Southwest Region
 In 1954, Father William B. Wasson of Phoenix, Arizona, founded the first Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH, Spanish for "Our Little Brothers and Sisters") home in Mexico. His devotion to the care of orphans inspired an outpouring of financial support and volunteers for his humanitarian cause. Father Wasson’s family and friends in Arizona offered support by sending clothes, food and money. This led to Friends of the Orphans (then Friends of Our Little Brothers) being incorporated as one of the state’s first nonprofits in 1965.
After nearly 50 years of succesful fundraising, a fire that started in the electrical wiring destroyed the Friends office in Tempe on October 11, 2003. Thanks to the help of many individuals and organizations who donated funds, time and supplies, there was no interruption in the support provided to the homes. Now located in Scottsdale, the Southwest regional office encompasses the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. Annual events include The Power of One Luncheons in the Spring and the Celebration of Life Gala and Tour featuring a dance and music troupe from one of the NPH homes in the Fall.
We welcome everyone who would like to volunteer, join our team, host a Friends Meet Friends event, or attend our special events. Register online today to get involved!
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Contact Us
Friends of the Orphans
Southwest Region
PO Box 25507
Tempe, AZ 85285-5507
8925 E. Pima Center Pkwy
Suite 145
Scottsdale, AZ 85258-4407
Phone 480.967.9449
Fax: 480.967.9288
infosw@friendsus.org
Staff:
James Hoyt
Regional Director
Barb Balchumas
Regional Manager
Special Events
Belinda Roda
Regional Manager
Child Sponsorship
Amy Jo Hutchison
Regional Development Officer
Melissa Windle
Office Administrator/
Volunteer Coordinator
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Thursday, June 06, 2013 NPH Mexico 
 • June 6 - 10, 2013
If you enjoy traveling and want to see how your support of Friends of the Orphans transforms lives, we encourage you to visit NPH Mexico and enjoy this tour with us. Discover first-hand the effects that love, care and acceptance have on children who once struggled to survive and had no hope.
Read More... |
Notes & News
Men’s Poker Night
Thank you to Wayne Rick for organizing the 2nd Annual Men’s Poker Night and to all who attended this fun event at the Mesa Country Club on Thursday, April 18th! There were 23 in attendance, and the winner of the tournament graciously donated his winnings back to Friends of the Orphans.
Check out more pictures from the evening here!
Pura Vida Bracelets Helps Friends of the Orphans
Support the children of NPH by purchasing a bracelet from Pura Vida here! Share this link with your friends because one dollar of every purchase is donated to Friends of the Orphans!
Our Crazy Hat Party Fundraiser was once again a success!
The SW region of Friends of the Orphans had their second annual Crazy Hat FUNdraiser. This event was organized by Virginia Worfolk, one of our donors and a great supporter of the organization. It was a very fun event – great food and drinks! There were contests for the best female/male hat, most original hat, most American hat, most green hat and most imaginative hat. On behalf of Friends of the Orphans and the kids of NPH, we would like to thank Virginia for organizing this event and a big thank you to all who attended and supported the event!
Golf For Charity
The Southwest Region recently hosted their first Golf For Charity event. The event was organized by our board member, Justin Niedzialek. It was a great event – the weather was perfect – everyone had a great time and money was raised for the kids. Justin plans on organizing another tournament in 2013 and looks forward to increasing the number of players. We thank all those who participated in this year’s inaugural tournament!
Click here to see more pictures!
Supporter Dances for Friends
On December 8, 2012, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals Arizona Chapter is hosting its 2nd Annual Masquerade Gala. This evening of glamour, entertainment, and networking features live music, artful cuisine, a tequila tasting, and a charity dance competition.
"Dancing with NAHREP-AZ" participant Ana Huss, who will be dancing for Friends of the Orphans, states, "Winning this competition will provide Friends with $5,000 to feed and care for 2,000 children for one day in Latin America and the Caribbean. Having been involved with this organization for eight years, I have personally witnessed how these children’s lives have been transformed."
Click here to make a donation in support of Ana and Friends of the Orphans.
Event Information:
2nd Annual Masquerade Gala
Saturday, December 8, 2012
6:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.
Montelucia Resort & Spa
4949 E. Lincoln Drive
Scottsdale, AZ 85253
$125 per person | $1000 for Table of 10
Click here for more information or to register.
Two children from our region, Esteka and Moises, recently held a cupcake sale to benefit the children of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos. Their fundraising event raised over $100! We are grateful to them and their parents, Isaac and Mia, for making a difference in the lives of the children we support. Together, we are Raising Children and Transforming Lives.
"Our students are right. This trip is life changing. For them AND for the pequeños." Read a wonderful reflection by great Friend, Mr. Joseph Fagan, who visited NPH Mexico this past Spring with a group of NDP students. Click here to view the story on our blog.
Wine and Dine FUNdraiser
A fun time was had by all at our Wine and Dine for the Kids of NPH FUNdraiser. The event was organized by Virginia Worfolk, one of our donors, and held at Tommy V’s Urban Bar and Restaurant in Scottsdale.
The evening began with a champagne toast and then a fabulous three course dinner with wine accompanying each course. Virginia organized several raffles and people left with some great prizes. Thank you to Virginia for organizing this event, Tommy V’s Restaurant for their generosity and to all who attended and supported this FUNdraiser!
International Volunteering
One of the greatest ways of serving the children of NPH is becoming an International Volunteer. Volunteers serve in the nine countries as care givers, teachers, nurses, home correspondents and therapists. Below is a reflection about William and Susan Stavinoha, two donors from our region’s experience as volunteers at NPH Honduras.
Before we knew of NPH, we dreamt of NPH.
We dreamt of a medically enriching experience – one in which we could each make a difference, and we could each learn.
We dreamt of a place where our skills in Spanish would be useful, and might be enhanced.
We dreamt of being in community with those we served – to touch lives and to have our lives touched from close range.
We dreamt of a spiritually supportive environment – one in which prayer, liturgy and the sacraments aided our work to be a meaningful part of God’s plan.
We dreamt of adventure balanced by security – in hopes that our comfort zone would give way to the vulnerability needed to develop new relationships.
For us, Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos of Honduras has been all these things.
Medically, the challenges were great, and the schedule was at times rigorous. All the while, the work was enjoyable and rewarding. It was an honor to work alongside dedicated healthcare professionals, from among the volunteers, the surgical brigade and the Honduran employees. The patients were always appreciative and a joy with whom to work.
Thanks to the dedication and hard work of its leadership, NPH managed to feed, clothe, educate and love each child. Drawing from limited resources, this was often a difficult task. Family members – not orphans – were seen through the eyes of Stefan, Reinhart, Ross and so many others. Father Wasson’s vision of unconditional love and security is certainly being lived on the ranch in Honduras.
Spiritually, NPH accomplished on a large scale what is done in a traditional Christian household. It lovingly provided structure for growth in the Spirit and modeled respect for the dignity of all. Padre Renaldo, Sister Kolbe and the religious education staff did wonderful work – work possible only with the support of the entire ranch.
Most indelible, however, are the faces of the NPH children we have come to know. Their hugs and smiles, their joys and sorrows, their small hands and big hearts – these are what will remain with us always. It has been a true privilege and a profound joy to serve at NPH Honduras.
To find out more information regarding our International Volunteer program,
please click here.
James Hoyt, Southwest Regional Director, was interviewed by Clear Channel Communications
Listen to the complete interview here!
Friends Looking for Friends
Do you have time during the week that you would like to spend helping others? Have you ever considered being a volunteer? If so, Friends of the Orphans is looking for you! Our “friendly” office needs volunteers to help with translating (Spanish/English and French Creole/English), data entry, mailings, packing supplies to be sent to the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH, Spanish for "Our Little Brothers and Sisters") homes, and other various office tasks.
Our office is located at 8925 East Pima Center Parkway, Suite 145, in Scottsdale, AZ. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Barb Balchumas at (480) 237-3004 or
bbalchumas@friendsus.org.
School/Group Sponsorship Program
Are you part of a class, club or group that is looking for a project that is exciting, motivating and interesting? Sponsor a child at an NPH home! Your students or group members can increase reading and writing skills as well as learn about culture, geography, economics and teamwork! Plus, you can fulfill community service project requirements, all by helping an orphaned, abandoned or disadvantaged child.
Click here to learn more.
Featured Friends
The following article appeared in the Mayfield Senior School of the Holy Child Jesus’s “Alumnae Crier”. One of our donors – Trisha Thurman Denney – attended Mayfield which is located in Pasadena, California.
Featured Alumna
Trisha Thurman Denney ’81
Trisha’s family is very involved in raising awareness and funds for Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (Friends of the Orphans). The organization offers a permanent home for orphaned, abandoned and abused children who live in extreme poverty. Their programs provide quality education, health care and spiritual formation with the goal of raising good Christians and productive members of their respective societies.
The Denney family sponsors six children from two countries. Five live in Mexico and one is in El Salvador. The children are not adoptable because they came to the home as a family and the siblings do not want to be split up. They are provided security, home, education, clothing, food and shelter as one big family. Once a child graduates from high school and wants to attend a University, they must give back two years of service to a home taking care of their brothers and sisters. Trisha’s oldest godson Diego is in his second year at the University of Monterrey. Last year the Denney’s visited Mexico to attend one of their “goddaughter’s” Quincenañera. At home in Arizona, Trisha and her family take groups of children from 8th to 12th grade to Mexico for a week to stay at one of the homes to love, play and be with the children. Three of Trisha’s children have been on these trips and come home amazed. They all say it is a happier place than Disneyland. There are currently 700 children in the home in Miacatlán, Mexico. Talk about ‘Actions Not Words!’ Transforming a child’s life has been one of the most inspirational opportunities the Denney family has encountered. Trisha and her husband Jon were the co-chairs of Friends of the Orphans Gala’s live and silent auctions the past five years.
On Trisha’s home front, her eldest, Chaz (21), will be getting his Real Estate license and joining his father's business. Shannon (18) graduated from Arcadia High and is attending Northern Arizona University. Taylor (17) is in her senior year of high school where she’s working on college applications and plans on applying to the University of Arizona. Taylor was also asked to join St. Patrick’s Church's Lifeteen group and will attend their Leadership Conference in Kansas for Catholic teens. As some Mayfield alumnae may remember, Trisha’s sister Kiko Thurman Smith ’82 graduated from Arizona State University, so her family has now covered all the big state universities located in the state of Arizona. Her youngest, Elaine (12), is in 7th grade.
Thank you, Trisha, for modeling our school motto, Actions Not Words.
On Being an Adoptive Godparent
By The Rt. Rev. Kirk S. Smith, Bishop of Arizona
The Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, Phoenix
October 12, 2012
On Wednesday this week, I had a pleasant surprise -- a visit from my new “adopted godson” Jose Gabriel Ponce Gomez, aka “Pepe.” I had come to know Pepe through a program called Friends of the Orphans (friendsoftheorphans.org). This program was started in 1954 by a Roman Catholic priest working in Mexico. It has grown to support over 3,400 children in Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean as well as many more “graduates.”
Even though the program is non-denominational, all the children obtain a high school diploma and receive a religious education. What makes the program very special is that all orphanages aim to be as self-supporting as possible, with the older children involved in an orphanage sponsored trade, while the graduates donate two years of service to the younger ones. Many go on to college, some here in the United States.
I got to know about Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (the original Spanish name) through an Episcopal priest who helps with fundraising and Roman Catholic Deacon James Hoyt, the Southwest regional representative who lives in Scottsdale. After hearing the stories of the boys and girls, most of whom have been orphaned or abandoned by their families, frequently subjected to physical and emotional abuse, how could I not sign up to become a foster “godfather”? Their program is similar to other agencies such as Save the Children or the Christian Children’s Fund, with sponsors getting to know their child through regular letters and pictures.
I had no idea that Pepe was to be part of a musical group from the Mexico orphanage touring our country this fall. But Deacon Jim made sure that he made a stop by Dio House, so we could meet face to face.
Bishop Kirk Smith, Pepe and Deacon James Hoyt
Pepe is 12 years old, has a winning smile, and wants to be a professional dancer when he grows up. He and the two young friends with him were fascinated by my job as a bishop and asked a lot of questions about the Episcopal Church. He is going to be confirmed this spring. He was especially amazed to learn about Reverenda Carmen (Guerrero), and that fact that women could be priests in our church!
I share this with you not just to brag about Pepe, or to encourage you to get involved by adopting your own godchild (although that would be great!), but to use this case to make a point about how we Christians can best go about helping others. I am more and more convinced that the more personal we can make our charitable giving, the more generous and involved we will be and that our souls are more likely to be enriched. There is nothing wrong with writing a nice check to any worthy organization, but being able to put a face on human need takes our involvement to a much different level. No longer are those we help abstractions or statistics, but flesh and blood creatures like us with many of the same weaknesses and many of the same dreams.
One of the goals I would like to work on while bishop is encouraging folks in our congregations to become personally involved with those they serve. Exchanging pictures and stories with a 12-year-old orphan in Mexico will change my life in far more profound ways than if I had simply mailed in a donation. When I give of myself in this way, the giving becomes a two-way street, and I gain as much as I give. I think that is what Jesus was saying when he said that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Featured Friends Archive