Author: Marianne Irwin-Spangler

This year I have the pleasure to introduce our new leadership team.  This group of ambitious and talented women have been promoted from within the ranks of our ministry.  Each one working with excellence and excelling in their previous positions at Legacy of Hope.   Their preparation in both experience and study has uniquely qualified them for their positions. Susy Portillo I am proud to introduce Susy Portillo as our new Director of Operations.  Susy began as my Spanish tutor during our first year in Santa Rosa and was a part of our ministry as it began to take shape. She helped me understand so many different aspects of life and work in Honduras.  Later Susy joined our team as an administrator and began working closely with the Emergency care program.  Her professionalism and skill have helped to propel Legacy of Hope forward.  I am excited to see the advances that will...

by Gabby Ordoñez Sunday, November 5th, Legacy of Hope Foundation held its 1st annual: “Be a hero: Race for Legacy”,  an initiative aimed to raise awareness in Santa Rosa de Copán, inspiring the community to get involved in caring for vulnerable and abandoned children. It began with a dream of seeing our community participate in supporting the care and unique needs of the children that we receive daily in our Foundation. This desire to host an activity that would make a difference, propelled our team to work tirelessly, knocking on doors among friends, local churches, all kinds of businesses asking them to join us in this noble cause. The community received us with open arms, each bringing something to the table to make the activity possible.  Some people provided services or donations in kind, others made cash donations, and each contribution helped to make the wonderful event possible. The community responded to...

Early in March, we welcomed Neil Edwards and Martin Butcher of Yodo Creative.  These 2 lovely gentlemen from “across the pond” came to help Legacy of Hope make an updated ministry video and also to create a video library that will be used in future videos and communications.  Over a two-week period we scheduled numerous visits as we revisited some special cases, each one sharing their perspective of how the work Legacy of Hope changed their lives.  Our team took Neil and Martin to talk with government officials, community workers and several different families impacted by our ministry.  It was inspiring to hear the families express their gratitude and to see the impact of our work 3, 4, 5 or even 10 years later. We traveled around town but also to small villages for many personalized interviews and also captured lots of beautiful footage that shows off Honduras in her beauty and...

"She just left him here! This is not right! Where is the justice?  Someone should do something about this! Why will no one do anything to make her responsible?"  He waved his arms in great gestures and banged the baby’s thick metal chart with his hand as he spoke to me. The young doctor, still in his initial weeks of mandatory service at the public hospital, was enraged and horrified. I listened and watched the anger flash in his eyes. I was equal parts shocked and elated to see someone show concern for the abandoned babies that were so often shuffled off into my arms. He ranted on, repeating the same things again and again as he paced in the tiny corridor that led to the ward for sick and premature babies. I knew his anger far too well and just stood there like an oversized bobblehead, my head nodding back...

Back to school can be a stressful time for any parent but especially if your child - like some of mine - struggles with change or transition; have academic, social, or emotional difficulties; or other types of challenges. If you are feeling anxious about the new school year I’m here today to say you are not alone and that there are some simple things that we can do to help prepare for the new school year. Let’s start by talking about a few ways that we can empower our children to have a great beginning to their school year.  First, be proactive.  You can assure that things start off on the right foot with teachers and administrators by meeting with them beforehand to establish a good working relationship and to share important information about your learner and their needs. But be careful not to miss out on opportunities to assure consistency throughout...

The unconditional love of a father is a powerful force in the the life of a child. Sadly many of the children that we serve at Legacy of Hope have never experienced the blessing of a safe and loving father. As we celebrate Father’s Day this year I wanted to share the personal reflections of one our Legacy of Hope foster fathers who has been a father to many children over the last several years.  Not only has he been an example to them but his involvement in their lives has been fundamental in helping children to heal, learn to give and receive love and to understand that their preciousness is not based on what they do but rather who they are as his son.  I have witnessed first hand how lives have been changed due to the profound impact of a father’s love. A father can make the difference.  "I have not...

“Each child that I had the chance to be a sister to left a mark on my heart that will never go away.  I will always remember and love them.  When we can have visits after they go home to their birth family it makes me glad because I love to see how they’ve grown and how happy they are.  In my heart I wish to always be their big sister, to show them right from wrong and to be their role model, but being a foster sister I can’t always have that. I hope that they will be happy and always know how much I love them”  - Catherine, foster sister “When I hear them talk about their birth parents or difficult things that happened it makes me sad.  I wish they always had someone to protect them and never had to suffer those things”  - Dante, foster brother  At Legacy of...

Emergency care is a short term family style home for children who cannot be with their biological families due to a crisis that has directly affected them. These children, ages 0 through 18 are generally admitted by Honduran children and youth services (DINAF), but sometimes the police or the district attorney’s office bring them to our home.  They stay in our care until the central authority can finish the investigation and legal proceedings of their case. Legacy of Hope currently operates 2 emergency care homes in Santa Rosa de Copan. Each home can house up to 10 children and is staffed by a foster mother who has the support of specially trained staff including a director and case manager, psychologist, teacher, an on call physician. The needs of each child vary depending on their age and life experiences but the most important thing that we offer to each child is a predictable,...

Did you know that there are only about 100 children currently registered in foster families in Honduras, while nearly 8,000 children live in institutional settings like orphanages or children’s homes?  Those statistics are staggering and are just one more reason why we are so focused on our goal to expand Legacy of Hope's foster care program.    Legacy of Hope is committed to changing the way Honduras cares for orphaned and vulnerable children.  It is our desire that many more children will experience healing in the care of a safe and loving family when they are unable to live with their biological families.  We recently had the privilege to participate in a virtual graduation ceremony for the newest certified foster families across the country.  During the ceremony Legacy of Hope had the distinct honor of graduating 5 families who are now listed in the national registry of foster families, including 2 families...

The room was dark and I had just finished tucking her into bed.  As I turned to leave she said it, three little words that stopped me in my tracks and made my heart pound.  I was not expecting it and my mind started racing.  It seemed too soon but at the same time somehow right.  I felt strange juxtaposition of emotions, sorrow for the suffering that brought us together and relief coupled with happiness that she felt safe here.  I didn’t have time to think through all the possible responses and outcomes.  It seemed like there should be a right answer but I wasn't sure so I stood there, frozen, the silence between us deafening. “I love you too” my voice sounded small and unfamiliar.  I willed my heavy feet to take the last few steps out of the room and gently closed the door behind me. I didn’t want to...

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