Hope Haven Ukraine

Hope Haven OPENS!!

2011-09-11T09:33:00.000-07:00

August 31 was a day of celebration as the ribbon was cut and Hope Haven opened it doors to the disabled in southern Crimea. Over 50 people: families, press, medical professionals and government officials came to celebrate the only school of its kind. 17 children have been consistently coming on the American school bus every day. There were over 25 interested children so we hope to slowly build the enrollment. Please pray for staff as we are having some difficulty finding the perfect team to meet the needs of these special children. Pictures and new video will be coming soon.

Please consider a sponsorship gift to help offset the cost of monthly tuition. Every family is expected to pay a monthly fee but that is not quite enough to meet all the financial needs of the school.

God is faithful and He completed what He began 4 years ago!

Child Sponsorship Begins

2011-07-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

School will open September 1, 2011. We have hired the director and 5 other staff and will start with 15-20 kids. We now need sponsors who will help with the monthly tuition. The families will be expected to pay a portion but we know they will not be able to fully fund the monthly tuition. Please consider "adopting" a special child. You can choose the monthly amount that you want to give and either subscribe through PayPal to deduct the amount monthly, or send your support to through the mail. If you would like correspondence from your child, please contact us through the site and we will set up communication between you and your special child.

Amy will be going to "cut the ribbon" on September 1 and will bring back many pictures, videos and letters to share with the sponsors. Please watch this site for the grand opening celebration.

Hope Haven Near Completion!

2010-09-08T16:48:00.000-07:00

I traveled to Ukraine in August for 3 weeks and was able to unload, unpack, assemble, clean and set up the equipment. Two classrooms and a physical therapy gym are ready to use! We have hired a national director and will now begin the process of obtaining permits, certificates and occupancy permission. We hope to start with 25 children ages 3-12 and build slowly as we hire teachers and therapists.

Its finally almost here....3 long but exciting years and now Hope Haven will bring hope to special needs children and their families. Thank you for your continued support and prayers as we move even closer to what God purposed 3 years ago.

Turning Gold into Hope

2010-04-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

Although the numbers who turned out for the gold party were small, they were GREAT! 20 people blessed Hope Haven Ukraine to the tune of $3,862.82!

This was such a great success that we will try this again in six months and try to make it an annual event. Next time we will try to do it at a more as a private affair and maybe a week night and not all day so that we can limit the time and cost of putting on the party.

Thanks to all who participated in some way to make this a success.

I will be sending 15K next week which should finish the two classrooms and gymnasium. I have a trip planned for 3 weeks in August to see the school for myself for the first time!

The container has been unloaded into the school so that I will spend some of my time putting therapy equipment back together. I am so excited about this because this is something I can do!

I will be meeting with a clinic for pediatrics in Lviv the first week and picking their brain about how they do things and the cost of doing business.

I have a potential director who I will meet with while I am in Simfereopol.

Once again, thank you for your prayers and support. This journey has been amazing.

So Close....

2010-01-30T12:06:00.001-08:00

We are about 30K dollars from finishing the building. We will then work on getting all the permits to open the school. It is my desire that the doors open in September. I will be making a trip to Ukraine in August to unload the container and meet with various professionals who will give me direction in hiring the staff. Please help make this happen. I will be hosting a precious metals project for those living around Central Florida. 10% of all purchased metals will go to Hope Haven Ukraine. Please watch for posting of the set date for this event.

Container Clears!!

2009-10-30T05:22:00.001-07:00

The container, sent last February, has finally cleared all customs and is officially "open" for Hope Haven Ukraine. We have sent funds to heat the building and keep it dry this winter. We are about 45K dollars shy of finishing the inside. Then we will start the long haul of getting all the necessary permits to open the school. Nothing is impossible with God and we trust Him for His perfect timing.

Container and Bus Have Arrived!

2009-05-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

The school bus and shipping container have arrived at the school. Customs is still inspecting the contents and the road worthiness of the bus. The school construction has moved to the interior where floors and ceilings and heat have been installed. The tile in the bathroom/shower is underway and we are hoping a mission trip of youth from Real Life Christian Church will be heading over in July for 2 weeks of painting and outdoor work. Things are looking up and we are excited about the next step God has for us.

Cargo in route to Ukraine

2009-01-31T09:00:00.000-08:00

Please pray for safe arrival and easy passage through customs (only God can provide that) for the container and bus. The container is due to arrive Feb 9th and the bus a few weeks later. We have worked diligently to make sure all documents are in proper order to pass through customs. Now we rest in God to see it through. The container will sit on the school property until the school is finished. We will then set up a mission trip to Ukraine to unload the container and set up school. We have sent more money to purchase more building supplies. The inside is taking shape with ceiling and plumbing. Outside, the pavers are extending to the road.

Watch for upcoming pictures and answers to prayers concerning the shipments.

Miraculous Yard Sale Event

2008-12-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

We experienced a miracle at our yard sale. We were threatened by bad weather but God held back the storms the night before (when things were already out and ready) and the day of the sale. The patrons were slow in coming but once they started they came and came and were very generous. Our raffle was very successful as well as the bake sale and lemonade stand. In the end, we raised $2500.00!! The next day a very good friend of mine met me at church and asked me how the sale went and then mentioned that she wanted to make a donation. As she handed me the check, she asked me how much it would cost to ship the container. I told her $7500.00 and she began to cry and told me to open the check. She said that God told her to write me a check for $5000.00!! I had every penny needed to ship the container to Ukraine. The next Friday we loaded the container and it is waiting to ship out of Jacksonville. The bus will ship from Baltimore and the two will hopefully arrive at the same time. I am thanking God for His perfect timing and safe arrival of these two precious cargos as they make their way across the big pond.

Yard Sale

2008-10-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hope Haven Ukraine will be having a huge yard sale on November 15th in Minneola. If anyone has anything they would like to donate, please email me through the contact tab at the site. Also, if anyone wants to purchase goods at the yard sale, please mark your calendars for November 15th and come find some goodies at 405 South Seminole Ave in Minneola. All proceeds from the sale will help offset the cost of shipping the container.

Updated Pictures

2008-09-23T14:59:00.000-07:00

Scroll through the picture gallary and see how the school is coming along and the beautiful glass ceiling in the indoor playground. We just need to finish the inside and exterior walls. This could be done before the snow sets in if we could just secure the last 100K dollars!! Please spread the word about Hope Haven Ukraine. Thank you!!

New Videos

2008-09-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

If you will take the time to watch the videos about Serbia, you will understand the situation in Ukraine and why I am so anxious to get Hope Haven open and running. The children in Serbia represent the children in Ukraine as well. I am looking into foundations and grants to secure the last 100K we need to finish the building and open school. If you know of any foundations or grants that you think I should contact, please email me and I will get right on it. Thank you for your prayers and financial support.

In the News

2008-07-10T04:51:00.000-07:00

Thursday, July 10, Hope Haven article can be found in the Lake Sentinel section of the Orlando Sentinel. PLease pass the word. This article can help HH raise the remaining funds to finish the building, buy and ship the buses and ship the container.

Keep Watching

2008-07-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

I'm sure the Orlando Sentinel had a few more purchases on Thursday, July 3rd, but unfortunately the article on Hope Haven did not run. Please continue to watch for this and I will let you know if a specific date is mentioned for print.

Hope Haven hits the news.

2008-07-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

Watch for the article on Hope Haven Ukraine in the Thursday, July 3, edition of the Orlando Sentinel, written by RoseMarie Dowell. Please share the article with as many as possible. We need to raise the funds to finish the building, ship the container and purchase/ship buses so that school can begin as soon as possible.