This SAGA began with the number 11. That number pointed beyond itself to
those individuals who added together created this specific 11. Those individuals essentially had no relationship
to each other, but conventionally they were united. United in their participation with a charity effort known as
The Christel House Open. They represented an Airline (1), an Exchange Firm (2), Shipping Company
(1), and a Resort in Wisconsin (4), a Management Firm (1) and a Homeowners Association in
Arizona (2). They had assembled together in Mexico City to visit a place called Christel House
Mexico, which partly benefited from their efforts. The first 4 parts of this Saga have previously appeared
in the Timeshare Beat and chronicled our experience from the Beginning, into the World that
is CHMX, the Visit to the barrios and finally the Healing of our spirit. Needless to say,
the place did a number on us and led us to a number of conclusions. Perhaps the most jarring of those conclusions
was that we had to do a much better job in our communities with the Christel House Numbers.
Let’s start with CH
#1. That number could only relate to Christel DeHaan herself. It was she, who had the original vision
and then put “her money where her mouth was” to make it happen. In my book, that makes her number one times 2000,
which is the approximate number of children worldwide benefiting from her personal philanthropy. Those who know
about Christel House know that Christel herself funds all start up costs and all general and administrative
expenses. That fact produces another number, which we identify as CH #100. This number represents
the percentage of funds donated to Christel House that go directly to benefit the children of Christel
House. Almost all the charity-rating systems (such as the American Institute of Philanthropy) give high
grades to those charities that put 75% or more toward programs. For comparison purposes, the most recent numbers
for HOPE Worldwide indicate that 87.2% of its donated funds go directly to program expenses. Now 87% sounds
good and should get a great rating but 100% is just about as good as it can get…
Next we skip a few numbers to get to CH #5. This number represents the Christel House Learning Centers
located in areas of around the world. Those locations are Bangalore India, Mexico City Mexico, Caracas Venezuela,
Cape Town South Africa and Indianapolis USA. That number could have been six if you added the Christel House
Scholars program currently active in Kragujevac, Serbia.
As you already know this SAGA dealt with the Christel House in Mexico City. Lets take a
few moments to tell about what’s going on in some of the other locations beginning with:
A patchwork of tiny dwellings cobbled together from salvaged materials blankets the landscape. This is a neighborhood
rife with gangs, violence, disease and abuse, where HIV/AIDS, fetal alcohol syndrome and drug use are commonplace.
Who would call this home? When asked to describe what poverty was, the children of South Africa identified
the lack of access to goods and services crucial for them to realize their human development potential, such goods
and services as health, education and shelter.
In January of 2002, the Christel House Learning Center at Athlone Cape Town, South Africa
opened. Today over 400 children from the neighborhood described above, have access to many of those goods and services.
100% of them meet the World Health Organization immunization standards. Almost 70% of them meet or exceed
grade level requirements in language arts & mathematics and the attendance record is 97%. About 70% of the
children receive group therapy and/or counseling. The 39 staff members at CHSA are supplemented by over
7,000 volunteer hours annually. What a number! That warrants becoming CH# 7000.
Those 7,000 hours volunteered in South Africa are not unique. Each of the Christel House Learning
Centers has that kind of support. As an example, 92% of the parents of the students at CH Venezuela
volunteer and they contribute over 30,000 hours annually. Let’s assign that as CH# 30,000.
One of the great numbers associated with the Christel House Learning Centers is the number of parents
that attend workshops provided by the CH staff. In Mexico 100%, India 95%, USA 89%,
South Africa 73%, and in Venezuela 43%. Another great number is 1083, which is the number of school
days provided between the five learning centers. That’s an average of 216+ days per location, which means
that about 60% of the time these children have a learning center they can rely upon to provide not only opportunity
but also shelter from the environment they spend the other 40%. I think that makes that 60% our CH# 60.
Most everyone knows the Christel House Mission is to help children around the world break the cycle of
poverty and become self sufficient, contributing members of society. Not everyone knows that its Credo is
to provide a place for children to learn and achieve success with dignity. Christel House children learn
the key values of respect, responsibility, independence and integrity. They are taught to develop a passion for
learning and to maximize their human potential. They realize that the opportunities and care provided to them by
Christel House emanate from love for their fellow man and the desire to help make the world a better place.
In my book, that makes CH# 8 a small number, yet a very, very important one…
In order to achieve positive results, child after child, there are a lot of factors involved. Some of those
factors are all about Dollars, or Rupees, Pesos, Dinars, Rand and Bolivares. The following is a list of some of
those factors and their related costs:
A] Many of the children of Christel House have to walk to get to the learning center
and that makes shoes an important factor. CH# 125,000 represents the number of Rupees it will take to provide
more than 100 students at Christel House India with shoes for an entire year. A donation of $100 US would just
about cover CH# 125,000.
B]
Prior to gaining admission into Christel House many of the students had little to choose from as far as clothing
was concerned. One of the things that have an immediate impact on a child is how they look. All the Christel House
children are very proud of the uniforms provided them. CH# 1,065 represents the number of Rand it takes
to supply one student at Christel House South Africa with a uniform for a full year. A donation of $142 US would
just about cover CH#1065.
C] Many of the children of Christel House would not be sure where their next meal
would come and a nutritious meal is vital to their well-being. Ch# 1605 represents the number of Pesos
it takes to feed a child at Christel House Mexico for a whole year. A donation of $150 US would just about cover
CH# 1065.
D] Reading, Writing and Arithmetic have always been staples in the education of
children. Two out of three of those require pencils and erasers. CH# 240,000 equals the number of Bolivares
needed to supply pencils and erasers for all the classes at Christel House Venezuela for a full year. Another donation
of $150 US would just about cover CH# 240,000.
E]
Each of the Christel House facilities need equipment to teach the vocational skills that may be needed to find
substantial work upon graduation. CH# 15,000 equates to the number of Dinars needed at the Serbia Christel
House to purchase a drilling machine so that the students can work with metals and other materials. A donation
of less that $265 US dollars would provide that machine.
F] In order for a student to receive a full education many resources are necessary.
One such resource would be a classroom dictionary set. CH# 450 represents the number of US Dollars needed
to purchase such a set for the students at Christel House USA in Indianapolis.
G]
One of the major challenges at any of the Christel Houses is, first getting and then keeping the attending children
healthy. CH# 28, CH# 45 and CH# 5,188 all relate to these health issues. CH# 28 is the number
of US dollars needed to provide a first-aid kit to each classroom and CH# 45 is the US dollars needed to provide
Band-Aids, children Tylenol and other nurse supplies per child for a year. Both these numbers relate to Indianapolis.
CH# 5,188 represents the amount of US dollars needed to prove full years medical supplies at the Learning Center
in Mexico City.
Sometimes when we are
asked to give to a charity we wonder just how much of our donation actually goes directly to whom or whatever the
salutations objective is. Let’s assume that at this time of the year you drop two dollars in loose change into
that pot outside of the local grocery store. Will it actually do any good? It is not my purpose to second-guess
the Salvation Army or any such charity; however, I know that that same $2.00 in change would have all gone (that’s
100% of it) to provide a notebook to a Christel House India student for a full year. Could that be CH# 2?
FINAL THOUGHTS
We, the eleven that began this SAGA, did so because of our involvement with Christel House International. More
specifically, through our efforts on behalf of the Christel House Open Golf Tournaments that are held around the
world each spring. As you are aware, this SAGA series attempted to express some of the impacts and emotional swings
we encountered during our few days in Mexico City. As we are about to wind up this effort, I asked some of
them to express one last thought.
- Dori wrote: “The one thing that I came away from the Saga to CHMX that will always be with me was
the smiles from children who are thriving in an environment made possible only by the hearts and dedication of
others. We’ve seen what the world would be like without Christel House in their lives; and how dramatically
better it is because of Christel House. I witnessed firsthand that, with continued support, we can indeed
change the world for so many children.”
Sunny added: Our visit to Christel House Mexico City left me with a dedicated sense of responsibility.
Before, if we didn’t make all that much at the Open, it was a “well, we tried” kind of thing. Now, if we
don’t drastically increase the amount of money coming in, I will be heartbroken. I will picture the bright
faces, the hugs and the joy that emanated from each of those little ones while at school. I will see the
barrio and I will remember the gratitude that each mother expressed for being given the opportunity to offer a
better life to her child. I will then hit the street harder, trying to share the experience of our visit
and the need for us to put aside our national greed to help in a way that gives a much better return on our dollar!
Maranda had these thoughts: Since the trip, I have a permanent thought in my mind each day of “how
can I help?” I feel as if I’ve figured out my part and how I can contribute. It stems back to a value
my parents taught me at a very young age; every person is born with God-given talents. It is your responsibility
to develop those gifts and use them for the betterment of others. I challenge every reader to ask yourself
this question: Am I using my talents to help others?
Clark wrapped it up for all of us with: When I was first invited to visit CHMX, my expectations where
nothing like what really occurred once there. The amazing staff and all of these wonderful children overwhelmed
me with a completely new realization of what exist in this world. I was truly taken back and realized that
sometimes when our own lives hit lows, that it never compares to the many lives that are experiencing lows that
we can’t even begin to imagine. Since our trip to CHMX, there is not a day goes by that I don’t think of
“my” kids and what more we can do at our Christel House Open in Scottsdale to raise more of the funds needed to
continue Christel’s world wide mission.
For me, I guess that
it has to relate to some of the Christel House Numbers and The Christel House Open in Arizona.
Our standard setup for a foursome has been $600 or $150 per player. The 150 number sticks in my mind because
(as indicated above) that number would have provided meals for a full year for a child in Mexico, or pencils
and erasers for all the Christel House Learning Center classrooms in Venezuela for a full year. One
player fee would have paid for a school uniform for the total year for a student in South Africa with enough
left over to provide four students in India with notebooks for the full school year. One additional foursome
($600) would have purchased that set of Classroom Dictionaries for Christel House USA and have fed another child
in Mexico.
At our Open we have a few special sponsor situations that are $1500 each. If we had found four additional such
sponsors, we could have purchased all the medical supplies needed for next year at Christel House Mexico,
purchased shoes for the entire student body in India and had money left over to buy that drill machine needed in
Serbia.
Hosting a golf tournament such as a Christel House Open tier one event is somewhat grandiose and takes
a lot of work by many volunteers. Every one of us involved in such efforts have solicited several friends and/or
colleagues to participate in our local tournaments who have not yet become involved for various and sundry reasons.
Without question, 100% of these individuals could afford to play a round of golf, sponsor a hole or just come out
and pour coffee on the morning of the tournament. If we could send any one of these individuals to a Christel
House somewhere in the world, they would have their eyes opened and fall all over themselves to get in line
to make a donation or contribute in some way.
Our friends and colleagues
Joan and Kris Jamtaas found a way. They placed Chocolate Kisses in a jar, went on-line and asked
their friends to make a $10 contribution and guess how many Kisses were in the jar. The Contributor closest to
the total (without going over) would receive a $100 AMEX Gift Card. This inventive little effort raised
well over Fourteen Hundred Dollars for Christel House.
If you would like to join our effort on behalf of Christel House by becoming an Event Wide or Local Sponsor,
organizing a Foursome or simply a Player at one of the 25+ worldwide venues in 2006, please use the following Christel
House Number.
Christel House International @ CH# 317-464-2030
For a list of the worldwide venues and the local contacts please click of the following link.
http://chopen.org/courses.asp
If you would simply like to make a donation to support Christel House, you can be sure that 100% of that donation
will actually go directly to benefit the children. Please do so by simply clicking on this link.
http://www.christelhouse.org/donation.htm
No amount is too small. $2.00 provides a notebook to a student at Christel House India for a full year,
$20.00 will provide that same student with a uniform that will last that full year. A whopping $26.00 will provide
a pair of shoes for a student in Serbia and $45.00 provides Band-Aids, Children’s Tylenol and nurse
supplies to the Christel House Academy in Indianapolis. $840 will pay the way for one child to access
all the programs and services of Christel House India for one year or, $3,000 will cover the cost of providing
Summer School for all the children at Christel House Mexico.
We, Sunny, Dori, Dale, Clark, Mark, Susan, Patti, Cheryl, Wade, Maranda and myself were the 11 (or if
you will CH# 11) who began this SAGA. We will forever be part of the NUMBERS that make up
Christel House and we will all be eternally grateful for any contribution or donation to the cause that
our story may have inspired.
JS 12/05
