Rocca di Papa Children's Home
On Thursday, March 25th, Friends of Ambrit's group of
volunteer parents started putting the finishing touches on a new recreation
room at the San Giuseppe and Santa Teresa children's home in Rocca
di Papa, run by the Congregazione di Suore Carmelitane. For those unfamiliar
with this particular home, the children can range in age from newborns
to 18 and are of various nationalities and cultural backgrounds. Many
have come from war experiences and many are orphaned or cannot live
with their parents because of other tragic circumstances. Some may
be adopted, others may not, and the very intricate Italian adoption
law means they may spend years at the home before they are adopted.
The Carmelite sisters do their best to provide warmth and affection
but funding is low and many of their needs are met "on the fly".
Friends of Ambrit first began to the help the home in 2008, by donating
a percentage of its profits from the Spring Auction that year. In December
2008, FOA set up a "PJ Tree" in the atrium for the holidays
and for 12 euro anyone could hang an ornament and fund a new set of
pajamas for the children in this home and another one. After a visit
to the home last fall, FOA members decided what the children needed
was a cozy and inviting common room providing a fun place to be together
when outside it wasn't possible - Rocca di Papa has cold, damp winters.
Once more with a Christmas Tree decoration project in December 2009,
FOA raised funds and received many generous donations beyond its wildest
dreams. Not only did FOA fund a Christmas outing to a recreation park
in Rome, complete with a pizza lunch and presents from Santa Claus
in person, but it has been able to complete the renovation of the recreation
room with a fresh coat of paint, a sitting area, new games for the
very young, a new ping pong table and a computer lab with 5 donated
computers. FOA also plans to fund computer courses to help the older
children learn skills that will help them in their job search when
they must leave the home. Work still in progress!
The room before work began
Work in progress!
... and the room after!
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