Greetings FANA family,

The annual Write A Check campaign is upon us once again.  When we last reached out to you last November, our theme was the first home of your children needs your help.  Many of you heeded that plea and that need from FANA.  Thank you.

If there is a theme this year it might just be that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  FANA still has about ninety children who live under its care.  The number of those children who can be considered for adoption is still small, and the daily cost of caring for them is still on the rise.  To combat this, FANA has taken several steps to ensure that it will sustain itself for the near future.  The Marriott hotel located on the spot of the old orphanage opened and FANA hopes to see a consistent revenue stream develop from that.  To cut operating costs, a sizable part of the FANA structure has been reconfigured to accommodate the mothers that had previously lived in the separate facility at the Hogar.  The change is real, the need is still there.

Here at home, we have seen an incredibly positive change as several of our own FANA young professionals have taken positions of leadership within our organization.  Their leadership now bolsters our board of directors, our social committee and maybe most importantly our golf committee. We aren’t just proud of them for participating — although the beaming smiles on the faces of their parents says it all — a real need for their assistance was there and they have answered the call at a critical time when fewer of our families have chosen to participate in our activities and fundraisers.  The change is real, the need is still there.

Traditionally, the commitment to membership has been $100 per family.  Some families choose to donate that figure per child.  Last year, the average donation per family was almost $250.  No matter what your donation has been in the past or could be in the future, it is most appreciated.  Our board of directors has asked for and FANA has provided a list of a few projects that we could fund through this year’s campaign.  They are:

• “Play and Music to Grow” — a three-part project including a playground, music equipment, and occupational therapy material. The total cost of the project is just under $15,000.

• “Feed to Grow Healthy” — a healthy food initiative to improve long-term health and nutrition for the children at FANA.  The total cost is $20,000.

•

Painting and Repairs — the FANA building is almost 25 years old and needs to address wear and tear.  The total cost of this is $13,000.

•

Clothing for the children at FANA — this would literally provide the children at FANA with clothing from head to toe.  Typically, each child receives three to four outfits and the clothing lasts for about three months for each child.  Total cost of this is $3,300 per cycle.

The needs of our organization are many, our commitment to reliably support FANA of Bogota as well as local charities that work to help children has not changed and will not change.  Thank you for always being there and thank you in advance for your generous support.  This campaign and your participation truly matter.

Please feel free to complete the reply card enclosed or use the link provided.
(https://familiesoffana.ejoinme.org/wac2015)

Please feel free to email me (dobieseric@gmail.com) or call me at 716.860.8780.

Take Care, 

Annie Dobies