Help One Future

02/05/2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/04/world/asia/after-typhoons-devastation-a-philippine-town-is-losing-those-who-could-rebuild-it.html?hp&_r=0

Nearly three months after a ruinous typhoon, Tacloban, once a thriving town, shows few signs of recovery and those who can, are leaving to find jobs elsewhere.

01/04/2014

One of our dear friends and supporters, Kami McMaster, is heading to Leyte next week to continue aid work in areas devastated by the typhoon. We are sending resources with her to continue to provide materials that will allow children to go back to school so that they can begin to resume their lives and hopefully put some of the terror of the storm behind them. If you can spare even a few dollars, it is enough to outfit a student with sufficient supplies to last them the remaining semester and will allow that student to start learning again. Schools are a refuge from the destruction that surrounds their homes - it is a place where you can still hear laughter, playing and excitement in the air as the kids exercise their minds and bodies. We work in conjunction with local sellers of school supplies, purchasing all of the items directly with 100% of your donated funds, and then distributing directly to the children. This helps to rebuild the local economy. School administrators, teachers, and community leaders help us identify which schools, classes, and children are the most needy targets. Please visit our website at helponefuture.org and consider whatever donation you can - every dollar counts. Thank you for your support!

12/20/2013

School classrooms exposed by Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan, and the tarping provided by Help One Future to allow students to go back to school and use the rooms again.

12/18/2013

Safety glasses

12/07/2013

The Philippines Department of Education said at least 4, 498 classrooms from Regions IV-B, 6, 7, and 8, were severely damaged by the typhoon. They estimate reconstruction to begin next year.

More than 4 million residents remain displaced at the present time, in temporary shelters set up by the Philippines government and foreign aid organizations.

12/06/2013

We would like to thank everyone for their generosity and charity this holiday season. For the holiday meal we have already received more than $5,000 towards the $6 meals for families. With over 3.5 million people still displaced, it is a gargantuan, multi-faceted, global effort to get life back to normal. Thanks to your kindness, we are starting one step at a time and making progress. Our deadline for the holiday meal donations is December 10, so if you or anyone you know has a chance to help out, please hurry! Contact azar.mcmaster[at]gmail[dot]com for payment details.

12/03/2013

2007 Distribution

12/03/2013

2004 Distributions

12/02/2013

Friends,

Short version:

You can directly impact victims of the typhoon in the Philippines, even with only a few dollars, and can do it through someone you know and trust (hopefully!). Please share and repost and join me however you can.

Longer version:

Many of you know that I have a deep connection with the Philippines - I first lived in Northern Luzon in 1996 for two years as a missionary, and developed a love for the Filipino people. Since then I have returned many times to work and play. In 2004 I turned my energies toward starting a non-profit, Help One Future, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that focuses on supplementing educational opportunities for elementary-aged children.

My heart aches for the difficulties the Filipinos are facing in the Visayas region after being hit back-to-back with a major earthquake and the most intense typhoon on record. We have been following the developments closely looking for ways to help. While there are many organizations working on improving the situation, we have a couple opportunities in particular that I want to highlight.

Near-term:

1. I am heading to Ormoc, Leyte on December 7 to meet up with other volunteers working with Charity Vision, a medically-focused nonprofit that has temporarily repurposed to provide significant aid, including emergency relief supplies and cleanup/rebuilding assistance. They have been on the ground and working since the storm began. Donations to Charity Vision may be made through their website. I am also taking limited supplies (whatever I can carry) with me on Saturday. I am seeking specific donations to help bring a chainsaw and an auger to assist with reconstruction (these items are sold-out in the Philippines).

2. My good friends Azar McMaster and Kami McMaster are helping coordinate a US-based effort to provide a holiday meal for 30,000 refugees staying at Villamor Air Base in Manila. Most of these people left the Tacloban area with nothing but the clothes on their backs and are stuck trying to figure out what to do next. In the meantime they are living in a camp and relying upon aid. The number one item on their wishlist is a holiday meal. You can help put this together for only $6 per family. Our friend Ray Goodson is coordinating this on the ground with local officials, and 100% of your donated funds (by check, cash or Dwolla) will go towards these meals. As donations are being routed through a special fund within Help One Future, they are tax deductible. Please contact Azar McMaster ([email protected] or 801-712-2563) for further details. We are looking to send funds by December 15.

Long-term:

3. During my trip next week, I will be identifying opportunities for Help One Future to continue assisting in providing educationally-focused assistance once more immediate needs have been met. Since 2004, Alicia and I have worked with generous US, Hong Kong, and local Filipino volunteers through Help One Future to distribute school supplies to thousands of children in needy areas throughout the Philippines. We have assisted in building sustainable libraries in several communities. Three of the areas we previously worked in were hit hard by Typhoon Hainan/Yolanda - Pilar, near Roxas, Palawan, and Guiuan in Eastern Samar. Each dollar goes a long way in the Philippines, and to date we have committed 100% of donations to distributed items - all administrative, fundraising, and operations costs have been provided at no cost by other generous individuals.

Some of you have already been instrumental in sending out an early shipment of safety glasses requested by people assisting in the cleanup, and I thank you for your assistance. My business partner (and Help One Future co-director) Chris Rollins is covering the office to allow me to make this trip. My 6-year old and 4-year old are sending some of the few dollars and cents from their piggy banks to help, and we appreciate every dollar contributed. I will bring back pictures, stories, and more details and ways to help in a couple of weeks.

Sometimes when events of this magnitude happen, we can become overwhelmed at where to start, and wonder whether it will make a difference. You can start - just pick a place. And your help will definitely make a difference.

Please contact me with any questions.

Aloha and Maraming Salamat,

Rick