Alumni Katie Hultquist and Joe Cotton make a difference through Friends of the Orphans
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Katie Hultquist, ’02, MNPL, and Joe Cotton, ’99, are making a difference in the lives of children throughout the world through their involvement with Friends of the Orphans and Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH).
One week into her new job
as regional director of
the Northwest chapter of
Friends of the Orphans,
the earthquake struck Haiti and
Katie Hultquist, ’02 MNPL, found
herself inundated with phone calls and
e-mails from the media, volunteers,
concerned parents and supporters, all
seeking information and status reports
from the nonprofit with ties to Haiti.
“Since the earthquake we’ve had
an outpouring of support from people
who want to help,” says Hultquist, who
came to the organization after more
than eight years as executive director at
Passages Northwest.
Friends of the Orphans, which
supports a home for orphans and
various programs in Haiti, lost two
volunteers when one of the buildings
collapsed in the earthquake. One
of those volunteers was Molly
Hightower, the young woman from
Washington state who is remembered
for her caring, personal connection
with and commitment to the Haitian
children.
“We were all just devastated, in
shock and heartbroken,” Hultquist
says. “We had planned a hope vigil for
Molly that ended up being a memorial
service. She has really left a tremendous
legacy behind. Thousands of people
have learned about the organization
and the needs in Haiti through her and
because of her.”
The home supported by Friends
of the Orphans, St. Helene, is located roughly 25 miles from the epicenter of
the quake. All 350 children who reside
there were safe.
“Sponsoring someone is like adding another child to your
family. These kids become part of your life.”
— Joe Cotton, ’99, director of King County Juvenile Detention Ministry
Friends of the Orphans raises funds
and recruits volunteers throughout
the United States for Nuestros
Pequeños Hermanos (NPH, “Our
Little Brothers and Sisters”), which
operates the home in Haiti and
homes in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador,
Nicaragua, Peru, Dominican
Republic, Honduras and Bolivia.
Some of the children end up here
because their parents have died,
while others are abandoned or placed
with NPH to escape abuse. Siblings
are never separated, and parents or
relatives with children in the homes
are encouraged to visit.
“We aren’t trying to recruit kids
from poor families,” Hultquist says,
“but rather to break the cycle of
poverty by giving children in desperate
situations a loving home and pathway
to success.”
Children at the NPH homes are not
available for adoption. Residents often
stay in the homes through their young
adult lives and receive more than a
roof over their heads—their education
and health care are provided. The only
condition is that they are asked to
give a year back to the home through
service, says Hultquist, adding that
the ultimate goal is to provide the
education and tools for them to stay in
their countries and communities.
One example of this: Following the
earthquake, youth who grew up in
the Haiti home organized and today
manage a day camp for vulnerable
and displaced children called Angels
of Light. Daily, 1,200 kids attend
the camp, which provides meals and
educational and recreational activities.
Eventually, some of the children at
the camp who are orphaned will be
given a permanent home with NPH,
Hultquist says.
In addition to volunteering at the
homes, individuals can sponsor a
child and follow them through their
education and into their adulthood,
forming bonds that are unbreakable
and life-changing.
Just ask Joe Cotton, a 1999 graduate
of SU’s Matteo Ricci College, who
in 2002 sponsored a young man in
the Nicaragua home. Cotton, who
is currently pursuing his master’s in
pastoral studies at the School of Theology
and Ministry, is a regional board
member for Friends of the Orphans and
has served as an international volunteer.
The boy he sponsored at age 14 is now
22 and thriving; Cotton has stayed
connected with him over the years
through regular visits to Nicaragua.
When you sponsor a child you become
a godparent, Cotton says.
“Sponsoring someone is like adding
another child to your family,” says
Cotton, director of King County
Juvenile Detention Ministry. “These
kids become part of your life.
“This experience has completely
changed me. It has made me a global
citizen and has made me see life and
culture in America very differently,”
he continues. “In these countries the
people have intangible wealth, it’s
about sticking together and really
relying on one another. They have
nothing but give everything.”
NPH and Friends of the Orphans
run other programs in Haiti such as
St. Damien’s, the only free pediatric
hospital in Haiti. The hospital quickly
set up an orthopedic surgery center
and a new maternity and neonatal
ward to care for the more than 50
babies born at the hospital in the first
three months after the quake.
Since the need in Haiti is still so
great, Friends of the Orphans is doing
everything possible to support its
programs there, Hultquist says, as
well as those in the other countries.
“We have been trying to keep the
focus on raising all 3,500 children in
all of our homes,” says Hultquist, who
adds that although Friends is not a
disaster-relief organization, “we have
been in Haiti for more than 20 years;
we have a commitment to Haiti and we
will continue to provide assistance for
whatever is needed.”
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