Be An Angel is a Houston headquartered non-profit to assist children with severe disabilities.  The organization is well-established and chaired by former Houston Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini.  Their mission:

It is our mission to improve the quality of life for children with multiple disabilities or profound deafness by providing needed adaptive equipment and select services.

We believe that children are the heart and soul of humanity, that they represent all that is good within us, and that we can help children with special needs experience life at their fullest potential.

The group’ efforts have wide reach, including not only efforts in Houston and statewide, but internationally as well.  Below, board member Jim Anderson recounts a recent mission trip to Casa de Luz, an orphanage in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Casa de Luz means “House of Light” and is a bright star in the lives of its young residents. Born into poverty, these children were neglected with no one to care for them. At Casa de Luz, they receive medical care, nourishment, physical therapy and a loving family.

As Close as You Can Get to Heaven on Earth

Well, here we are again.  It’s four in the morning, and our group of 11 is headed down Interstate 45 to the airport for a trip we have waited on for over two years.  We are headed on a mission trip to the orphanage we have been visiting for over 11 years, the House of Light (HOL), in the Dominican Republic.  We had previously visited twice a year before the pandemic hit, then all visits came to a halt.  You see, the House of Light is not your typical orphanage–many of the children in this home are described as “throwaway children,” whom parents decided they could not raise, with many being severely disabled. Some actually place their children in dumpsters, where local police find them and take them to the House of Light.

On previous trips prior to Covid, we have built a sanctuary and pews to go inside, a large kitchen and dining area so the children could eat meals together, and a laundry room full of washers and dryers (that never stop being used) to keep the children in the cleanest clothes possible.  The importance of this trip is that Rotary International has chosen the HOL location to build a water plant to help the orphanage become self-sufficient.   The orphanage has been dependent on organizations to provide funding and has continued to receive support from the nonprofit Be An Angel in Houston and North Shore Church in Montgomery to pay the workers and owners who have kept this house open for 14 years.  The water plant, being built by Water Works International (which has 8 other water plants in the Dominican Republic), will have 10 fulltime workers who will run the plant and produce bottled water to furnish to the orphanage and sell to the surrounding neighborhoods.

Our group’s mission was to put the first coat of primer on both the inside and outside of the plant, plus paint the outside and inside of the large walls that go around HOL.  These two projects took us two and a half days to complete, which gave us time to also paint the main stairway from the first to the third floors.  While this was being accomplished, half of the team was installing new doors inside the house (that were delivered an inch too long, and they had to be cut to the proper size to fit the doorways.)

Having completed our tasks one day early, this gave us time to spend our last day with the 34 children and the owners and workers at HOL. As we arrived at the HOL on our last day on this trip, the children were starting their day by having their daily music session.  They are brought into one room. Several are provided tambourines to accompany the singing, and it is quite an event to witness.  They have memorized several songs, and this shows the happiness they still possess as children. I cannot say enough about the dedicated workers who stay 24/7 to provide care for these beautiful children—true angels.    

We learned the new government in the Dominican Republic has taken control of the process of screening all children and deciding whether they should officially be taken from their parents (or those relatives with custody) and placed in HOL.  This is a fundamental change in the way this home has operated since its inception.  Some children needing medicine or physical therapy have been returned to their homes for treatment,  which puts several new requirements and needs on the staff for this to be accomplished. The mission continues to grow for the wonderful sanctuary, but with little or no support from the government.     

We also had one more important duty to perform on this visit, and that was the dedication of the water plant in the name of our former leader, Raymond Solcher.  Ray and his wife Karen were first taken to the orphanage while distributing hearing aids at the School for the Deaf in the Dominican, and they quickly fell in love with the children and staff.  Ray, a board member for Be An Angel and member of North Shore Church, established the connection that is still in place today.  A plaque which recognizes Ray has been placed on the water plant in his memory.  It is anticipated the water plant will not be making a profit for another 12 months, so additional support is needed during this interim.

Special thank you to my fellow team members and the continued support provided by Be An Angel and North Shore Church over the last 14 years.  The generous donations and offerings have supported these children at the House of Light, and I sincerely hope all will be blessed for their big hearts.  You can donate by attending Be An Angel’s upcoming Gala on April 28^th or by providing a donation at beanangel.org.