What Is the Community Care Program?
March 28, 2022
The Advocates of Love Community Care Program helps less fortunate children in Samaná who still have a responsible guardian and safe living environment. Despite having
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Our mission is to provide long term solutions and services to vulnerable and orphaned children in the Samaná region of the Dominican Republic. Advocates of Love is the only organization in the entire region established to offer resources to the impoverished community. We offer families, corporations, and individuals like you, varying levels of philanthropic opportunity. Feel free to choose one that works best for you, your family, or your company.
This is our area of greatest need and a very low financial commitment. Child sponsorship is a great opportunity for families with children to teach about philanthropy and giving.
We currently have 26 children in our care, both in our Children’s Home and in the community. We firmly believe in the mission delegated from scripture to care for our brothers and sisters who are poor, widowed, or orphaned.
It is our greatest honor to provide support and services to vulnerable and orphaned children in the Samaná region of the Dominican Republic and to educate the community, and our kids, to do the same. Every so often the children and their caretakers deliver groceries to the elderly in the community with monies donated by mission trip participants. They also help prepare donation packages to other orphanages in-country and have even given away shoes and clothing to other children in need in the community. During scheduled mission trips, the kids are given the opportunity to engage in community outreach activities such as feeding the elderly.
Every child has his or her basic needs fully met. They attend a safe, accredited private school Monday through Friday. They follow American standards for healthcare visits and regularly see doctors and dentists to ensure physical, mental, and emotional health is intact. They also attend Church for spiritual development.
In impoverished areas, many children share belongings and beds with their siblings or parents. When a child is received into our home they get their own bed, shoes/clothing, school supplies, books, toys, and more.
From a place of refined wellbeing, they receive coaching and classes for sports, music, art, swimming, religious teachings, and more.
The cost to fully support the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of one child for one month is around $390 USD. Sponsors, like you, commit to a minimum of one-tenth of that amount and in turn, can invite one of our children into your family or organization. Share letters and pictures and, more importantly, know that you are making all the difference to another person. 100% of your donation goes to meet the physical, educational, emotional, and spiritual needs of your child.
Run to Rescue Virtual 5k is our creative response to the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic. At our home in the Dominican Republic, volunteer visits, and in-person activities were placed on hiatus as country-by-country the entire globe went into lockdown. In the US, parents became their children’s teachers, gyms were closed, and both at home and abroad life crawled to a shockingly slow pace. With the world in quarantine and with help from these creative children, we launched an event that anyone could participate in, even from the comfort of their own home!
Run to Rescue will run through June 15 and is an event for everybody. The virtual 5K is not demanding and eliminates the pressure of running in a crowd of people. You run or walk on your own time, at your own pace, and finish in whatever way you see fit.
We encourage you to create a team of friends and family, or share with your company, and run/walk/jog on your own together!
In January 2020, we broke ground on a new campus. The new campus will sit on 1.4 acres with plenty of land for the kids to play and a clean river that runs behind it. Atop the land sits three buildings: The main building (4000 sq ft) will include the common area (kitchen, dining room, classrooms, offices, etc), and two dormitory buildings (4800 sq ft) — a boys house and a girls house.
The bulk of funding has come from Giving Hope, a US non-profit with the goal of building an orphanage on every liveable continent.
Individual and corporate philanthropists have graciously donated money and we’ve raised over 70% of our goal. Your donation to this monumental project is 100% tax-deductible and any donations over $25,000 with have their name permanently etched into the building sidewall/cornerstone (or something similar).
The campus is slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2020.
We are so close to reaching 100% funded on this philanthropy opportunity. We are so grateful to partners, like you, who make these amazing projects possible.
The Advocates of Love Community Care Program helps less fortunate children in Samaná who still have a responsible guardian and safe living environment. Despite having
A parent’s tragic illness is a common way that children in the Samaná province in the Dominican Republic come into our care. Without adequate financial
Family—a safe haven of people who bring us into the world, love us, and encourage our growth. Families can be beautiful and full of hope.
The US-based organization, Advocates of Love is an approved 501c3. Under the guidance of its Board of Directors, Advocates of Love is responsible for raising mission awareness, fundraising, and operational management of the non-governmental organization (NGO) in the Dominican Republic. Advocates of Love has final approval over all activities required to operate the Children’s Home.
The Dominican Republic-based organization, Fundacion Defensores De Amor, is an approved NGO. The NGO, in partnership with local churches, is accountable for the daily operations and responsibilities of the Children’s Home, the community-based care program, and children’s churches.
813.321.3904
info@advocatesoflove.org
Advocates of Love
Post Mail Box 321
1936 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
Wesley Chapel, FL 33543-9262
Melissa is originally from Ocala, FL and after moving around Florida, Georgia & North Carolina, she has settled back in Ocala. Melissa went to the College of Central Florida and has pursued a life of service in various administrative, customer service and marketing roles. She has now settled into her dream role as the Communications Director for Advocates of Love.
Melissa was on the state board of the Florida Foster and Adoptive Parent Association while serving 4 years as a foster and then adoptive mom. She has two adopted daughters, Kenzi and Shyne, who keep her busy. Melissa also serves in her local church.
You can reach Melissa via email: melissa@advocatesoflove.org.