August 2022 - Health Bridges International

Stewardship – wayne centrone

August 28, 2022/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne Centrone

We have been vacationing in the summer for over a decade with our very closest friends. Our days are filled with a fantastic range of curated hikes (thanks, Lu), and we spend time relaxing in the evenings over glasses of wine and great conversation. Our time together is an important tradition.

This year we ventured into a couple of unique national forests in Oregon. Hiking in the pristine landscape of the Mt. Hood National Forst was inspiring. The experience of walking amongst old-growth trees and on trails cut into the sides of a mountain punctuated the work we are doing with our Centers of Excellence.

Forests require stewardship. They require careful attention to the natural balance of the ecosystems. The work we do with HBI is about being stewards in a child’s life. We are helping them to navigate challenges and consider options for their futures. Stewarding a child toward the future life they deserve is like hiking in nature – it requires continuous, careful attention to our surroundings.

We are responsible for helping to shape lives, and we need a team of the absolute best stewards and caretakers. One of our clear roles as stewards is to ensure that the programs we develop and the projects we facilitate have the resources they need to be successful. This stewardship is especially true in our work with children who have lived through the experiences of trauma, neglect, and abandonment.

Truthfully, transformative care does not happen through just one person – it takes a village. You are part of their village for the boys who call Casa Girasoles their home. You are caring for them by championing support on their behalf, while Casa Girasoles staff care for them by being present for these children every day as psychologists, houseparents, social workers, cooks, and more! That is why we are so excited to invite the entire Health Bridges community to join us in supporting the supporters.

For children residing in Casa Girasoles, having access to caring adults means a life of safety, healing, and new beginnings. And that’s why we’re starting #BeTheBridge, a campaign that puts the spotlight on the caring adults of Casa Girasoles (which includes people like you) who are the best bridges towards transformation. Are you ready to meet and support the people working behind the scenes at Casa Girasoles?

Learn more about how you can get involved and join us at our Fall Fundraiser on October 08. Join us, #Bethe Bridge!

Support – wayne centrone

August 21, 2022/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne Centrone

I was in Pittsburgh earlier this week speaking at Duquesne University. I spoke about the humble lessons I have learned from working with people living in the experience of economic poverty, homelessness, and marginalization. I talked about the life-changing and affirming opportunities of viewing the world through a different lens of understanding.

Before I jumped on the plane to fly back to Portland, I went for a run. My run took me from the toney streets of the Duquesne University campus – up to the Hill District neighborhoods and around through the University of Pittsburgh and South Oakland.

Even if you have never been to Pittsburgh or traversed a similar path, you know what I am talking about when referencing such diverse neighborhoods. The degree of stark separation that exists in how people make lives is almost unfathomable. In what amounted to nothing more than a few city blocks, the experiences of wealth and privilege – opportunity – merged with the challenges of poorly maintained infrastructure and crumbling dreams.

I am unsure how to contextualize what I am trying to say. The best word I can come up with is support. We all need support. There is no such thing as living independently. We are all interdependent. This need for interdependence is especially true when I think about my own life. I have been continuously blessed with support. Family, friends, teachers, coaches, mentors – I’ve been made whole through the support of others.

Our work, championing children and the communities that care for them, is about supporting the supporters. It is about envisioning a better world for all children in Perú and supporting the caregivers making a difference. This is the “behind the scenes” work of systems change – and I think it is the only effective mechanism we have to truly and sustainably build futures.

We’re kicking off ticket sales for our fall, A Bridge to Change fundraiser. The event will take place on Saturday, October 08; and will be our first in-person fundraiser in over 3-years. We’re excited to bring together the family of HBI – people passionate about ensuring health, hope, home, and purpose for the children of Perú. Join us and learn more about how your generosity is transforming lives.

Links in a Chain – wayne centrone

August 15, 2022/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne Centrone

Last week before leaving the Sacred Valley of Cusco and the Casa Girasoles, I was sitting in one of the most beautiful places in the world. The sky was filled with pillowy clouds and the voices of the children playing resonated all around me. I truly love that place.

One of the boys came over to sit down with me. He was very curious about what I was doing. I explained that I was communicating with the other Casa Girasoles in the city of Ica. He expressed genuine interest when I told him other boys like him lived in another house called Casa Girasoles. He wanted to know what the boys were like. We wanted to know what the home they lived in looked like. He asked about the games they played and the food they ate.

We talked for around 10 minutes, and he said, “I didn’t know there were other boys like me.” The thought of other homes and other children living in similar situations and circumstances as himself was difficult for him to comprehend. He wanted to know more about me and why I was involved in helping. He genuinely wanted to learn more about the world he lived in and around.

I got to thinking after our interaction. He was building links in his chain of understanding. He was connecting the story that is his life. He was making meaning.

The conversation with my friend got me thinking about what we are doing in our efforts. Our role is to help the boys find the space and place to make meaning of their lives. Our work is about assisting them in fitting the links into their chains. Our efforts are more extensive than helping one child . . . we are helping to build the bonds that will empower futures and advance care delivery. Our efforts are about systems change and shaping models that can impact generations and revolutionalize child welfare.

Wow, what a humbling role. What an important responsibility.

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