.

I make the trip to support the kids, but what they do not know, is

that they teach me valuable life lessons, like how important family

is, and how thankful we should be for what we have. In my daily

life my appreciation of my family is not always visible; we get in

arguments and sometimes do not get along. But at the end of the

day I love them, and I tell them this so they know that I do appreci-

ate them. This experience with NPH has made me a more compas-

sionate person and has shaped my personality to be as such. Each

year I leave the orphanage in tears because of the deep love and

compassion I feel for the children and I miss them all year long. I

consider them to be a part of my family. These family members are

not blood relatives, but related through wonderful experiences. I

stay in special contact with two boys whom we have “adopted” and

financially support throughout the year. I come home from this trip

and give more of myself to my friends and family. I take all the

love and compassion I have for the kids and try to spread it around.

To do this I share my stories about the children and encourage peo-

ple to get involved with NPH. The kids have taught me that I

should appreciate all that have, especially all the people who care

about me. Because they have had such traumatic experiences and

difficult lives I know how lucky I am to grow up with a house and a

family who care about me.

- Lauren Domingues

2011 TEEN MISSION TRIP TO THE NPH ORPHANGE IN GUATEMALA Tuesday August 2nd –Wednesday August 10, 2011

35 teenagers, along with chaperones, will have the opportunity to sleep,

eat, work and participate in recreation with the orphans.

This trip will enable our teens to enter into another culture and language,

and more specifically, the lives of orphaned and abandoned children.

Contact Father Frank’s Kids for more information

Teen Trips to NPH

Who would have thought that an eight year old could

have such an impact on my life? Visiting my sponsor

child in Mexico was an incredible experience. I

learned so much from her humble life that it has

changed my outlook on life. The

moment I saw her grinning face

and welcoming arms I knew

immediately she was a happy

child living a great life. Spend-

ing the next few days with Mar-

garita opened my eyes to how

simple and sweet enjoying life

could be. It truly showed me

that there is no need for materi-

alistic possessions. As I said

before, we went into the trip

knowing we are to be big role models for the kids,

however I beg to differ; Margarita has been the role

model for me. She has helped me to realize the real

beauty of life and to value it for its simplicity.

- Isabel Bustamante

Page 7: FFK Newsletter 2011

Page 7

Haiti

Providing Medical Care

As part of NPH’s mission to truly serve the needs of the

poorest children, Haiti National Director (and physician)

Father Rick Frechette started it’s first medical center in

1989. The new St. Damien Hospital in

Tabarre, a 45,000 square foot facility,

was opened in 2006. The hospital

provides high quality medical treat-

ment for disadvantaged and destitute

poor children in Haiti.

St. Damien’s has 120 beds, includ-

ing an 18-bed emergency unit, a 10-

bed pediatric intensive care unit, and

a nine bed cancer center.

The hospital is staffed with 18 pe-

diatricians, 50 nurses and 60 certified

nursing assistants, as well as eight lab

technicians, one x-ray technician and

three x-ray auxiliary technicians.

When the earthquake struck, St. Damien Hospital became a

trauma center, with sick patients lying in beds, on the lawns, and

anywhere they could fit a cot. The quake inflicted 20,000 orthope-

dic injuries. Teams of doctors, nurses, and other medical profes-

sionals from all over the world flew to St. Damien to help care for

the wounded. Within the first three weeks, the hospital attended to

over 10,000 adults and children.

Father Frank’s Kids

By the guidance of the HolySpirit I had a brief in-troduction to Chuck Haupt, executive director of Medshare. This is a non profit organization which collects medical discards at their two locations (Atlanta area and S.F. Bay area) from 300 hospitals. These discards are unused (often set up for a surgi-cal operation but not used). Medshare volunteers sort, mark and store the items and make them avail-able in places of need. Over the last 10 years, Med-Share has gathered more than $65 million worth of medical supplies and collected over 10,000 pieces of equipment. As a result of our meeting, Chuck flew to Haiti, visited our NPH hospital, and committed to send six 40’ containers of medical supplies chosen by our NPH staff. Through De-cember 5 containers have been sent to St. Damien’s Hospi-tal. The shipments have included hun-dreds of boxes of disposable supplies and pharmaceuticals that the St. Damien Hospital staff need to care for the chol-era patients they are treating. Also included were soaps, diapers, exam gloves, catheters, as well as pallets of medications, Pedialyte, and hand sanitizers. MedShare shipped much needed operating room equipment including a surgical table, anesthesia machine, and a portable x-ray unit.

- Dick Sanders

In the remnants and the destruction that surrounded us, we created new homes, built new hospitals and created new lives in the memory and in the inspiration of those we lost. When tragedy hit again and a cholera epidemic surged into Port-au-Prince, we summoned this resilience and strength to treat thousands of desperately sick patients. When the political unrest closed down all the hospitals in Port-au-Prince, we stayed open. We could not have done it without all those who rushed to help, who donated their time, money, energies and sup-plies and gave us their love, prayers and spirit. To those who filled us, and Haiti, with the sense that we could tri-umph over all of this and combat whatever lay ahead, we thank you.

- Father Rick Frechette

From Danville with love!

Responding to the urgent need

in Haiti during 2010:

St. Isidore School sent $12,000

St. Isidore Church sent $25,000

Father Franks Kids sent $13,000

Father Frank’s Kids also pur-

chased and sent seven tons of

rice and beans

Page 8: FFK Newsletter 2011

Page 8

February 2012 Annual NPH Meeting in the Dominican

Republic

April 40 foot Container shipping to Honduras

July Parishioner Trip to NPH Mexico

Page 8

2011 Events

Father Frank’s Kids PO Box 478 Alamo, California 94507

Getting Involved

Would you like more information about Father Frank‟s Kids? Would you like to

know more about the children, see pictures or read past newsletters and articles

that have appeared in the newspapers? You can do this and more by going to the

Father Frank‟s Kids web page on the internet at:

www.fatherfrankskids.org

Now accepting donations

through PayPal.

On The Web

Co

nta

ct

Mike Hertel (925) 855-9407 [email protected]

August Teen Trip to NPH Guatemala

October

Fiesta with entertainers from El Salvador

40 foot Container shipping to El Salvador

If you’ve got a talent, a big heart and

some time to spare, then we’ve got a

job for you. We are looking for volun-

teers to help with:

Committee Chairs

Event Planning

Fund Raising

Graphic Artist

Marketing

Sponsorship Solicitation

Publications

Web Design

(You can also find us on Facebook)