This story is long but worth reading. The only place to start our story is to begin with Elba Hererra de Venta, and her mission. One day in the 1980's Elba was walking in a park on her way to church when she heard a noise coming from a pile of trash bags. Elba looked to see where the noise was coming from and it was an infant covered with rat bites. Elba got the attention of a nearby police officer and was told to leave the baby in the trash because it was going to die. Elba couldn't do that. She took the child to the hospital, had the child baptized and was there for him when he died. While Elba spoke with the nurses at the hospital she learned that there were many kids that were being abandoned and had nowhere to go. Elba told the nurses that if a child was brought in that needed a home, she would take it. Over time, Elba gathered several children into her home. Eventually she enlisted the help of the Missionaries of Charity, Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta's order of religious sisters. Elba had volunteered with her parents as a child as they assisted the Sisters. She had even met Mother Theresa without knowing of her importance until after that occasion! (According to Elba, Mother Theresa seemed to be the same as any of the other Sisters and didn't stick out as someone "important").
In 2004, Elba came to the United States serving as an interpreter for a priest who needed medical treatment. While the priest, Father Alfredo Leon, was receiving physical therapy from Michele Korte Capelle at St. Joseph's Hospital in Highland, IL, Elba shared her story about the children she was helping. Michele and Elba became good friends during that visit and over the next couple years. In 2006 Elba returned to the Highland area along with Father Alfredo and another priest, Father Angel, to connect with a parish that was a "Sister Parish" to Father Angel's parish in Venezuela. Shortly after that visit, Michele decided to get together a group of volunteers to raise money to help Elba on this mission. Initially our effort was called Operation Elba's Orphans and only helped children living in homes of the Missionaries of Charity that Elba was directly involved with.
In 2008 Michele Korte Capelle became the founder of Stewards of Hope International, a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization. Our initial activities evolved around Elba's as we helped provide financial help and then physical supplies for the orphans cared for by the Missionaries of Charity. Eventually Elba needed to leave the country for medical reasons. About the same time, the Missionaries of Charity decided to spread the remaining children out among their 7 different homes across the country. Stewards of Hope continued to support the Missionaries of Charity by sending food supplies and hygiene related items to them as they cared for people of all ages desperate for help. Eventually we also began helping Father Angel provide for desperately poor people in his parish.
Since 2008, Stewards of Hope International has sent well over $250,000 in money and needed supplies to help the people in need in Venezuela. We are thankful for all of the hard work that has been put into this mission by many very dedicated volunteers. Our volunteer board of directors and additional volunteers have put in countless hours over the past 15 years to make this effort a success. We are extremely thankful to all the individual donors and sponsors that help to provide the financial support needed to make such an impact on the needy in Venezuela. We are also thankful for our Food Buddies and participants at our fundraising events for their support of our efforts. We, at Stewards of Hope International, will continue to work hard to continue this mission of hope for years to come.
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