Giving Smiles Has Never Been Easier

Everyday, we’re contribution to the betterment of children and their livelihoods in Ecuador through the “Giving Smiles” initiative!

           To us, that means working together with nonprofit institutions that offer safe havens to children in need of comfort and support.

           Your heart-felt contributions make it possible for children to get the social interaction, stability, and loving mentors need to push them forward into positive lifestyles.  It ensures that each child and adolescent can have a “home away from home” in each institution, where children are no longer vulnerable and in the streets, but have a space to grow and an inspiring future to create.

           Christmas time is an especially important time of the year for our children. In early December, Hearts’ “Giving Smiles” program joined with the PEPPER MILL to host a holiday event on behalf of the children from Fundacion El Arenal (a nonprofit partner serving urban street children from the Feria Libre sector with tutoring and nutrition programs). Volunteers and local businesses from the cuencana community came together to provide a special Christmas party with a savory meal and a touching gift exchange, where each of El Arenal’s 75 boys and girls received individually wrapped Christmas gifts.

It was a heart-warming celebration where the each child was included in the holiday fun, and each child received the validation of self-esteem, and love, from the community.

This past year, the “Giving Smiles” program also began the Madrinas (godmother) program for El Arenal’s children. Each month, a madrina – or godmother – hosts a birthday party to celebrate all the children with birthdays in that month.

It’s so sweet to watch the little children get so excited to eat cake and receive a small, symbolic gift! And then more touching to see how they play and share together with all their friends!

YOU make these special activities possible, and they make a child feel important and recognized. Many of the children our community serves come from backgrounds where these type of positive interactions aren’t possibilities in the home. And it’s for this reason that Hearts of Gold creates the space for these life-affirming connections to take place.

These are just two examples of what your support has meant for our children. There have also been medical drives – raising over $900 in medical supply donations – for OSSO’s handicapped and orphaned children, and other partnerships that have benefit the quality of care our children receive not just around the holidays, but throughout the year.

2019 is going to be an exciting year, where we’re eager to give more smiles to our children and increase the connections and support you make possible for them. Thank you so much for your generosity towards our children, and for your collaboration in helping them become happy, healthy, successful members of society.