FriendsOfTheOrphans

Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Region

Founded in 2005 following the formation of the national Friends of the Orphans organization, the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast regional office is located near Washington, D.C., in Vienna, Virginia. It encompasses the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia.

Notes & News

Friends Celebrates International Children’s Day
During the week of June 1-5, 2009, the we invited our office neighbors to “Celebrate International Children’s Day (June 1) with FRIENDS” and learn more about Friends of the Orphans and Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH, Spanish for "Our Little Brothers and Sisters"). We hosted a table in the lobby of our office building with information about both organizations, as well as opportunities for guests to hear the stories of individual children living at NPH homes. Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us!

Pictured above: Casey Cubbage and Alina Fleury of Friends MA-NE with Irma Gennaro, public relations volunteer.

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Friends at 2009 Falls Church Memorial Day Parade
The Friends of the Orphans Mid-Atlantic Northeast regional office had a booth at the 2009 Falls Church Memorial Day Parade and Festivities.  The event draws more than 10,000 visitors each year.  Friends staff and supporters were on hand to distribute information and promote general awareness of our organization. In addition, 90 people picked up Friends water bottles to collect funds. Thank you to everyone who visited the booth and also to Jillaine Dellis for donating the booth fee.

Pictured above: Christine Hyland, Friends MA-NE Regional Director, Frank Krafft, Regional Board Member, and Cristina Acosta, volunteer.

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Miles of Smiles Raises Thousands of Dollars! 
The FUNdraiser event “Miles of Smiles” held on Wednesday, May 13, 2009, was a huge success!  We raised more than $8,500 to help the children at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH, Spanish for "Our Little Brothers and Sisters") Honduras who are in need of braces and orthodontic care. Dr. Golnar Jahanmir, who has been volunteering at the Honduras orphanage since 2000, held this event at her dental office in Rockville, MD.  The evening was filled with smiling faces as attendees enjoyed great food, wonderful silent auction prizes, and the opportunity to learn more about Friends and the children we support.  Thanks to all who attended or donated a silent auction item, as well as Dr. Jahanmir and the Regional Board for all their hard work! 

Pictured below: Dr. Golnar Jahanmir (center), Regional Board Member, shows off a photo album of the 2 boys she sponsors in Honduras; Bob Adamcik (left), Regional Board Member, discusses Friends’ mission with a guest.

 

Organize and host a FUNdraiser of your own!  Click here for more information.

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Friends Looking for Friends
Have you ever considered being a volunteer? Do you have time during the week that you would like to spend helping others? If so, Friends of the Orphans is looking for you! Our “friendly” office can use volunteers to help with translating (Spanish/English and French Creole/English), data entry, mailings, packing supplies to be sent to the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos homes and other various office tasks.

Friends of the Orphans is dedicated to providing the financial resources to house, clothe, feed, and educate over 3,500 orphaned, abandoned and disadvantaged children living in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our office is located at 8618 Westwood Center Drive in Vienna, Virginia. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us at (703) 848-2072 or infoma-ne@friendsus.org.

Events

Tuesday, July 07, 2009 Tuesday Tapas for a Cause Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Region 11:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.  La Tasca Clarendon 2900 Wilson Boulevard  Arlington, VA 22201  July’s “Tuesday Tapas for a Cause” at La Tasca will benefit Friends of the Orphans. The higher the sales, the more that will be donated, so come eat a little, drink a little and have a lot of fun! Event FlyerRead More... Monday, November 02, 2009 Dine with Friends Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Region 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Austin Grill 7278 Woodmont Avenue Bethesda, MD 20814 Gather with old friends or make new friends, while helping children in Latin America and the Caribbean. The higher the sales*, the more Austin Grill will donate to our kids. So, come on over. Eat and drink and have a lot of fun! Read More...

  

Featured Friends

Natalie Goff
Only 3.5 Hours, but a World Away

In 2008, Natalie visited the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos/Nos Petit Frères et Soeurs (NPH/NPFS, Spanish/French for “Our Little Brothers and Sisters”) Haiti.  After her trip, Natalie has continued to support Friends of the Orphans by sponsoring two boys that she met during her visit and incorporating Friends of the Orphans into her business newsletters and activities.  Following are her thoughts on her trip.

As I got off the plane in Port-Au-Prince, the airport looked like it had been bombed. As I drove up the hills of Haiti to St. Helene’s, the NPH/NPFS orphanage supported by Friends of the Orphans, I asked my driver if there had been a war here recently. People were living in half-standing huts and demolished houses. No war, only proud Haitian people left completely on their own with absolutely no infrastructure.

Arriving at the top of this mountain, we came to this huge gated door and before it opened I heard the voices of 500 orphans. As I got familiar with the orphanage I would always end my night by going to see the 30 or so five-year-old children who lived in a two-room home. I would dance and sing with them. I would walk away in tears as they got into bed knowing that they would never have one special person that knew their likes and dislikes, that read to them or hugged them each night. Read more...