Hello friends and family, let's turkey trot and fundraise for Mission Santa Maria, a sanctuary for children in Ecuador that is dear to my heart.

The mission itself is in Olon, Ecuador on a cliff overlooking the Pacific ocean, this nonprofit for giving tax deductible donations is based in NJ.

I came to know this special place during my time in Ecuador. I got to lead weekly art groups for the girls there and help over the weekend with the infants and toddlers. One of whom had recently been rescued from a dumpster and was thriving under the tender and impeccable care these missionaries provide.

The home for children was created by Ecuadorian missionary sisters over 30 years ago. The accompanying school educates the children from the home and has become one of the best schools in the state taking in 1200 students from the surrounding area.

Mission Santa Maria began in 2007 after a volunteer trip by Jim Campbell to a foster home for children from abusive situations. Jim (a NJ native, Georgetown grad, and former NY banker) and his wife Grace (from CA, a Vanderbilt grad, and pediatric nurse practitioner) moved their family to Ecuador in 2019 to work with Mission Santa Maria and the children they support.

Mission Santa Maria was created to continue the good work to help children from vulnerable situations. Mission Santa Maria now supports three programs to support children in Ecuador (see their programs pages https://missionsantamaria.com/projects/).

Make a significant impact on the vital work of Mission Santa Maria by:

Thank you for your loving support and generosity.

Run:

A group of us will be running the 5k in Kensington Thanksgiving Day at 8:30am - if you're nearby come join! Starting place is 10139 Cedar Lane. Or run with us remotely! We expect to have some international runners this year, it would be awesome to share the good energy from where you are this Thanksgiving. We'll all be trotting (or walking) together in the warm light of giving.