La Misión, para Niños Orphanage, Carmen Sedan

The natural fence that lines the three-mile dirt road stretch to Para Nino’s Orphanage demonstrates the rural character of the Guadalupe Valley and, more specifically, the small countryside town of Carmen Sedan. Ascending the top of the dirt road, your eyes are greeted with the vision of the beautiful and gifted residents of La Misión para Niños Orphanage enjoying their summer pool. Residents of Para Nino’s Orphanage suffer from a range of extreme physical and mental disabilities; mold to profound behavior and physical disabilities. Unfortunately, before Strawberry Jam’s recent restoration of the pool, residents of the orphanage were unable to easily access their pool as their extreme disabilities prohibited them from physically doing so without an immense amount of additional help from the orphanage’s staff.

Early in the summer of 2018, while standing poolside, with a firm handshake, I promised Para Nino’s that Strawberry Jam would give their residents the ability to easily get in and out of their pool with a new lift; a piece of equipment desperately needed by the orphanage. I chuckled because I recall my leadership saying, “Tom, now don’t overpromise what we can’t deliver…okay?” Of course, I responded, “Me, of course not.” Your donation to the “lift” fund will help obtain the Hoyer lift that will lower the residents into the refreshing pool. The benefits of hydrotherapy and human contact in water are beyond overwhelming. The set goal that includes purchase, shipping and installation is $1,500 of which $700 remains outstanding to fund completion. Additionally, Strawberry Jam has committed to provide the necessary funding and labor for the construction of the Mission’s chapel. By facilitating in getting the chapel built, Strawberry Jam has enabled the staff to get closer to attaining the desired, all-encompassing vision of integrating faith with the loving care of the children and adult residents. Please enjoy the photos of the committed staff and outreach helpers and contribute with a warm heart! All contributions, both monetary or not, are always humbly welcomed.

Kindly, Thomas C. Mitchell, M.D. and Strawberry Jam Leadership Team