A Ball State duo has joined forces to create a program at Ball State to help needy orphans in impoverished areas of Guatemala.
Ball State academic adviser Ann Lee and senior nursing major Amanda Hon have been involved with multiple mission trips to Guatemala with Forever Changed International, an organization created in 2009 to provide support and find homes for the orphans of Guatemala.
Hon said she was inspired to start the organization by everything she saw on a trip to Guatemala.
"The first time we went to the Guatemala City dump," Hon said, "[in] the small part of the dump, which is where we went, there are 190 families living there in little shacks, they live and work in the dump. We were told ... 23,000 people live in the entire dump."
Lee said she became committed to Guatemala after collecting a group of people from her church to go on a mission trip to the country.
The trip changed Lee enough that she wanted to find a way to help the needs of Guatemala. She said she hopes there will be students interested in eventually going on a mission trip.
"We think our goal will be to take a team down for a mission trip, but probably not this year because we're still just getting the word out. Anyone is welcome to get involved, but the organization does have a faith-based element," Lee said. "I think the main thing is just wanting to help the orphans.
"I just all of sudden had this desire to help kids out who don't have anyone to care for them."
Lee and Hon spent time in Guatemala at an orphanage called Dorie's Promise, connecting with children and sharing bread, apples, and candy.
Hon said she hopes to do a 5K race to help raise money for Guatemala and that the group will be having a cinnamon roll bake sale in the Teachers College on Feb. 15 from 9 to 11:30 a.m.
The date and time of the group's next meeting is pending, Hon said.
"We're kind of waiting to have a few more meetings to get more people involved," Hon said. "We're hoping to get more people involved to get more ideas of how to fundraise."
Anyone interested in getting involved the Guatemala Relief should contact Amanda Hon at ashon@bsu.edu.
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