But we need your help!

Tradition dictates that prizes are given to the winners of each dance category.  From children through adults, the Pow Wows will feature dance competitions.

We need your help to raise $1,800 for those prizes. Learn More…

Contribute to a Pow Wow Here!

]]> http://www.simplysmiles.org/2009/09/featured-side-post/feed/ 1 http://www.simplysmiles.org/2009/09/featured-group/ http://www.simplysmiles.org/2009/09/featured-group/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:28:20 +0000 Simply Smiles http://simplysmiles.tnurn.com/?p=13

Download a PDF of the “Traveler’s Handbook”. The file is large, allow some time to download.

]]> http://www.simplysmiles.org/2009/09/featured-project/feed/ 0 http://www.simplysmiles.org/2009/09/news-updates/ http://www.simplysmiles.org/2009/09/news-updates/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:09:55 +0000 Simply Smiles http://simplysmiles.tnurn.com/?p=8 Here is the latest update from Simply Smiles:

WINSTED – Twenty-two volunteers from the First Church of Winsted have helped complete a housing project in Oaxaca, Mexico, where 35 families live off what they can find in a dump.

The volunteers, mostly teenagers and a half-dozen adults, were there from July 19-26.  During that time, they built the last of of 28 small cinder block homes for the development.  The project was spearheaded by Simply Smiles, a nonprofit organization based in Central Connecticut that looks to improve the lives of impoverished children.

This was the third straight summer the church had organized a trip to Oaxaca, a city of 258,000 in southern Mexico.  Those who have gone each year say they have slowly grown accustomed to the deplorable conditions in which the natives live.

This year, the volunteers walked through the dump, where they observed some 50 unhealthy-looking dogs and vultures flying above them.  Methane gas is burned as it leaves the soil.

“The smell is real bad,” said volunteer Debby Kane, adding she felt like gagging.  “It’s hard to even conceptualize how bad it is.”

Michael Wu, the church pastor, said the first year they were there, they appalled the locals with their constant use of disinfectants and paper towels to wipe everything down.  This year, the smell from a dead mouse or a clogged toilet hardly bothered them.

The volunteers stayed in an orphanage.  Some slept in bunk beds, while others laid on thin mattresses on the floor.  No one got their own room.  The children who live there share socks and underwear and have few toys.

The trips have given the volunteers a greater appreciation for what they have here.

“I look around here and I go, ‘What the heck are we all worried about?” said Thomas Mazzei.  “They got it  lot worse than I do.  May be I should stop worrying so much an go with the flow.”

Building a home for someone was an amazing experience.  In Oaxaca, we didn’t change the world or end hunger, but we were able to give a man a home. – Alex Tenney ‘11

The Rev. Marc Trister, Choate chaplain and Director of Campus Ministry, first learned about Simply Smiles at the First Church of Bethlehem, Conn.  Its members had volunteered to build homes and help special needs orphans in Oaxaca (pronounced “wa-ha-cah“), Mexico, and had continued to actively raise funds.  Choate Rosemary Hall had been looking for an ongoing service outreach and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Bryan Nurnberger, the force behind Simply Smiles, was brought in to talk to students and their parents, and hoped that a few would respond to the trip scheduled for the second week of spring break.  Some 21 students signed up and raised almost $600 for the orphanage.  A box at the bookstore filled up with school supplies; hats and t-shirts were donated by development, admission and student activities offices.

We arrived at Casa Hogar, the only orphanage in Oaxaca that accepts special needs children, late at night.  The next morning, we saw a pleasant compound of brightly painted buildings and many, many curious children.  Choate students pulled out sidewalk chalk, soccer balls, crayons and paper, and friendship bracelets.  In no time, the courtyard was a frenzy of games, piggy-back rides, and arts and crafts.  The common language was laughter.  Spanish was not required.

Quickly, we learned their names.  There was Flor, with the repaired cleft pallet; Kevin, in a wheelchair but with a  ready smile; Angel, born without eyes and, at age 4, finally learning to walk, and others.  For the rest of the week, part of every day was spent with the children.  Says Deanna Cho ‘11, “They were the sun rays that brightened everyone’s moods after a day’s worth of difficult work.”

We “toured” the Oaxaca garbage dump and met some of the people who make their living sorting through the trash and collecting anything of value that can be sold.  Until Simply Smiles, their homes were made of corrugated tin, cardboard and found materials.  Floors were packed dirt.  Now, 20 of the 33 families had concrete block homes with windows and a steel door with a lock.  We were to work on house number 21.

For the rest of the week, we learned how to build.  Under supervision of the maestros (master builders), we sifted sand, mixed it into cement in a centuries-old method to create mortar.  We chipped holes and notched into hundreds of cinder blocks so rebar could be used to reinforce the walls.

Goodbyes were difficult.  The intense week had bonded the Choate contingent and the children of Casa Hogar in a way no one expected.   Tears were shed, hugs were exchanged and promises to stay in touch were made.  The bus was quiet as we left the orphanage.  We were not the same group that had arrived a mere week before.

]]> http://www.simplysmiles.org/2009/06/to-give-a-man-a-home-choates-service-trip-to-oaxaca-mexico/feed/ 0 http://www.simplysmiles.org/2009/04/students-embark-on-spring-service-trip-to-mexico/ http://www.simplysmiles.org/2009/04/students-embark-on-spring-service-trip-to-mexico/#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:11:11 +0000 Simply Smiles http://www.simplysmiles.org/?p=1737

From March 15th to March 22nd, 21 Choate students traveled to sweltering Oaxaca, Mexico.  For a community service week on behalf of Simply Smiles, a nonprofit organization that strives to provide impoverished children home, an education, and everything a successful life requires.  Bryan Nurnberger, who founded Simply Smiles in 2003, along with his wife, Kristen Graves, guided the group’s efforts at both the dump and at Casa Hogar.  Choate Chaplain Marc Trister, parent Kathryn Gaffney, Vince McDermott, Pastor Cheryl Anderson, and Jim Esslinger served as chaperones for the trip.

At the first work site, the Oaxaca dump, the Choate participants helped Simply Smiles’ attempt to provide homes to 120 people. Prior to the introduction of Simply Smiles, 33 families resided at the dump, sorting through trash to took for plastic bottles, tin cans and cardboard to sell in order to earn a living of $1 a day.

“The amazing thing about the families at the dump is that even though they earn so little a day after so much work, impoverished as they are, they still love one another, stay as a family and keep together,” states Rahim Mawji ‘11, a student who participated in the community service trip.

With work from the volunteers and the building maestros, Simply Smiles has succeeded in constructing more than half of these homes already.  The Choate group helped the project by sifting rocks to make cement, chipping cinderblocks and laying cinderblocks to build the homes.  After each cinderblock home was built, the owner and his family choose the colors they want the house to be painted, in an effort to personalize each structure.

The Choate group completed a house for an Oaxaca resident named Renato in a mere three days.  This noteworthy achievement was the fastest construction job Simply Smiles has seen to date.

“The family who is moving into Renato’s house now has a safe place to live in,” Ify Ozoma ‘11 comments.  “They no longer have to stay awake at night, worried that people might easily break in and steal their possessions or hurt them.”

“The one thing that stands out to me is that the families live in simple, small houses, yet they are so proud of them.  They take care of their houses the same way a millionaire would take care of his mention, and that really is a testament to their character,” Ozoma observed.

After embarking on construction work at the dump, the Choate group relocated to the town of Casa Hogar.  Casa Hogar is home to almost eighty children from the region of Oaxaca.  The local orphanage focuses on children with special needs and provides them with every opportunity they need to leave the home someday with the skills necessary to lead a more fulfilling life.

The Choate students lived at Casa Hogar, allowing them to spend every moment with the orphaned children.  “As orphans, many of the kids have a void when it comes to family and loving contact, and so being able to help fill that void, even a little bit, was amazing,” Ozoma states.

“They were great together,” chaperone Kathryn Gaffney commented on the interactions between the children and the students.  “Our students gave so much of themselves that they formed very strong bonds with the Casa Hogar kids.  I”m sure they won’t be forgotten.  They’re friends for life.”  Reverend Trister observed that the children at Casa Hogar embraced the group, “giving everything they had.’

Lanya Tseng ‘11 commented on the compassion of the children.  “There was one scene that I will never forget: blind Nacho waling around the courtyard, holding eyeless Angel in his arms and singing.”

By the end of the journey, the group’s expectations of Oaxaca had been exceeded by the end of the journey.  Reverend Trister believes that the group “grew and matured in a way that  could have only occurred through an experience like this.”  He commented that the trip changed the group’s value system and emotional strengths.  The 21 students, who were strangers to the Oaxaca community upon their arrival, left the region having grown much closer to locals they encountered.

“My plan was just to go to Oaxaca, get my required community service hours, and come back to the United States,” Rahim Mawji ‘11 said.  “But by the end of the trip, I didn’t want to leave Casa Hogar at all.”

“When planning our trip to Mexico, we were told that we would be helping children at an orphanage, and ‘filling a void’  in each of them.  However, as we were leaving Casa Hogar, I realized that the kids had a much greater impact on us,” Tseng commented.

Campus Ministries will sponsor the trip again next year, and the dates have been set for March 14th to March 21st.

]]> http://www.simplysmiles.org/2009/04/sharing-smiles/feed/ 0 http://www.simplysmiles.org/2008/07/residents-bring-smiles-to-orphans-in-mexico/ http://www.simplysmiles.org/2008/07/residents-bring-smiles-to-orphans-in-mexico/#comments Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:15:08 +0000 Simply Smiles http://www.simplysmiles.org/?p=1813

Sometimes holding child’s hand is all it takes to bring a smile to their young face.

This certainly was the case for 15 members of the Monroe Congregational Church, who traveled to Casa Hogar Children’s Home, an orphanage in Oaxaca City, Mexico.

As part of the church’s outreach program, parishioners brought clothing and supplies to 80 youths, ages 3 to 20, housed at the orphanage.

However, their main goal is, in fact, to demonstrate to the children that people do care about them.

“The children are so happy just to have someone hugging them and holding their hand,” said Monroe resident Shirley Dotoratos.  “Although we do participate in a lot of activities with them, such as playing games and reading, I think they most appreciate us just being with them.  They don’t usually receive a lot of one-on-one time,” she said.

The Monroe Congregation missionary trip is part of Simply Smiles, a non-profit organization created by Bryan Nurnberger to help impoverished children.

During a visit to Mexico in 2003, Nurnberger reportedly was emotionally moved by the youngsters, many of whom had special needs and physical disabilities.  He also noted that many children were economic orphans and had parents who were alive but could not afford to care for them.

When he returned to the United States, Nurnberger was determined to make a difference in these children’s lives.  According to the organization’s website, simplysmiles.org, bringing a smile to their faces could make a difference that would positively affect the rest of their lives.

Dotoratos said that the Monroe group not only spent time with children but also ministered to local families living nearby.

“We brought school and medical supplies,” she said.  “Sometimes the families had special issues that we are able to help them with, too.”

During their weeklong stay, members of Monroe Congregational Church also helped to build a house for families in need, who live and eat from the town’s garbage dump.

Using donations generously provided by the organization’s supporters, one of Simply Smiles’ initiatives is to build permanent housing for all of these families.

“This is a totally devastated area,” Dotoratos said.  “Once you visit the dump and see how people live, you want to cry your eyes out.  There are little kids and babies walking around in the garbage.  It is very disturbing.”

However, the good news she said, is that 16 houses already have been constructed for the 40 families in need.

Simply Smiles also has involved the orphans in helping with the Garbage Dump Project, by encouraging them to bring sandwiches to the families twice a week.

“We are trying to enforce the idea that people are helping them, and they need to now go out and also help others in need,” Dotoratos said.

She said that it’s always “bittersweet” to visit Casa Hogar, because everyone on the missionary trip realizes how much they are needed by the children.

“We take so many simple amenities for granted,” Dotoratos said.  “For example, the first thing I couldn’t wait to do when I got back home was to take a long hot shower.”

Also, there is little hope that the children would be adopted formally, because many do not have birth certificates.

Dotoratos said that the majority of children at Casa Hogar were born to uneducated parents in rural villages, where birth certificates are inexistent.

However, her favorite part of the journey was seeing the children’s reactions when the Monroe group arrived.

“Many of us had been there before, so the children recognized us,” she said.  “They saw our familiar faces, so it was like we were friends and family coming to visit them.  Also, I think it made them feel good to know that we didn’t forget about them and that there are people out there who continue to care.”

For more information about Simply Smiles, go to simplysmiles.org or call Monroe Congregational Church at 268-9327.