By Elena Coe-McNamara
Staff Writer
Mira Costa sophomore Kara Milewski plans to step out of her comfort zone and spend a week at an orphanage in Haiti, helping out the children and staff.
Leaving February 11th, Mira Costa sophomore Kara Milewski and her mother, Sheri Milewski, are visiting the Maison de Lumiere orphanage in Haiti to bring supplies to young children without parents or a stable permanent home. Kara Milewski has sponsored an 11 year old girl since she was in fourth grade.
“I’ve always wanted to be able to go to the orphanage that I’ve been sponsoring,” Milewski said. “Now that I finally have a chance, I couldn’t be more excited.”
Maison de Lumiere is an organization started in 2011 by Kim van Grinsven. The Milewskis connected to it through the Child Hope International organization, which connects Chritstian volunteers to children in various places in Haiti in order to provide children with the extra care they don’t have from parents.
“Child Hope is an amazing organization,” Milewski said. “The people who run it put all of their time into it, in order to make these kids lives a little bit better every day.”
The two will bring basic life supplies such as shampoo, soap, lotion, and toothbrushes on the trip to give to the children. They will spend their days with the children, and helping out the orphanage in any way they can. Both Milewski and her mother said that they are trying to collect as much money and supplies as they can.
“In addition to bringing them the supplies, we want to bring them as much love and happiness as we can,” Kara Milewski said. “The children don’t live very happy lives, and we want to change that as much as we can.”
Kara Milewski said the reason she is going is because she wants to have a chance to see another culture and help those that are less fortunate. Maison de Lumiere often has volunteers and aids from America, because it was started by Kim van Grinsven, a Redondo Beach local.
“I am excited for this trip because anytime you do something to help someone else out, I think there is the added benefit of you feeling good about what you just did,” Sheri Milewski said. “Seeing the gratefulness of the kids when they have so little is a reminder to always stay grateful.”
Kara Milewski is most looking forward to making a positive impact on the children’s lives and helping them through the struggles of their daily life as much as she can. Sheri Milewski says she is most looking forward to spending time with her daughter and making any child’s day a little bit brighter.
“Being from Manhattan Beach, we have so many opportunities handed to us that kids from other countries and places don’t always have,” Kara Milewski said. “I think it’s definitely going to humble me to be able to see what it’s like in another country where the kids have next to nothing.”
The Milewskis became involved with the program through an ad in the Easy Reader when Kara Milewski was in fourth grade. Milewski began to sponsor a young girl who is now eleven, by sending her money every month and the two occasionally write letters to each other.
“One thing I’m looking forward to is being able to finally meet the girl I have been talking to for the last six years,” Milewski said. “I feel such a connection to her even though I’ve never met her, and now I finally have the opportunity to.”
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