| Friday, 09 October 2009 20:48 |
| Children of Poverty Anyone can improve the life of an impoverished child. A coat, a pair of shoes, a backpack with school supplies, medical or dental care, or a hot meal makes a world of difference to a child who has nothing. The joy you will receive by giving from your heart is limitless. I urge you to consider the plight of these children, the poor - the orphaned - the forgotten. They need your help, your love and your prayers. Kathy Houk, Founder - Desana Inc. Desana started in 2006 from an idea Kathy Houk had while vacationing in Peru. Kathy fell in love with the children of Peru as she traveled to the remote areas around Cusco. Her guide, Gary Sanchez, had shared a vision he had about starting his own tour company with the profits helping the rural children who did not have enough money to attend school (Even though the school system in Peru is free, it still takes about $110US to $200US for a child to attend school for a year.)
When Kathy saw the children and heard Gary's stories, she decided that she wanted to get involved. She knew she would be able to help right away with Christmas gifts in 2006. Once she returned to the United States, she began talking to her friend, Sharon Winkler, an attorney, who had the idea of starting Desana -- a true 501(c)3 charity. Sharon began working on filing paperwork to become a charity and incorporation papers while Kathy started to lay out a business plan to help children world wide. Desana officially started in March 2007 due to the diligence of Sharon Winkler. The hundreds of government forms were filed quickly and Desana became Desana Inc. The next hurdle was filing for 501(c)3 status. The 501(c)3 status was granted by the IRS.
It did not take long for Kathy to organize Desana inc and set up other projects. When Elena Antropyanskaya Hibbler asked for funds for an orphanage project in Nizhny Tagil Russia, Kathy said "OK". When Elena returned home, she found that a shelter that had been started by the Swiss had been abandoned and asked Kathy if she could switch the funds ($3,000) to the shelter. Kathy, of course, said "yes". Then Kathy asked, "How much do you need each month to keep the shelter open " The answer was $500 per month. At that time Desana had $176 in the bank account. Kathy said, "sure, we will do it". And the Russian Projects were started.
Kathy continues to oversee Desana with the help of a six member Board of Directors and more and more volunteers each month. |
| Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 July 2010 13:25 |
