It Started With 3 Students from De Peppelaer Elementary School in Holland..

The following story really touched my heart!  Please read on…

Dear Dixie and Jean,

Amazing things are happening here in Holland.

Some time ago, three girls who live next door to a colleague of mine rang his doorbell asking for some chores. My colleague suggested them to raise funds for GLA by doing these chores. Until then, they didn’t know GLA, or me for that matter.

This morning, I was invited to the elementary school these girls attend, to receive a check for GLA. They raised funds with a sponsored running marathon, deposits on empty bottles and by doing chores. I wasn’t told very much, as I don’t know the school myself at all: everything happened because of these three girls – Lisa (3rd grade), Jasmijn (5th grade) and Maeve (6th grade) – living next door to my colleague.

Imagine my amazement when some 320 students were waiting for me in the school yard with Haitian music playing over the loudspeakers to hand me over a check for US$ 11.427,93!!!! WOW, I was overwhelmed for sure. So, I stammered a few words of gratitude and then showed a slideshow and some video’s of GLA to the 8th graders.

It is truly amazing and inspiring to see how people’s (children’s!) hearts are touched by what you’re doing, and to what lengths they will go to support that.

Thank you so much,
Fiona & Stephan Erlings
Proud mommy and daddy to Lisa (Wichlande)
Purmerend, The Netherlands