Local Musicians Play Benefit Concert April 22

A few weeks ago my wife and I were discussing what we could do to gather more people around the work we are doing in the Dominican Republic. My wife Jackie is a piano teacher and thought it would be a great idea to put on a Benefit Concert with local musicians in our area.

With a wide variety of talent from children's choirs to high school jazz ensembles, we found a broad range of interest in our church and community of Marysville.

Our heart from the very beginning is to establish partnerships with people who have similar interests. Locking arms with people who want to serve in meaningful ways to change the lives of others.

Les and I never wanted the development of What Color Is Hope to be where we are pleading for donations but rather give people an opportunity to create some deeper purpose in their lives other than just living to get ahead in life.

Real happiness in life will never be measured by our quest for independence and personal gain. Interdependency and sharing outside of personal gain can bring a measure of fulfillment, joy, and purpose that cannot be attained any other way.

Experience is the best teacher. Watching videos on youtube or reading articles will never fully create the impact that participation will create. Look around you and there are opportunities to make a difference in others by simply being kind and friendly to others.

Simple acts of kindness will always be the most powerful method of bringing hope and joy to others. Show and tell is not just for kindergarten. Show and tell is a life long journey.

When is the last time you made a complete stranger smile?

Try it today...

Do something simple that tells someone they have value and worth.

We asked a group of individuals of all ages to share their musical talent so we could gather people together and give them an opportunity to participate, to partner in lifting people out of poverty in the Dominican Republic.

If you would like to come on one of our trips then just contact me. I would love share with you how you can partner with us to bring hope to others.

John F

We Have Been Waiting For This Day!

After months of preparation the big day is finally here!

Today is the day that 25 young men and woman will start their journey out of poverty and begin the First Step towards achieving dignity, independence, self worth, and pride!

In a moment of crisis it's important to bring aid to those who find themselves destitute but over the long haul what people really need is an opportunity to gain some independence. That is why Les and I started What Color Is Hope.

We wanted to give people immediate help where needed but our end goal has always been to empower and equip others to live a better life by acquiring skills that will make them productive in life.  This desire to equip others resulted in the creation of the First Step vocational training program.

According to the some latest statistics I found online. Nearly 1/2 of the world’s population — more than 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty — less than $1.25 a day.

1 billion children worldwide are living in poverty. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. 805 million people worldwide do not have enough food to eat.

If these statistics are even half true we live in a world where many individuals face incredible challenges just to stay alive from day to day.

When you look at the world even our neighborhoods and all of the needs it can be a little overwhelming and my only resolve in all this is to help one person at a time. That's how we got started in the Dominican in the first place.

We found a single mom living in poverty with two disabled teenagers bound in wheel chairs whose names were Oscar and Luis. We helped one person, one family, and now years later we will be helping hundreds of families and individuals who we will know by name.

None of this would be possible without working with national leaders in the Dominican Republic who wanted to be the boots on the ground and take ownership in this training. We are partners not enablers. We also can't do this without partners and supporters like you.

For less than $1.50 a day you and I can change the destiny of hundreds even thousands of others just by helping just one person, one family out of poverty. Amazing how simple acts of charity can bring such huge dividends in life!

Do you want to be known for how much stuff you have accumulated over the years or how many lives you have changed?

Many people ask us why we started a Culinary School as our first vocational venture. The answer is simple. We had immediate access to students, culinary trainers, a kitchen, internships, and mentors.

80% of the economy in the area we are working in relies on tourism and hospitality. So it was the perfect combination of multiple partnerships. We are ecstatic to say the least!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post. Today begins a 6 month journey for our 25 students. 3 months of Culinary Training and then 3 months of hands on internships in local resorts and restaurants. 

Many people ask us how they can help... We need donors to get this program off the ground. The cost of this first set of students is over $5,000. We have about 25% raised so far. If you would like to donate and sponsor a student please donate here...  

We are a registered 501c3 non profit organization and your donations are tax deductible. Thank you for sharing in our journey helping one person out of poverty at a time. This is only the First Step. We have more projects coming so join us on Facebook to keep informed.