The 2nd of October dawned bright and sunny - a beautiful day out for the teachers from St. Mark's Matriculation School, Perambur. They started off by window shopping along the Pursawalkam Main Road, and stepped into the newly opened Saravana Stores where everything and anything is available for a real good bargain. After that expedition, we gathered at the YMCA for a little meeting. The teachers were thanked profusely for all the hard work they put in at school and each was presented with a token gift. A lucky dip was also had and three travel bags were won by the really lucky ones! We said a little prayer for the sponsors of the program, the teachers and their families and all for all those who are in need of prayer.
As always something exciting happens and we couldnt let the day go by, without wishing Mrs. Rajamani on her 81st birthday. The lady was garlanded with roses and was draped with a silk shawl as is customary. A lovely cake was provided and the birthday song was rendered with much gusto from all those present. We wish that her twilight years will be spent gracefully and peacefully; may the good Lord bless her abundantly with good health and happiness.
We take this opportunity to thank Mr. Williams, President of the YMCA, for providing us with the space for our meeting and also for the sumptious lunch at a nominal price thereafter.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Visit to the Jeevodaya Hospice
On the 29th of August, joined by Jennifer White, Mr. & Mrs. Marcus, we visited the Jeevodaya Hospice to spread some much needed cheer among the patients. This noble facility takes care of cancer patients who are in an advanced stage. Jeevodaya provides the patients with tender loving care and attention; their main aim is to ease the suffering of the patients and help them to die with dignity. Mr. Marcus entertained the patients with a lively puppet show and also prayed for them. We sang some songs and were surprised to see that all the patients (and their attenders) joined in chivarously inspite of their pain and trauma. Thanks to the generosity of Mrs Purnima and Miss Akshita, we were able to provide health drinks, offered a special meal and plenty of biscuits.
To protect the privacy of the patients, photos were not taken.
Jeevodaya Hospice can be contacted on 044 25555565.
To protect the privacy of the patients, photos were not taken.
Jeevodaya Hospice can be contacted on 044 25555565.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
A Promise Kept by Whispering Hope
Two young chaps - Sagar (aged 10) and Samir (aged 6) celebrated their birthdays on 31 July. Thanks to Lochlan Fernandez, both these young kiddos had a fabulous birthday party last year and wished to have a repeat performance. Instead of the usual party at home, Whispering Hope decided to celebrate this birthday bash in grand style at the Bishop Aelen's Home for young girls in Chennai Egmore. Armed with goodies, cake and cokes, we trotted down to the hostel and spent a fabulous afternoon with the 40 young ones (aged 5 to 15). Whispering Hope had earlier promised these girls, cake, soft drinks and icecream. We couldnt give them the icecream this time because of the rains (children tend to get ill and we wanted to avoid that) but we did give them a real super time. The girls sang the traditional birthday song with much gusto and wished Sagar and Samir the very best for the year ahead. The boys then distributed the little goody bags ("surukoopai") and each girl was gifted a delightful pink Whispering Hope Tee Shirt. Their joy knew no bounds. Photos on display for all to see. All this was made possible thanks to the generous contributions received from Joan Cleaur and Rebecca Dickson from Australia, our angels from Mumbai, V. Kumar and Manoj Barai from Bangalore. God bless you abundantly.
Whispering Hope's Monsoon Magic
One may have heard about the monsoon that has drenched India over the last few weeks. While we sit warm and cosy in our comfortable homes and offices, a thought goes out to the lesser mortals who have to work hard for their living whether its raining or hot and dry. Whispering Hope cannot keep these people warm and cosy, but what we could do is give them an umbrella to protect them from the rain! And this is what we started doing and on one fine evening, 25 umbrellas were distributed. More umbrellas have been ordered and we will be distributing these over the next few weeks. Please do come forward and donate to this worthy cause.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The Holiday is Over
Whispering Hope and its angels provided the summer holidays as planned. Three lucky families visited Guntur during the month of April and May and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. My beautiful home provided a perfect setting and the families relaxed, shopped, looked around town, visited the park and the exhibition; generally had a good time away from their daily routines and problems. Icecreams, chocolates, biriyanis, cakes, puffs, soft drinks - you name it and it was all there to spice up the lives of all who visited. Check out the photos of one group.
We do hope this will be a regular feature from Whispering Hope and give people a much needed break from their routines. A big Thank You to all who made this possible. Aunty Gladys and her family from Australia, Biju from Muscat, Balu from Mumbai, Manoj and Kumar from Bangalore - Cheers to you folks!!
We do hope this will be a regular feature from Whispering Hope and give people a much needed break from their routines. A big Thank You to all who made this possible. Aunty Gladys and her family from Australia, Biju from Muscat, Balu from Mumbai, Manoj and Kumar from Bangalore - Cheers to you folks!!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
We’re all going on a summer holiday!
Sun, sand, surf, sports, fun times, ice cream, biscuits, chocolates, and all the goodies that a child can think of – Whispering Hope is planning to reach out to the young ones this summer and ensure that each child is given a real good time over the next three months. Plans are being made to distribute sports goods, indoor games, plenty of ice cream, biscuits and chocolates to the children in Chennai and Pondicherry. Picnics to the beach with a snack on the shore and a dip in the sea are also on the cards.
A holiday home has also been set up in Guntur (Andhra Pradesh) and ‘timeouts’ are being planned for families. A trial run was done with 7 guests (two ladies, 2 young adults and 3 young children) and was a huge success. The train ride from Chennai to Guntur added to the thrill as the children had never been on a train! Here’s hoping that this will continue to be a success and families will get a much needed break from the stress that they go through every day.
Whispering Hope would like to thank the angels who have come forward to make these dreams come true. The credit goes to our Angel from Mumbai who volunteered to provide the sports goods to the young boys and girls. Joining him are our other Angels who are : Gladys Fernandes and her sons Don and Lochlan, Douglas Hurtis and Philroy; Joan Cleur and Rebecca Dickson – all from Australia; Cuneyt Meran and Zafer Atici from Turkey; Biju Damodaran from Muscat; and Alun Long from UK. Thank you, Dears, for making wishes come true.
A holiday home has also been set up in Guntur (Andhra Pradesh) and ‘timeouts’ are being planned for families. A trial run was done with 7 guests (two ladies, 2 young adults and 3 young children) and was a huge success. The train ride from Chennai to Guntur added to the thrill as the children had never been on a train! Here’s hoping that this will continue to be a success and families will get a much needed break from the stress that they go through every day.
Whispering Hope would like to thank the angels who have come forward to make these dreams come true. The credit goes to our Angel from Mumbai who volunteered to provide the sports goods to the young boys and girls. Joining him are our other Angels who are : Gladys Fernandes and her sons Don and Lochlan, Douglas Hurtis and Philroy; Joan Cleur and Rebecca Dickson – all from Australia; Cuneyt Meran and Zafer Atici from Turkey; Biju Damodaran from Muscat; and Alun Long from UK. Thank you, Dears, for making wishes come true.
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Easter Bunny was kept busy!
Hello there! Thanks to the sponsors who dont give up even though I feel like doing that sometimes, a few lives were touched by Whispering Hope over the Easter period.
As planned, Whispering Hope donated 10 bottles of Horlicks to cancer patients through Mr. Britto of Jesus Park. A big Thank You to Mrs. Maggie Nigli who supported this cause totally.
Rebecca and Joan from Melbourne provided the yummy snacks - potato bondas, vermicilli upuma and sooji sweet for the young girls at the Bishop Aelan's hostel for young girls. Since only a few girls were there, the bigger treat is being given during the summer holidays - the girls screamed for ice-cream(!!) and Whispering Hope intends doing just that.
An angel from Mumbai sponsored tickets for a movie for 20 teenagers and this was followed by a trip to the famous Marina beach where the teens enjoyed themselves at the balloon shooting range, horse riding, merry go round, etc. Munching on popcorn, peanuts, yummy green mango with chilli powder and salt, they were in the seventh heaven!
A visit to a boys hostel in Pondicherry provided me with an opportunity to give them a small contribution for their afternoon tea. I also found out that they require sports goods - cricket sets, badminton racquets, a net, generally the full works. Contributions towards this would be much appreciated. There are 40 boys here and the SALT Children's Home is run by a Mr. Melquie who can be contacted on +91 9486852374 for further details.
As planned, Whispering Hope donated 10 bottles of Horlicks to cancer patients through Mr. Britto of Jesus Park. A big Thank You to Mrs. Maggie Nigli who supported this cause totally.
Rebecca and Joan from Melbourne provided the yummy snacks - potato bondas, vermicilli upuma and sooji sweet for the young girls at the Bishop Aelan's hostel for young girls. Since only a few girls were there, the bigger treat is being given during the summer holidays - the girls screamed for ice-cream(!!) and Whispering Hope intends doing just that.
An angel from Mumbai sponsored tickets for a movie for 20 teenagers and this was followed by a trip to the famous Marina beach where the teens enjoyed themselves at the balloon shooting range, horse riding, merry go round, etc. Munching on popcorn, peanuts, yummy green mango with chilli powder and salt, they were in the seventh heaven!
A visit to a boys hostel in Pondicherry provided me with an opportunity to give them a small contribution for their afternoon tea. I also found out that they require sports goods - cricket sets, badminton racquets, a net, generally the full works. Contributions towards this would be much appreciated. There are 40 boys here and the SALT Children's Home is run by a Mr. Melquie who can be contacted on +91 9486852374 for further details.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
A Fun Filled Easter - April 2010
During the Easter week, we plan to visit the Bishop Aelen's Home for Children (aged 6 to 15 years) with a lot of goodies. Thanks to Joan Cleur and Rebecca Dickson from Australia for their generous contribution towards this. Rev. Sr. Rose who is in charge of the Children can be contacted on +91 9840377989.
An organisation called 'Jesus Park' is also giving out health drinks to cancer patients at the Cancer Institute, Chennai. Whispering Hope is giving a helping hand by donating 10 bottles of Horlicks. Mr. Britto, the founder of Jesus Park, can be contacted on +91 9444862717 for further details.
Our angel from Mumbai is giving some teenagers a royal treat - these youngsters are all set for the movies, with the popcorn and the bubbly coke to keep their spirits up. Thanks to this angel these kids get to see a movie in the theatre every year. God bless you, Dear.
An organisation called 'Jesus Park' is also giving out health drinks to cancer patients at the Cancer Institute, Chennai. Whispering Hope is giving a helping hand by donating 10 bottles of Horlicks. Mr. Britto, the founder of Jesus Park, can be contacted on +91 9444862717 for further details.
Our angel from Mumbai is giving some teenagers a royal treat - these youngsters are all set for the movies, with the popcorn and the bubbly coke to keep their spirits up. Thanks to this angel these kids get to see a movie in the theatre every year. God bless you, Dear.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Christmas with Whispering Hope
From a humble beginning a few years ago when Whispering Hope started its First Christmas with Rs.1,000/-, we are proud to say that in December 2009, we crossed the Rs.100,000 mark. Whispering Hope never ceases to amaze one and each time we experience one miracle upon another – God does seem to be the wind in our sails! A bounty of approximately 400 gifts were distributed among the less privileged; this comprised of 200 bed linen, 100 bath towels, 100 hand towels, 100 saris, 200 Tshirts, 100 caps, 100 sets of drawing books & colouring materials, 25 indoor board games, 120 ‘smiley’ balls, 100 whistles, 100 pens, 150 shopping bags, 50 travel bags, 200 balloons, 100 biscuit packets, 200 chocolates, 200 lollipops. Clothes and toys donated by our angels from around the globe were also distributed. We took the giving a step further and gave away 2 second hand fridges, two brand new portable TVs, 1 second hand TV, one cot and mattress with two pillows. We do hope that these ‘extras’ will enhance the lives of the families that received them!
A very big THANK YOU to our angels who made dreams come true for all the children and adults this last Christmas. Our Angels : from America was Sabrina Bernard; from Australia were Helen, David & Marcus Bakes, Sharon & Troy Gomes, Yvette & Vicky Mohan; from Canada – Bernie & Don Toomey; from Dubai – Rita & Steve Gregory, Betty James & Shridhar, Cyprian & Imelda Fernandes; from England – Alun Long, Yvonne Ryan and Barbara Bolder; from Switzerland – an anonymous angel(!); from Singapore – Juan & Anna Fradera; and from India, we have our very own : PR Balasubramanian, Sandeep Shenoy, Manoj & Tripta Barai, V. Kumar, Mahalakshmi & Lakshminarayan, Jennifer White, Bridget Kumar, Aunty Hermie, Chitra Satish, Kalpana Dhuri, Sahiti Musti, Jessie & Nirmal, Monica Charles, Julie John, Anita & Kevin Mawdsley, and Nigel & Wayne Lazar. Another anonymous Mumbai Angel was responsible for paying the full year’s school fees of 4 little boys and for this we are eternally grateful.
Volunteers Shirley, Marlene, Judy, Sita, Little Sagar & Samir, Thomas, Pearl, Anita and Debbie helped in getting the following programs on the road. Without their able assistance, we couldn’t have conducted the activity with such enthusiasm and fanfare. During this time, the gifts and goodies were distributed to our honoured guests.
Prize Distribution & Inauguration of Library at St. Marks Matriculation School, Perambur, Chennai - 19 December
As done last year, the top rankers from the Kindergarten to Standard 8 at this school were recognized for their efforts. As an incentive to strive harder and score good marks in the final examinations, Whispering Hope gave out Trophies to these students. A Rolling Shield (the first of its kind!) was presented to the Best Class of the Year and surprisingly it was the Kindergarten who bagged it!
What’s a school without a library? Whispering Hope’s angels presented the school with a book case and story books were collected over the last few months. A very big THANK YOU to my nephew Wayne Lazar and Ms. Purnima Shah from Chennai for providing us with a variety of books and giving us the incentive to make this dream come true. The Chief Guest, Mrs. Iola Thomas, cut the ribbon to inaugurate the library in the traditional manner.
Mrs. Jean Marcus, the Headmistress of the school can be contacted on: +91 9884737597.
Rehabilitated Alcoholics at Colachel, Kanyakumari District - 21 December
Reverend Sister Lourdes of the Presentation Convent, Colachel, has done a good job over the years in rehabilitating hard core alcoholics. With the able support of her team, she has given these people a new life away from alcoholism. These families have been thru a lot of misery, families have been torn apart, children were neglected, wives were beaten by their drunken husbands, and the women also took to drinking because of their miserable situations. Rev. Sr. Lourdes has quite a few success stories in this field and to give her more momentum, Whispering Hope hosted a get together for these achievers. With some games and delectable snacks, a good time was had by one and all.
Rev. Sr. Lourdes can be contacted on +91 9486652236.
For the Children being treated at the Cancer Institute, Chennai - 24 December
C-a-n-c-e-r : the word itself sends jitters down our spines. Much more is the misery of those who are living with it. While an adult may be able to understand and cope with the suffering, a child with this dreaded disease is left clueless and turns to its mother for consolation. It is pitiful to see these children in such pain, going thru the paces of chemotherapy and radiation. Their eyes speak volumes of distress, questioning their fate; their parents are so helpless and disheartened seeing their child’s torment day after day, night after night. Cancer may be a silent killer but JESUS is the silent HEALER! This Christmas we prayed that each of these little ones would find Jesus’ love and ours as we spent time with them on the eve of Christmas. A puppet show ably performed by Mr. Marcus David, singing, dancing, and a visit from Santa brightened their day. Their happiness knew no bounds when Santa presented each with a big bag of goodies. The Duty Doctor and the nurses mentioned that it was the first time that they saw such happy smiles on their patients’ faces. The doctor begged us to host more shows like this one and keep the children’s mind off their health problems.
Cancer Institute, Adyar, Chennai – Telephone No. 044 22350131
Home for Aged Men (a branch of Mother Teresa’s charities), Little Mount, Chennai – 26 December
Thanks to Mrs. Shirley Huffton, Whispering Hope was introduced to this home which caters to abandoned men (aged 50 onwards). These men are in different states of health, some blind, some suffer from physical disabilities. Shirley recommended that we provide them with some tea leaves, coffee powder, sugar which could tide them over for a couple of weeks and this we did. We just added the extra touch and gave them some oven fresh vegetable puffs to munch on as well.
Widows at St. Francis de Sales parish, Thiruvallur - 27 December
Thanks to the untiring efforts of Reverend Father Gerry, this group of around forty women, who lost their husbands early in life, has found different ways of empowering themselves and making a decent living. Fr. Gerry has been instrumental in guiding them, spiritually and mentally, to overcome their hardships. He has also motivated them to earn a living, supported their children in their studies by rustling up the much needed school fees from his own resources and a few well wishers. Whispering Hope spent a day with him and gave these women a sumptuous lunch – chicken biryani and the works – no less!! They were also gifted a colourful sari and we hope this effort of ours will indeed brighten their New Year.
Rev. Fr. Gerry can be contacted on +91 9444142644.
The Poor at St. Joseph’s Church, Vepery, Chennai – 3 January
The Vincent De Paul Society attached to St. Joseph’s Church, Vepery, do an excellent job, week after week catering to the basic need of the 35 beneficiaries they have on record. Every week a bag of staple food – rice, lentils, sugar, oil – is given to these really poor people. Come Easter or Christmas or any festivity and one can be sure that this branch of the Vincent de Paul Society has something unique planned for their poor. Whispering Hope joined hands with them and presented 35 shopping bags and bath towels for distribution among this select group during the festive season.
Mrs. Deborah Thomson, President, Vincent De Paul Society @ St. Joseph’s Church, can be contacted on +91 9962910442.
A very big THANK YOU to our angels who made dreams come true for all the children and adults this last Christmas. Our Angels : from America was Sabrina Bernard; from Australia were Helen, David & Marcus Bakes, Sharon & Troy Gomes, Yvette & Vicky Mohan; from Canada – Bernie & Don Toomey; from Dubai – Rita & Steve Gregory, Betty James & Shridhar, Cyprian & Imelda Fernandes; from England – Alun Long, Yvonne Ryan and Barbara Bolder; from Switzerland – an anonymous angel(!); from Singapore – Juan & Anna Fradera; and from India, we have our very own : PR Balasubramanian, Sandeep Shenoy, Manoj & Tripta Barai, V. Kumar, Mahalakshmi & Lakshminarayan, Jennifer White, Bridget Kumar, Aunty Hermie, Chitra Satish, Kalpana Dhuri, Sahiti Musti, Jessie & Nirmal, Monica Charles, Julie John, Anita & Kevin Mawdsley, and Nigel & Wayne Lazar. Another anonymous Mumbai Angel was responsible for paying the full year’s school fees of 4 little boys and for this we are eternally grateful.
Volunteers Shirley, Marlene, Judy, Sita, Little Sagar & Samir, Thomas, Pearl, Anita and Debbie helped in getting the following programs on the road. Without their able assistance, we couldn’t have conducted the activity with such enthusiasm and fanfare. During this time, the gifts and goodies were distributed to our honoured guests.
Prize Distribution & Inauguration of Library at St. Marks Matriculation School, Perambur, Chennai - 19 December
As done last year, the top rankers from the Kindergarten to Standard 8 at this school were recognized for their efforts. As an incentive to strive harder and score good marks in the final examinations, Whispering Hope gave out Trophies to these students. A Rolling Shield (the first of its kind!) was presented to the Best Class of the Year and surprisingly it was the Kindergarten who bagged it!
What’s a school without a library? Whispering Hope’s angels presented the school with a book case and story books were collected over the last few months. A very big THANK YOU to my nephew Wayne Lazar and Ms. Purnima Shah from Chennai for providing us with a variety of books and giving us the incentive to make this dream come true. The Chief Guest, Mrs. Iola Thomas, cut the ribbon to inaugurate the library in the traditional manner.
Mrs. Jean Marcus, the Headmistress of the school can be contacted on: +91 9884737597.
Rehabilitated Alcoholics at Colachel, Kanyakumari District - 21 December
Reverend Sister Lourdes of the Presentation Convent, Colachel, has done a good job over the years in rehabilitating hard core alcoholics. With the able support of her team, she has given these people a new life away from alcoholism. These families have been thru a lot of misery, families have been torn apart, children were neglected, wives were beaten by their drunken husbands, and the women also took to drinking because of their miserable situations. Rev. Sr. Lourdes has quite a few success stories in this field and to give her more momentum, Whispering Hope hosted a get together for these achievers. With some games and delectable snacks, a good time was had by one and all.
Rev. Sr. Lourdes can be contacted on +91 9486652236.
For the Children being treated at the Cancer Institute, Chennai - 24 December
C-a-n-c-e-r : the word itself sends jitters down our spines. Much more is the misery of those who are living with it. While an adult may be able to understand and cope with the suffering, a child with this dreaded disease is left clueless and turns to its mother for consolation. It is pitiful to see these children in such pain, going thru the paces of chemotherapy and radiation. Their eyes speak volumes of distress, questioning their fate; their parents are so helpless and disheartened seeing their child’s torment day after day, night after night. Cancer may be a silent killer but JESUS is the silent HEALER! This Christmas we prayed that each of these little ones would find Jesus’ love and ours as we spent time with them on the eve of Christmas. A puppet show ably performed by Mr. Marcus David, singing, dancing, and a visit from Santa brightened their day. Their happiness knew no bounds when Santa presented each with a big bag of goodies. The Duty Doctor and the nurses mentioned that it was the first time that they saw such happy smiles on their patients’ faces. The doctor begged us to host more shows like this one and keep the children’s mind off their health problems.
Cancer Institute, Adyar, Chennai – Telephone No. 044 22350131
Home for Aged Men (a branch of Mother Teresa’s charities), Little Mount, Chennai – 26 December
Thanks to Mrs. Shirley Huffton, Whispering Hope was introduced to this home which caters to abandoned men (aged 50 onwards). These men are in different states of health, some blind, some suffer from physical disabilities. Shirley recommended that we provide them with some tea leaves, coffee powder, sugar which could tide them over for a couple of weeks and this we did. We just added the extra touch and gave them some oven fresh vegetable puffs to munch on as well.
Widows at St. Francis de Sales parish, Thiruvallur - 27 December
Thanks to the untiring efforts of Reverend Father Gerry, this group of around forty women, who lost their husbands early in life, has found different ways of empowering themselves and making a decent living. Fr. Gerry has been instrumental in guiding them, spiritually and mentally, to overcome their hardships. He has also motivated them to earn a living, supported their children in their studies by rustling up the much needed school fees from his own resources and a few well wishers. Whispering Hope spent a day with him and gave these women a sumptuous lunch – chicken biryani and the works – no less!! They were also gifted a colourful sari and we hope this effort of ours will indeed brighten their New Year.
Rev. Fr. Gerry can be contacted on +91 9444142644.
The Poor at St. Joseph’s Church, Vepery, Chennai – 3 January
The Vincent De Paul Society attached to St. Joseph’s Church, Vepery, do an excellent job, week after week catering to the basic need of the 35 beneficiaries they have on record. Every week a bag of staple food – rice, lentils, sugar, oil – is given to these really poor people. Come Easter or Christmas or any festivity and one can be sure that this branch of the Vincent de Paul Society has something unique planned for their poor. Whispering Hope joined hands with them and presented 35 shopping bags and bath towels for distribution among this select group during the festive season.
Mrs. Deborah Thomson, President, Vincent De Paul Society @ St. Joseph’s Church, can be contacted on +91 9962910442.
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